Florida State University Athletics
Friday, February 13
Tallahassee, Fla.
6:00 PM
Florida State
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James Madison
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James Madison
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Florida State
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No. 16 Seminoles Notch Opening Day Win
2/13/2026 10:46:00 PM | Baseball
TALLAHASSEE – The No. 16 Florida State baseball team opened the 2026 season with a 5-1 victory over James Madison on Friday evening at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
The Seminoles (1-0) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a towering home run by sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey and never looked back. Another homer by redshirt sophomore right fielder Brody DeLamielleure in the second made it 2-0 while junior left-handed starter Wes Mendes threw 5.0 shutout innings. After the Dukes (0-1) cut the lead in half with a run in the sixth, sophomore pinch hitter Noah Sheffield delivered a two-RBI pinch-hit single as part of a three-run eighth inning.
Fourth-year head coach Link Jarrett is now 9-0 in opening-series games with the Seminoles. FSU improved to 10-0 all-time against JMU, as the two teams have squared off in four of the last five season-opening series.
Florida State scored its five runs on eight hits while holding James Madison to one run on seven hits. Both teams committed an error. JMU stranded 10 runners on base and FSU left eight on.
The win came in front of a sellout crowd of 6,700, the second consecutive year the Seminoles have sold out their season opener.
Making his first Opening Day start, Mendes struck out seven in 5.0 innings. He did not allow a run on four hits and walked just one to earn the win, the 10th of his career. Mendes threw 75 pitches. Junior right-hander Brodie Purcell picked up his fifth career save. Pitching the final 2.1 innings, he held James Madison without a run on one hit with four strikeouts and a walk.
Offensively, Bailey and DeLamielleure each had two hits and Sheffield had two RBI. Seven players had at least one hit, RBI or run scored in the victory.
Bailey's first-inning home run to right field came with two outs on the first pitch he saw. Going back to his freshman season in 2025, Bailey has homered in eight of his last 10 games.
DeLamielleure made it 2-0 in the second with a leadoff homer to deep right-center.
On the mound, Mendes retired the side in order in the first and got a strikeout to end the second with runners on the corners after a leadoff double. Back-to-back one-out singles put two on in the third, but a strikeout and popup ended the threat. In the fourth, a leadoff double was stranded at third thanks to consecutive strikeouts to conclude the frame.
Mendes' fifth and final inning saw him get a groundout to finish the inning and strand a runner on second.
James Madison's lone run came in the sixth on a wild pitch. Two strikeouts followed to limit the damage and leave one on third.
In the seventh, Purcell came in and got the final out thanks to a strikeout with a runner on second.
Florida State loaded the bases in the eighth with no outs on two walks and an infield bunt single. Sheffield then pinch hit with one out before a balk brought in the first run. On the first pitch to the plate that he saw, Sheffield then singled up the middle to drive in two more insurance runs to make it 5-1.
Purcell finished off the win with a strikeout and groundout with a runner on second.
The three-game series will continue on Saturday, February 14, at 2 p.m. ET, and conclude with the finale on Sunday, February 15, at 1 p.m. Limited tickets remain for both games at Seminoles.com/Tickets or by calling the FSU ticket office at 850-644-1830. Admission is free for all FSU students with their FSUID, with the student entrance at the right field gate at Haggard Plaza. All gates at Dick Howser Stadium will open 60 minutes prior to first pitch for every game in 2026.
Each regular-season Saturday home game is Military Saturday Presented by VyStar, with military recognitions and the playing of God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch. Every Sunday regular-season home game is Sunday Funday, where Kids Club members and youth wearing their little league jerseys will be admitted free, and kids 12 and under will be allowed to run the bases postgame. Mardi Gras beads also will be available Sunday while supplies last.
Both games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra (Saturday | Sunday), accessible through your television provider or a subscription to ESPN+. Fans can listen to every game via the Seminole Sports Network, with Saturday's contest on 96.5 FM The Spear and Sunday's game on WFLA 100.7 FM. Every game also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App and Seminoles.com. Live stats are at FSU.Statbroadcast.com (Saturday | Sunday). Direct links to watch, listen and follow along can be found on the schedule page at Seminoles.com/Baseball. News, notes and behind-the-scenes updates all weekend are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
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 Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) & Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
The Seminoles (1-0) took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a towering home run by sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey and never looked back. Another homer by redshirt sophomore right fielder Brody DeLamielleure in the second made it 2-0 while junior left-handed starter Wes Mendes threw 5.0 shutout innings. After the Dukes (0-1) cut the lead in half with a run in the sixth, sophomore pinch hitter Noah Sheffield delivered a two-RBI pinch-hit single as part of a three-run eighth inning.
Fourth-year head coach Link Jarrett is now 9-0 in opening-series games with the Seminoles. FSU improved to 10-0 all-time against JMU, as the two teams have squared off in four of the last five season-opening series.
Florida State scored its five runs on eight hits while holding James Madison to one run on seven hits. Both teams committed an error. JMU stranded 10 runners on base and FSU left eight on.
The win came in front of a sellout crowd of 6,700, the second consecutive year the Seminoles have sold out their season opener.
Making his first Opening Day start, Mendes struck out seven in 5.0 innings. He did not allow a run on four hits and walked just one to earn the win, the 10th of his career. Mendes threw 75 pitches. Junior right-hander Brodie Purcell picked up his fifth career save. Pitching the final 2.1 innings, he held James Madison without a run on one hit with four strikeouts and a walk.
Offensively, Bailey and DeLamielleure each had two hits and Sheffield had two RBI. Seven players had at least one hit, RBI or run scored in the victory.
Bailey's first-inning home run to right field came with two outs on the first pitch he saw. Going back to his freshman season in 2025, Bailey has homered in eight of his last 10 games.
DeLamielleure made it 2-0 in the second with a leadoff homer to deep right-center.
On the mound, Mendes retired the side in order in the first and got a strikeout to end the second with runners on the corners after a leadoff double. Back-to-back one-out singles put two on in the third, but a strikeout and popup ended the threat. In the fourth, a leadoff double was stranded at third thanks to consecutive strikeouts to conclude the frame.
Mendes' fifth and final inning saw him get a groundout to finish the inning and strand a runner on second.
James Madison's lone run came in the sixth on a wild pitch. Two strikeouts followed to limit the damage and leave one on third.
In the seventh, Purcell came in and got the final out thanks to a strikeout with a runner on second.
Florida State loaded the bases in the eighth with no outs on two walks and an infield bunt single. Sheffield then pinch hit with one out before a balk brought in the first run. On the first pitch to the plate that he saw, Sheffield then singled up the middle to drive in two more insurance runs to make it 5-1.
Purcell finished off the win with a strikeout and groundout with a runner on second.
The three-game series will continue on Saturday, February 14, at 2 p.m. ET, and conclude with the finale on Sunday, February 15, at 1 p.m. Limited tickets remain for both games at Seminoles.com/Tickets or by calling the FSU ticket office at 850-644-1830. Admission is free for all FSU students with their FSUID, with the student entrance at the right field gate at Haggard Plaza. All gates at Dick Howser Stadium will open 60 minutes prior to first pitch for every game in 2026.
Each regular-season Saturday home game is Military Saturday Presented by VyStar, with military recognitions and the playing of God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch. Every Sunday regular-season home game is Sunday Funday, where Kids Club members and youth wearing their little league jerseys will be admitted free, and kids 12 and under will be allowed to run the bases postgame. Mardi Gras beads also will be available Sunday while supplies last.
Both games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra (Saturday | Sunday), accessible through your television provider or a subscription to ESPN+. Fans can listen to every game via the Seminole Sports Network, with Saturday's contest on 96.5 FM The Spear and Sunday's game on WFLA 100.7 FM. Every game also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App and Seminoles.com. Live stats are at FSU.Statbroadcast.com (Saturday | Sunday). Direct links to watch, listen and follow along can be found on the schedule page at Seminoles.com/Baseball. News, notes and behind-the-scenes updates all weekend are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
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 Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) & Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
Team Stats
Pitching:
W: Mendes, Wes (1-0)
L: Polley, Griffin (0-1)
S: Purcell, Brodie (1)
Batting:
2B: Schmidly, Ike 1 ; Thompson, Clay 1
SH: Langley, Kyle 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Thompson, Clay 1
SB: Moody, Reece 1 ; Langley, Kyle 1 ; Schmidly, Ike 1
HBP: Barrow, Ben 1
Batting:
HR: Bailey, Myles 1 ; DeLamielleure, Brody 1
RBI: Bailey, Myles 1 ; Sheffield, Noah 2 ; DeLamielleure, Brody 1
Base Running:
RUNS: Williams, Chase 1 ; Bailey, Myles 1 ; DeLamielleure, Brody 1 ; Carns, Hunter 1 ; Fisher, Cal 1
Game Leaders
AB
3
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
2
RBI
1
AB
4
R
1
H
1
RBI
0
AB
1
R
0
H
1
RBI
2
Players Mentioned
1B
/ BaseballOF
/ Baseball
LHP
/ Baseball
RHP
/ Baseball
INF
/ BaseballFSU Baseball | INF Noah Sheffield Postgame Press Conference (2/13/26 vs JMU)
Saturday, February 14
FSU Baseball | LHP Wes Mendes Postgame Press Conference (2/13/26 vs JMU)
Saturday, February 14
FSU Baseball | HC Link Jarrett Postgame Press Conference (2/13/26 vs JMU)
Saturday, February 14
FSU Baseball | 1B Myles Bailey 2/12/26 Press Conference
Thursday, February 12