Florida State University Athletics
Mendes Named ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year
6/30/2026 3:00:00 PM | Baseball
TALLAHASSEE – Florida State baseball junior left-handed pitcher Wes Mendes has been named the ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for baseball, the conference announced on Tuesday.
Mendes is the seventh player in program history to earn ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades and the second in the last three years. He joins James Tibbs III, recognized in 2024, as honorees under fourth-year head coach Link Jarrett.
The recognition is the latest in a long list of postseason awards for Mendes, headlined by five All-America honors and being named the ACC Pitcher of the Year, the third in team history. He is an All-American, including on D1Baseball's First Team, for the first time in his career. A Tampa, Florida, native, Mendes also was named to the ABCA Southeast All-Region First Team, the CSC Academic All-District Team and was an All-ACC First Team honorees. He was a Dick Howser Trophy and National Pitcher of the Year semifinalist and earned two ACC Pitcher of the Week accolades and several National Team of the Week honors.
Majoring in social science, Mendes earned a 4.00 GPA during the spring 2026 semester. He earned All-ACC Academic Team accolades both years at Florida State.
Mendes is one of 11 FSU players on this year's All-ACC Academic Team. He is joined by junior outfielder Brayden Dowd, junior right-handed pitchers Chris Knier, Bryson Moore, Cade O'Leary and Cole Stokes, junior left-handed pitchers Kevin Mebil and Cooper Whited, junior outfielder Chase Williams, sophomore shortstop Gabe Fraser and sophomore infielder/outfielder Noah Sheffield.
As the Seminoles' ace, Mendes was among the nation's leaders in strikeouts (125, No. 13 NCAA, No. 1 ACC), WHIP (1.02, No. 15/1), complete games (2, No. 15/1) wins (9, No. 24/6) and starts (16, No. 30/3) during his junior season. He was second in the ACC with a 2.81 ERA and No. 3 with 6.77 hits allowed per nine innings and 12.10 strikeouts per nine innings and No. 4 with a 5.00 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). He posted a 9-3 record and led the team with 93.0 innings pitched while allowing 29 earned runs on 70 hits with a .207 opponent batting average.
Mendes helped the Seminoles to a 40-19 season in 2026. Florida State reached the 40-win mark for the third consecutive year after a four-year gap without 40 wins from 2020-23. Finishing third in the ACC, the team was 19-11 with eight series wins, both the best totals since 2014 outside of the extended 2021 season. FSU made its 62nd NCAA appearance, second-most all-time, and hosted an NCAA Regional for the 38th time, the most in the country. Florida State is one of three teams to host a regional each of the last three years.
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 is the seventh player in program history to earn ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year accolades and the second in the last three years. He joins James Tibbs III, recognized in 2024, as honorees under fourth-year head coach Link Jarrett.
The recognition is the latest in a long list of postseason awards for Mendes, headlined by five All-America honors and being named the ACC Pitcher of the Year, the third in team history. He is an All-American, including on D1Baseball's First Team, for the first time in his career. A Tampa, Florida, native, Mendes also was named to the ABCA Southeast All-Region First Team, the CSC Academic All-District Team and was an All-ACC First Team honorees. He was a Dick Howser Trophy and National Pitcher of the Year semifinalist and earned two ACC Pitcher of the Week accolades and several National Team of the Week honors.
Majoring in social science, Mendes earned a 4.00 GPA during the spring 2026 semester. He earned All-ACC Academic Team accolades both years at Florida State.
Mendes is one of 11 FSU players on this year's All-ACC Academic Team. He is joined by junior outfielder Brayden Dowd, junior right-handed pitchers Chris Knier, Bryson Moore, Cade O'Leary and Cole Stokes, junior left-handed pitchers Kevin Mebil and Cooper Whited, junior outfielder Chase Williams, sophomore shortstop Gabe Fraser and sophomore infielder/outfielder Noah Sheffield.
As the Seminoles' ace, Mendes was among the nation's leaders in strikeouts (125, No. 13 NCAA, No. 1 ACC), WHIP (1.02, No. 15/1), complete games (2, No. 15/1) wins (9, No. 24/6) and starts (16, No. 30/3) during his junior season. He was second in the ACC with a 2.81 ERA and No. 3 with 6.77 hits allowed per nine innings and 12.10 strikeouts per nine innings and No. 4 with a 5.00 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). He posted a 9-3 record and led the team with 93.0 innings pitched while allowing 29 earned runs on 70 hits with a .207 opponent batting average.
Mendes helped the Seminoles to a 40-19 season in 2026. Florida State reached the 40-win mark for the third consecutive year after a four-year gap without 40 wins from 2020-23. Finishing third in the ACC, the team was 19-11 with eight series wins, both the best totals since 2014 outside of the extended 2021 season. FSU made its 62nd NCAA appearance, second-most all-time, and hosted an NCAA Regional for the 38th time, the most in the country. Florida State is one of three teams to host a regional each of the last three years.
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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