The goal for Florida State baseball is always Omaha.
Yet for the last two seasons, the Seminoles have been in Tallahassee, watching the College World Series as outsiders. Link Jarrett last led FSU to Omaha in 2024, and narrowly missed out in a winner-take-all super regional loss to Oregon State in 2025. In 2026, a regional loss to St. John’s ended a season filled with promise and injury.
So how do the Seminoles get back to Omaha and achieve the program’s ultimate dream of winning a first national title?
It starts with roster construction, and as is the case in modern collegiate athletics, that revolves around the transfer portal, which remains open until July 1.
Top-ranked transfer Cayden Suchy leads the current transfer haul
FSU has been active, landing lefty ace from Connecticut, Cayden Suchy, and FAMU star Jackson McKenzie, alongside a crop of talented JUCO players.
The commitment of Suchy is significant, as FSU is likely losing its entire starting rotation to the MLB Draft. He holds two plus offspeed pitches in his changeup and curveball, and his fastball has plenty of life. Seminoles pitching coach Micah Posey helped Wes Mendes, Bryson Moore, and Trey Beard refine and develop new pitches last season, and expect him to do the same with Suchy.
Suchy held a 2.72 ERA for the Huskies in 15 appearances, and he struck out 105 hitters over 89.1 innings pitched last season. He’ll be a lock for the Seminoles weekend rotation.
McKenzie was a two-way player for the Rattlers and primarily occupied the designated hitter role, while making three appearances at first base. He held a .397 batting average with 13 doubles, a pair of triples, and 12 home runs alongside 52 RBI and 36 runs scored. On the mound, McKenzie appeared as a reliever in 14 games. He held a 7.55 ERA and struck out 28 batters with 17 walks allowed.
From the JUCO ranks, the Seminoles bring in Tallahassee local pitcher Emery Dawkins, who played at Chiles and Tallahassee State, and a significant power bat in catcher Coy Clements from Pearl River Community College in Mississippi. He hit 24 home runs last season and drove in 72 runs, and fills a need at catcher with Nathan Cmeyla out of eligibility and Hunter Carns in the transfer portal and draft eligible.
The Seminoles have a good prep class on the way to campus; however, the top two names in the class, pitcher Kaden Waetcher and infielder Landon Thome (son of MLB Hall of Famer Jim Thome), are likely to be drafted in the earlier rounds of the MLB Draft, so that will require some extra help from the portal.
What else is needed for the Seminoles and Link Jarrett?
There is young talent on the Seminoles roster that will continue to develop, including outfielder John Stuetzer, but the program needs to add more depth on the mound and across the lineup.
Offensively, the need is power. Clements brings a pop with his 24 home runs, but with Myles Bailey expected to leave in the MLB Draft, the team’s leading home run hitter (13) despite missing the final two months of the season with injury, the Seminoles need more power at the plate.
FSU hit 78 home runs, fewer than seven of the eight teams in the College World Series, ahead of only West Virginia, with 56. Offense is more than home runs, of course, but modern baseball requires a longball threat, something the Seminoles lost with Bailey and need to find for next season.
Defensively, the Seminoles once again need to retool the middle infield. Replacing Alex Lodise and Drew Faurot was always going to be a challenge for Jarrett, but last season, the production wasn’t as effective as the team wanted or needed.
Shortstop Gabe Fraser has entered the transfer portal, and second baseman Carter McCulley is out of eligibility. Noah Sheffield and Kelyvn Paulino, both players who appeared at second base, are in the transfer portal. Cal Fisher is currently on the roster and can play second, but he found success at third base and will remain there if he stays with the program.
Jace Estes seemed like FSU’s answer at second base, but a leg injury ended his season before it truly got rolling. He will return for the Seminoles and likely be a starting option at second base.
The Seminoles aren’t done in the portal, and have actively tried to fill needs at shortstop and other positions, but those names remain a chase, for now, as FSU attempts to position itself for a run to Omaha next season.
FSU baseball transfer portal: In’s and out’s
Outgoings
Incoming
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: FSU baseball still must address these holes in NCAA transfer portal
Reporting by Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat / Tallahassee Democrat
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By Liam Rooney, Tallahassee Democrat | USA TODAY Network
