Noles Advance to ACC Championship

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Five-seed Florida State beat nine-seed Wake Forest, 9-6, Saturday afternoon at Truist Field to advance to the ACC Championship Game. With the win, the Seminoles will face either Duke or Miami in the title game.

Florida State (42-14) used five pitchers in the contest, including 2.0 scoreless, hitless innings from freshman John Abraham (5-1). Abraham has won two of FSU's games in the ACC Championship. Junior Conner Whittaker earned his first save of the year, pitching the final 2.2 innings with three hits allowed.

Centerfielder Max Williams was 3-for-5 with a career-high four RBI for the Seminoles, including a two-run home run that extended FSU's lead to 7-4 in the sixth inning. Daniel Cantu and Drew Faurot both had two hits and combined for three RBI and four runs.

Wake Forest (38-20) took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third inning, but the Seminoles answered immediately with three of their own in the bottom of the inning. Faurot's two-run single in the third inning gave FSU a lead they would not relinquish.

After a solo home run in the sixth inning, Williams' ninth home run of the year in the bottom of the frame extended FSU's lead to three runs. The teams traded two runs in the seventh and eighth innings before Whittaker closed things out for FSU's 19^th save of the year, most in the conference.

SCORING SUMMARY:
T2 | WF 1, FSU 0                Williams sacrifice fly, King scored
T2 | WF 2, FSU 0                Houston singled, Tellier scored
T2 | WF 3, FSU 0                Morales scored on a wild pitch
B2 | WF 3, FSU 1                Cantu tripled, Ferrer scored
B2 | WF 3, FSU 2                Lodise reached on error, Cantu scored
B2 | WF 3, FSU 3                M. Williams singled, Lodise scored
B3 | WF 3, FSU 5                Faurot singled, Dinges and Ferrer scored
T6 | WF 4, FSU 5                Ballestero home run
B6 | WF 4, FSU 7                M. Williams home run (9^th, 377 ft), Faurot scored
B7 | WF 4, FSU 8                West singled (bunt), Cantu scored
B7 | WF 4, FSU 9                M. Williams grounded out, Faurot scored
T8 | WF 5, FSU 9                Winnay doubled, Ballestero scored
T8 | WF 6, FSU 9                Reinisch singled, Winnay scored

OF NOTE:

Florida State has reached the ACC Championship Game for the 15^th time in 31 tournament appearances. FSU's eight ACC titles are the most since joining the league in 1992.
FSU improved to 10-4 in the ACC Championship against Wake Forest.
FSU's 42 wins are tied with regular season champion North Carolina for the most in the ACC.
Florida State has scored 33 runs in the 2024 ACC Championship, its most in an ACC Championship since 2010 (34 in four games).
The Noles are 7-0 in neutral site games this year.
Max Williams had his fifth three-hit game of the season, going 3-for-5 with an RBI single and a two-run home run, his ninth of the year. He added an RBI groundout, setting a career high with four RBI.
FSU has 105 home runs this season, a 50-home run improvement from last year. The Seminoles have a home run in 30 of the past 31 games and 51 of 56 games this season.
Daniel Cantu tripled for the second consecutive game, his first two triples of the year. As a team, FSU has 16 triples, third in the ACC. Cantu has a nine-game hitting streak, matching his season long.
Drew Faurot hit a two-run single and tied a career high with two stolen bases, improving to 10-for-10 on the season. Faurot is 8-for-11 with two doubles, a home run, six RBI and five runs scored in the ACC Championship.
Cam Smith walked in the second inning, extending his on-base streak to nine games. He has reached in 55 of 56 games this year.
Marco Dinges hit his 10^th double of the season, the seventh Nole in double digits.
Jaime Ferrer was hit by a pitch for the 15^th time this year, most on the team. His 44 career HBP are fifth in FSU history.
Alex Lodise and Smith were both hit by a pitch for the eighth time, second on the team. Lodise has reached safely in 13 consecutive games, a career high.
James Tibbs III was intentionally walked for the eighth time this year, most on the team. He has reached safely in a team-high 14 straight games.
Conner Whittaker became the ninth Seminole with a save this season. FSU's 19 saves are the most in the ACC.

UP NEXT:
Florida State will play the winner of Duke and Miami for the ACC Championship Sunday at 12:00 p.m. The game will air on ESPN2.

For more information on Florida State baseball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, and keep up with the team on social media through X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) & Instagram (@NoleBaseball).

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Team Stats

Max Williams

Daniel Cantu

Drew Faurot

Marco Dinges

Players Mentioned

John Abraham

Daniel Cantu

Marco Dinges

Drew Faurot

Jaime Ferrer

Alex Lodise

Cam Smith

James Tibbs III

Conner Whittaker

Max Williams

Florida State University Athletics