Florida State baseball is in elite company.
The Seminoles, who earned the No. 10 seed in the NCAA Baseball Tournament, are one of three programs that will host a regional for a third consecutive year, alongside Georgia and North Carolina.
Head coach Link Jarrett has overseen all three of those regional teams and now leads a tested Seminoles squad into a regional that features Coastal Carolina, Northern Illinois, and St. John’s.
“Proud of the guys. It’s difficult to get into a regional, and it’s difficult to host. To think that there are three teams in the country that have done this three years in a row, I’m very proud of that,” Jarrett said. “I’m proud of the team. We faced a lot of adversity. I’m sure there are teams that would state that for their programs as well. All I can tell you is we dealt with a lot.
I thought our schedule from start to finish was very challenging, I think that helped us. We had some moments when we absorbed some blows, and I think some of those blows clearly kept us from being a top eight seed. But it’s hard to be in this position.”
The Seminoles are seeking a third consecutive super regional appearance, and should the program make it that far, its paried with the Tuscaloosa Regional, hosted by No. 7 seed Alabama.
FSU will open Tallahassee Regional play against St. John’s, the champions of the Big East, on Friday, May 29, at Dick Howser Stadium. It will be the fourth game between the two programs, with the lone meeting prior to the regional coming in a 2016 series that FSU won.
The winner of that opening round game will face the winner of Coastal Carolina vs. Northern Illinois. The two losing teams will meet in an elimination game.
“Those are championship-level teams, and all of them have performed,” Jarrett said of the field. “When you get to this time of year, whatever flashes on that screen, you know you’ll have your hands full.”
Led by strong pitching, including ACC Pitcher of the Year Wes Mendes (9-3, 2.93 ERA), the Seminoles have battled injury this season, including the loss of star first baseman Myles Bailey.
The slugger had hit 13 home runs in 26 games prior to a season-ending injury against Duke and was a key part of the Seminoles’ offensive plans. Despite that, Jarrett said he’s proud of the way his team has continued to find ways to win.
“I think our pitching stability carried us, and I hoped that was the case when the season started, and I think it played out that way,” Jarrett said. “We searched for offense. I think there has been an ebb and flow to the offensive side of things overall. I think our defensive athleticism has supported the pitching well. I think that’s how we wanted to draw it up, and that’s what we saw.
“I’m proud of our players, I’m proud of our fans for the support they provided. If you don’t perform from pitch one of the season until the end, you are not in this conversation. Not to mention being able to do it three years in a row.”
Who joins FSU in the NCAA Baseball Tallahassee Regional?
When is the NCAA Baseball Tallahassee Regional
How to purchase tickets to the NCAA Baseball Tallahassee Regional
All-session tickets will go on sale on Monday, May 25, on Seminoles.com/Tickets. Tickets will be available to Seminole Booster members at 2 p.m. ET, and to the general public at 5 p.m. Phone and walk-up orders will begin on Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. by calling 888-378-6653 or visiting the main ticket office located at Doak Campbell Stadium, University Center C.
How to watch FSU vs. St. John’s NCAA Baseball Tallahassee Regional
Liam Rooney covers Florida State athletics for the Tallahassee Democrat. Contact him via email at LRooney@gannett.com or on Twitter @__liamrooney.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Link Jarrett ‘proud’; of FSU baseball hosting third straight regional
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
