The Florida State Seminoles have finally broken into the top 25, and with a fury.
At 19-0 and with a signature win over top 10-ranked Florida and a series sweep of Notre Dame, the ‘Noles jumped from being unranked to number 12 in the country according to D1 Baseball. The Seminoles are the only undefeated team left in the rankings as Texas A&M lost their series with Florida two games to one.
The ‘Noles have established themselves as one of the best teams in a stacked ACC, with only Clemson and Duke ranked ahead of them in national polls. At the time of writing, Seminoles slugger Cam Smith leads the ACC at the plate with a remarkable conference best batting average of .476 and an on base percentage of .543. He also leads the ACC with 39 hits.
On the mound, the ‘Noles have been nothing short of phenomenal. FSU ace Jamie Arnold leads the ACC in wins with five and ERA with a 0.33, the best ERA in the nation.
To put that in perspective, the second best ERA in the ACC is Georgia Tech’s Carson Ballard, who holds a 1.50. Arnold and Cameron Leiter are third and fourth respectively in the ACC in strikeouts.
Now, however, the Seminoles will face a much tougher schedule.
The ‘Noles have been unranked for so long partially due to the ease of their schedule. Though they are the No. 1 team in terms of RPI, that is likely due in large part to their 19 straight wins and not the strength of their opposition. As stated earlier, that strength of schedule is about to get a lot harder as the Noles enter ACC play.
Florida State will face No. 4-ranked Clemson this weekend, putting their undefeated record on the line, immediately followed by a single-game contest versus No. 6 Florida in neutral Jacksonville.
The ‘Noles will then enjoy a home stretch before playing Florida for a third time, followed by a three-game series against Miami that is sure to be a thunderous occasion.
FSU will then have to face top 25-ranked Wake Forest and Duke in a three-game set, followed by more than capable NC State and Georgia Tech to finish out the season.
Arguably, the ‘Noles’ season has just begun. This back half of the schedule is where they will truly be tested and the nation can find out if Florida State has a real shot at Omaha.