Florida State University Athletics

No. 7 Florida State Begins Roadtrip Tuesday at Stetson
3/30/2026 1:47:00 PM | Baseball
DeLAND, Fla. – The No. 7 Florida State baseball team travels to Stetson to begin a week on the road on Tuesday, March 31, in DeLand, Florida.
First pitch of the midweek matchup is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at Melching Field at Conrad Park.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can listen to every game via the Seminole Sports Network on WFLA 100.7 FM. Each game also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App and Seminoles.com. Live stats are at Stetson.Statbroadcast.com. 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 are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
Starters for both teams have not been announced.
FSU is 21-6 on the season, 7-2 in the ACC, 16-2 at home, 4-1 on the road, 1-3 at a neutral site and 5-3 against ranked opponents. The Seminoles are coming off a home series win against Duke, their third series win in three weekends to begin ACC play and sixth overall to start the 2026 season. Florida State is off to a 7-2 start or better in the ACC in back-to-back years for the first time since a five-year stretch from 2012-16. Tuesday's game is the last of nine consecutive within the state of Florida.
As a team, Florida State is hitting .292 with 257 hits, 35 home runs, 58 doubles, five triples, 153 walks, 224 runs scored and 193 RBI. The pitching staff has a 4.06 ERA with 102 earned runs allowed on 179 hits with 294 strikeouts and 105 walks in 226.0 innings.
Freshman designated hitter Kelvyn Paulino Jr. leads the team with a .382 batting average with 26 hits. Sophomore infielder/outfielder Noah Sheffield and freshman outfielder John Stuetzer both have seven doubles, while junior outfielder Chase Williams has eight stolen bases in 10 attempts. On the mound, junior lefty Wes Mendes is 6-1 with a 1.33 ERA, having struck out 58 and given up six earned runs on 23 hits in 40.2 innings. Junior right-hander John Abraham has made 10 appearances, all but one out of the bullpen, and has 34 strikeouts and a 0.75 ERA in 24.0 innings.
NATIONALLY RANKED SEMINOLES
Florida State moved up three spots to No. 7 in D1Baseball Top-25. FSU is No. 5 according to Perfect Game, No. 6 by Baseball America, No. 7 in the Coaches Poll and No. 8 in The Athletic rankings.
SERIES HISTORY VS. STETSON
Florida State is 70-26 all-time vs. Stetson, including 45-11 at home and 25-15 on the road. The series began in 1949 with a win and a loss in both DeLand and Tallahassee. FSU owns the longest win streak between the two teams, a 15-game stretch from 2013-2018. The Seminoles have won two in a row and seven of the last 10.
In the lone 2025 meeting, on April 22 at home, Florida State rallied for an 11-6 victory. The Seminoles trailed 4-0 in the top of the fourth inning but tied it at 4-4 in the bottom half and added four more in the fifth to take an 8-4 lead. The Hatters got back within two in the sixth before FSU scored three insurance runs in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Florida State's offense benefited from three home runs and the defense turned in several outstanding plays. William stole four bases, tied for fourth-most in program history, and he also had two hits and two RBI. Abraham pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in relief and earned the win. He gave up two hits, struck out one and did not walk a batter.
A recap and box score is available here.
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Stetson is 12-16 on the season, 10-9 at home and 2-7 on the road. The Hatters are 3-5 in ASUN play after a pair of losses at Florida Gulf Coast over the weekend. Stetson, which concluded its non-conference weekend slate with a split of a four-game series at then-No. 6 Arkansas, defeated UCF 8-4 last Tuesday at home.
LAST TIME OUT: ANOTHER ACC SERIES WIN
FSU earned its third ACC series win in as many weeks with a 2-1 mark vs. Duke at Dick Howser Stadium from March 27-29. The Seminoles won the opener 3-1 and secured the series victory 12-11 on Saturday. The Blue Devils avoided the sweep with an 11-4 win on Sunday. Friday and Saturday's wins came in front of sold-out crowds of 6,700, with the Marching Chiefs in attendance on Friday night. Florida State improved to 86-31 all-time vs. Duke and 48-12 at home.
In Friday's opener, Mendes struck out a career-high-tying 12 batters in 6.2 shutout innings as the Seminoles used a two-run sixth inning to down the Blue Devils. Duke scored its lone run in the eighth, but FSU answered right back with an insurance run in the bottom half. To improve to 6-1 on the season, one win shy of tying his career high, Mendes allowed just four hits with one walk. He struck out multiple batters in four innings, including three punch-outs in the third. Abraham earned his third save of the year. In 2.1 innings in relief of Mendes, he allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Williams and Paulino Jr. had a hit and an RBI, as both were responsible for driving in Florida State's two runs in the sixth.
The Seminoles rallied in Saturday's victory and scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning and erased two deficits in the contests, as the Blue Devils led 1-0 in the first inning and 7-5 in the sixth. Senior third baseman Carter McCulley had a career-best three hits and sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey hit his 13th home run of the season. Junior right-hander Chris Knier improved to 2-0 on the season, while senior right-hander Gabe Nard got the final two outs to earn his first save at FSU. In 1.0 innings, Knier allowed two hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Nard struck out one and did not allow a baserunner in his 0.2 innings to close it out.
FSU lost Sunday's finale, as redshirt senior first baseman Eli Putnam led the team with two hits and scored a run, while sophomore catcher Hunter Carns had a hit and an RBI. Junior left-handed starter Bryson Moore suffered his first loss of the season and is 4-1 in 2026. Junior righty Jake Echols pitched 2.0 no-hit innings in relief and struck out three with no walks.
Recaps, box scores and postgame interviews can be found here: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
UP NEXT: HITTING THE ROAD
Florida State travels to No. 10 Virginia for a top-10 series from April 2-4. The series commences on ACC Network on Thursday, April 2, at 5 p.m. ET. Friday's first pitch is at 2 p.m., with Saturday's finale at 11 a.m.
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).
First pitch of the midweek matchup is set for 6:30 p.m. ET at Melching Field at Conrad Park.
The game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can listen to every game via the Seminole Sports Network on WFLA 100.7 FM. Each game also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App and Seminoles.com. Live stats are at Stetson.Statbroadcast.com. 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 are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
Starters for both teams have not been announced.
FSU is 21-6 on the season, 7-2 in the ACC, 16-2 at home, 4-1 on the road, 1-3 at a neutral site and 5-3 against ranked opponents. The Seminoles are coming off a home series win against Duke, their third series win in three weekends to begin ACC play and sixth overall to start the 2026 season. Florida State is off to a 7-2 start or better in the ACC in back-to-back years for the first time since a five-year stretch from 2012-16. Tuesday's game is the last of nine consecutive within the state of Florida.
As a team, Florida State is hitting .292 with 257 hits, 35 home runs, 58 doubles, five triples, 153 walks, 224 runs scored and 193 RBI. The pitching staff has a 4.06 ERA with 102 earned runs allowed on 179 hits with 294 strikeouts and 105 walks in 226.0 innings.
Freshman designated hitter Kelvyn Paulino Jr. leads the team with a .382 batting average with 26 hits. Sophomore infielder/outfielder Noah Sheffield and freshman outfielder John Stuetzer both have seven doubles, while junior outfielder Chase Williams has eight stolen bases in 10 attempts. On the mound, junior lefty Wes Mendes is 6-1 with a 1.33 ERA, having struck out 58 and given up six earned runs on 23 hits in 40.2 innings. Junior right-hander John Abraham has made 10 appearances, all but one out of the bullpen, and has 34 strikeouts and a 0.75 ERA in 24.0 innings.
NATIONALLY RANKED SEMINOLES
Florida State moved up three spots to No. 7 in D1Baseball Top-25. FSU is No. 5 according to Perfect Game, No. 6 by Baseball America, No. 7 in the Coaches Poll and No. 8 in The Athletic rankings.
SERIES HISTORY VS. STETSON
Florida State is 70-26 all-time vs. Stetson, including 45-11 at home and 25-15 on the road. The series began in 1949 with a win and a loss in both DeLand and Tallahassee. FSU owns the longest win streak between the two teams, a 15-game stretch from 2013-2018. The Seminoles have won two in a row and seven of the last 10.
In the lone 2025 meeting, on April 22 at home, Florida State rallied for an 11-6 victory. The Seminoles trailed 4-0 in the top of the fourth inning but tied it at 4-4 in the bottom half and added four more in the fifth to take an 8-4 lead. The Hatters got back within two in the sixth before FSU scored three insurance runs in the seventh to put the game out of reach. Florida State's offense benefited from three home runs and the defense turned in several outstanding plays. William stole four bases, tied for fourth-most in program history, and he also had two hits and two RBI. Abraham pitched 1.2 scoreless innings in relief and earned the win. He gave up two hits, struck out one and did not walk a batter.
A recap and box score is available here.
SCOUTING THE HATTERS
Stetson is 12-16 on the season, 10-9 at home and 2-7 on the road. The Hatters are 3-5 in ASUN play after a pair of losses at Florida Gulf Coast over the weekend. Stetson, which concluded its non-conference weekend slate with a split of a four-game series at then-No. 6 Arkansas, defeated UCF 8-4 last Tuesday at home.
LAST TIME OUT: ANOTHER ACC SERIES WIN
FSU earned its third ACC series win in as many weeks with a 2-1 mark vs. Duke at Dick Howser Stadium from March 27-29. The Seminoles won the opener 3-1 and secured the series victory 12-11 on Saturday. The Blue Devils avoided the sweep with an 11-4 win on Sunday. Friday and Saturday's wins came in front of sold-out crowds of 6,700, with the Marching Chiefs in attendance on Friday night. Florida State improved to 86-31 all-time vs. Duke and 48-12 at home.
In Friday's opener, Mendes struck out a career-high-tying 12 batters in 6.2 shutout innings as the Seminoles used a two-run sixth inning to down the Blue Devils. Duke scored its lone run in the eighth, but FSU answered right back with an insurance run in the bottom half. To improve to 6-1 on the season, one win shy of tying his career high, Mendes allowed just four hits with one walk. He struck out multiple batters in four innings, including three punch-outs in the third. Abraham earned his third save of the year. In 2.1 innings in relief of Mendes, he allowed one run on three hits with four strikeouts and no walks. Williams and Paulino Jr. had a hit and an RBI, as both were responsible for driving in Florida State's two runs in the sixth.
The Seminoles rallied in Saturday's victory and scored the game-winning run in the eighth inning and erased two deficits in the contests, as the Blue Devils led 1-0 in the first inning and 7-5 in the sixth. Senior third baseman Carter McCulley had a career-best three hits and sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey hit his 13th home run of the season. Junior right-hander Chris Knier improved to 2-0 on the season, while senior right-hander Gabe Nard got the final two outs to earn his first save at FSU. In 1.0 innings, Knier allowed two hits with two strikeouts and two walks. Nard struck out one and did not allow a baserunner in his 0.2 innings to close it out.
FSU lost Sunday's finale, as redshirt senior first baseman Eli Putnam led the team with two hits and scored a run, while sophomore catcher Hunter Carns had a hit and an RBI. Junior left-handed starter Bryson Moore suffered his first loss of the season and is 4-1 in 2026. Junior righty Jake Echols pitched 2.0 no-hit innings in relief and struck out three with no walks.
Recaps, box scores and postgame interviews can be found here: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
UP NEXT: HITTING THE ROAD
Florida State travels to No. 10 Virginia for a top-10 series from April 2-4. The series commences on ACC Network on Thursday, April 2, at 5 p.m. ET. Friday's first pitch is at 2 p.m., with Saturday's finale at 11 a.m.
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).
Players Mentioned
FSU Baseball | HC Link Jarrett Postgame Press Conference (3/29/26 vs. Duke)
Sunday, March 29
FSU Baseball | HC Link Jarrett Postgame Press Conference (3/27/26 vs. Duke)
Saturday, March 28
FSU Baseball | LHP Wes Mendes Postgame Press Conference (3/27/26 vs. Duke)
Saturday, March 28
FSU Baseball | HC Link Jarrett Press Conference (3/26/26)
Thursday, March 26







