Florida State University Athletics
Wes Mendes Named ACC Pitcher of the Year
5/18/2026 2:00:00 PM | Baseball
TALLAHASSEE – Florida State baseball junior left-handed starter Wes Mendes has been named the ACC Pitcher of the Year as the conference announced its year-end awards and All-ACC Teams on Monday.
Mendes, the third ACC Pitcher of the Year in team history, also was named First Team All-ACC. He is joined by junior right-handed reliever John Abraham, junior left-handed starter Trey Beard and junior center fielder Brayden Dowd, recognized with Third Team All-ACC accolades, and freshman outfielder John Stuetzer on the All-Freshman Team.
For the first time in team history, Florida State has a conference year-end award winner in three consecutive seasons. Mendes as ACC Pitcher of the Year joins James Tibbs III, ACC Player of the Year in 2024 and Alex Lodise, ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2025.
Along with Mendes, Bryan Henry in 2007 and Parker Messick in 2021 are Florida State's ACC Pitchers of the Year recipients. It's FSU's 17th ACC year-end honor overall since joining the league in 1992 and earning its first accolade in 1994, accounting for the ACC Player, Pitcher, Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year.
Overall, the Seminoles are bestowed with at least five ACC Team honors for a third consecutive year, the program's longest stretch since a similar three-year run from 2017-19. The team's three Third Team All-ACC accolades are the most since they also had three in 2019.
Stuetzer is FSU's first All-Freshman Team honoree since Cam Smith was recognized in 2023.
One of the most dominant pitchers in the country this season, the ACC Pitcher of the Year honor is the latest in a long list of accolades for Mendes in 2026. He is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the National Pitcher of the Year by the College Baseball Foundation. He was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List and Baseball America's Midseason Pitcher of the Year Watch List and was recognized with Midseason All-America honors, on Perfect Game's first team and D1Baseball's second team. He's a two-time ACC Pitcher of the Week, on March 30 and May 4, and added National Team of the Week honors by Baseball America on March 16 and 30 and National Co-Pitcher of the Week accolades on March 16.
Mendes ranked No. 10 nationally with nine wins, No. 11 with 14 starts and No. 12 with 109 strikeouts and two complete games and No. 15 with a 1.00 WHIP. The Tampa, Florida, native was third in the ACC with a 2.57 ERA and No. 4 with 6.54 hits allowed per nine innings and a 4.74 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In ACC games, Mendes led the league with 62.1 innings pitched and 79 strikeouts and also was in the top 10 in fewest home runs allowed (4), ERA (3.32), opponent batting average (.223), wins (5) and fewest walks allowed (16).
Abraham is third in the ACC with six saves in 2026, all coming in ACC play which is tied for second-most in the league. In 17 appearances and 43.1 innings pitched, Abraham has a 1.04 ERA with five earned runs allowed on 28 hits. From Tampa, he has 55 strikeouts and 19 walks with a 1.08 WHIP and a .182 opponent batting average. He is on the Midseason Stopper of the Year Watch List and was a Midseason All-America First Team honoree by D1Baseball and Perfect Game.
Beard is third in the ACC with 12.38 strikeouts per nine innings and fifth with 88 strikeouts. In conference games, he was third with 74 strikeouts and tied for eighth with five wins. In 13 appearances with 12 starts and 64 total innings pitched, the Dunedin, Florida, native has an ERA of 4.78 with 34 earned runs on 60 hits with a 1.30 WHIP and a .224 opponent batting average.
On the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List, Beard earned ACC Pitcher of the Week honors on March 16 and was named the National Pitcher or Player of the Week by several outlets and to the National Team of the Week. Beard was at FAU from 2024-25 and earned First Team All-AAC honors in 2025 and AAC All-Freshman accolades in 2024.
Dowd is fifth in the ACC with 0.98 walks per game and third in league play with 31 walks and seventh with a .473 on-base percentage. While starting 46 games, primarily in center field, he is hitting .301 on the season with 50 hits in 166 at-bats. Dowd has hit 10 home runs with 34 RBI, 12 doubles and 92 total bases. He has a .554 slugging percentage and a .461 on-base percentage with 45 walks. From Clarkston, Michigan, Dowd is in his first season as a Seminole after coming to FSU from USC, where he earned Pac 12 All-Tournament honors as a freshman in 2024.
Stuetzer has played in 51 games with 46 starts in the outfield and has 49 hits in 182 at-bats for a .269 average. He has nine home runs with 10 doubles and a triple with 41 RBI and 19 walks. The Marietta, Georgia, native has a .484 slugging percentage and a .356 on-base percentage.
Florida State earned the No. 3 seed in the 2026 ACC Baseball Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina. With a double-bye, FSU will begin play in the quarterfinal on Friday, May 22, at 7 p.m. ET. The conference championship begins on Tuesday, May 19, and the Seminoles will play one of three teams. No. 11 seed Louisville and No. 14 Pitt meet in the first round on Tuesday night, and the winner will play No. 6 Wake Forest on Wednesday night. The winner of Wednesday's second round game will face the Seminoles on Friday night.
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).
Mendes, the third ACC Pitcher of the Year in team history, also was named First Team All-ACC. He is joined by junior right-handed reliever John Abraham, junior left-handed starter Trey Beard and junior center fielder Brayden Dowd, recognized with Third Team All-ACC accolades, and freshman outfielder John Stuetzer on the All-Freshman Team.
For the first time in team history, Florida State has a conference year-end award winner in three consecutive seasons. Mendes as ACC Pitcher of the Year joins James Tibbs III, ACC Player of the Year in 2024 and Alex Lodise, ACC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year in 2025.
Along with Mendes, Bryan Henry in 2007 and Parker Messick in 2021 are Florida State's ACC Pitchers of the Year recipients. It's FSU's 17th ACC year-end honor overall since joining the league in 1992 and earning its first accolade in 1994, accounting for the ACC Player, Pitcher, Freshman and Defensive Player of the Year.
Overall, the Seminoles are bestowed with at least five ACC Team honors for a third consecutive year, the program's longest stretch since a similar three-year run from 2017-19. The team's three Third Team All-ACC accolades are the most since they also had three in 2019.
Stuetzer is FSU's first All-Freshman Team honoree since Cam Smith was recognized in 2023.
One of the most dominant pitchers in the country this season, the ACC Pitcher of the Year honor is the latest in a long list of accolades for Mendes in 2026. He is a semifinalist for the Dick Howser Trophy and the National Pitcher of the Year by the College Baseball Foundation. He was named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List and Baseball America's Midseason Pitcher of the Year Watch List and was recognized with Midseason All-America honors, on Perfect Game's first team and D1Baseball's second team. He's a two-time ACC Pitcher of the Week, on March 30 and May 4, and added National Team of the Week honors by Baseball America on March 16 and 30 and National Co-Pitcher of the Week accolades on March 16.
Mendes ranked No. 10 nationally with nine wins, No. 11 with 14 starts and No. 12 with 109 strikeouts and two complete games and No. 15 with a 1.00 WHIP. The Tampa, Florida, native was third in the ACC with a 2.57 ERA and No. 4 with 6.54 hits allowed per nine innings and a 4.74 strikeout-to-walk ratio. In ACC games, Mendes led the league with 62.1 innings pitched and 79 strikeouts and also was in the top 10 in fewest home runs allowed (4), ERA (3.32), opponent batting average (.223), wins (5) and fewest walks allowed (16).
Abraham is third in the ACC with six saves in 2026, all coming in ACC play which is tied for second-most in the league. In 17 appearances and 43.1 innings pitched, Abraham has a 1.04 ERA with five earned runs allowed on 28 hits. From Tampa, he has 55 strikeouts and 19 walks with a 1.08 WHIP and a .182 opponent batting average. He is on the Midseason Stopper of the Year Watch List and was a Midseason All-America First Team honoree by D1Baseball and Perfect Game.
Beard is third in the ACC with 12.38 strikeouts per nine innings and fifth with 88 strikeouts. In conference games, he was third with 74 strikeouts and tied for eighth with five wins. In 13 appearances with 12 starts and 64 total innings pitched, the Dunedin, Florida, native has an ERA of 4.78 with 34 earned runs on 60 hits with a 1.30 WHIP and a .224 opponent batting average.
On the Golden Spikes Midseason Watch List, Beard earned ACC Pitcher of the Week honors on March 16 and was named the National Pitcher or Player of the Week by several outlets and to the National Team of the Week. Beard was at FAU from 2024-25 and earned First Team All-AAC honors in 2025 and AAC All-Freshman accolades in 2024.
Dowd is fifth in the ACC with 0.98 walks per game and third in league play with 31 walks and seventh with a .473 on-base percentage. While starting 46 games, primarily in center field, he is hitting .301 on the season with 50 hits in 166 at-bats. Dowd has hit 10 home runs with 34 RBI, 12 doubles and 92 total bases. He has a .554 slugging percentage and a .461 on-base percentage with 45 walks. From Clarkston, Michigan, Dowd is in his first season as a Seminole after coming to FSU from USC, where he earned Pac 12 All-Tournament honors as a freshman in 2024.
Stuetzer has played in 51 games with 46 starts in the outfield and has 49 hits in 182 at-bats for a .269 average. He has nine home runs with 10 doubles and a triple with 41 RBI and 19 walks. The Marietta, Georgia, native has a .484 slugging percentage and a .356 on-base percentage.
Florida State earned the No. 3 seed in the 2026 ACC Baseball Championship in Charlotte, North Carolina. With a double-bye, FSU will begin play in the quarterfinal on Friday, May 22, at 7 p.m. ET. The conference championship begins on Tuesday, May 19, and the Seminoles will play one of three teams. No. 11 seed Louisville and No. 14 Pitt meet in the first round on Tuesday night, and the winner will play No. 6 Wake Forest on Wednesday night. The winner of Wednesday's second round game will face the Seminoles on Friday night.
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).
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