No. 16 FSU Travels to Jacksonville for First Road Game
TALLAHASSEE – The No. 16 Florida State baseball team opens the second week of the 2026 season at in-state foe Jacksonville on Tuesday, February 17, at 6 p.m. ET, at John Sessions Stadium.
Both FSU and JU are unbeaten after the first weekend of the year ahead of the first midweek contest.
Tuesday’s game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the game via the Seminole Sports Network on 96.5 FM The Spear. Every game in 2026 also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App and Seminoles.com. Live stats are at JUDolphins.com. Direct links to watch, listen and follow along can be found on the schedule page at Seminoles.com/Baseball. News, notes and behind-the-scenes updates are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
Redshirt sophomore left-hander Payton Manca will face grad righty Ben Baker-Livingston, as both make their season debuts.
In one of the most-played series in program history, the Seminoles and Dolphins have squared off every year since 1993 except the shortened 2020 campaign. Florida State has won seven in a row and 10 of the last 11 and is 138-42 all-time against Jacksonville.
FSU is 2-0 on the season following a home series win over James Madison from February 13-14. Fourth-year head coach Link Jarrett improved to 10-0 in opening series with the Seminoles. JU is 4-0 in 2026 and began the year with a home sweep of Rhode Island, including two wins on Saturday.
As a team, Florida State is hitting .379 with 25 hits, four home runs, three doubles, 12 walks, 21 runs scored and 18 RBI. The pitching staff owns a 3.38 ERA with six earned runs on 13 hits with 26 strikeouts and 10 walks in 16.0 innings.
Sophomore infielder Noah Sheffield has four hits in four at-bats and has scored four runs, while sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey and junior shortstop Cal Fisher also have four hits. Fisher leads the team with five RBI and redshirt sophomore outfielder Brody DeLamielleure paces the squad with two homers. On the mound, junior lefty Wes Mendes did not allow a run in his Opening Day start, striking out seven in 5.0 innings to earn his first win. Junior right-hander Brodie Purcell has one save.
NATIONALLY RANKED SEMINOLES
Florida State is nationally ranked in each major poll, including No. 16 in D1Baseball Preseason Top-25. Perfect Game has FSU at No. 9 and Baseball America has the Seminoles at No. 12.
SERIES HISTORY VS. JACKSONVILLE
FSU is 138-42 all-time against Jacksonville, including 88-14 at home, 49-28 on the road and 1-0 at a neutral site. In a series that began in 1964 and has been played every year except 1992 and 2020, and multiple times in most of those years, Florida State won 20 in a row from 1994-2002 and another 18 consecutively from 2002-2006, with just one loss separating those streaks. More recently, the Seminoles have won the last seven and 10 of 11 since 2022.
Last season, Florida State posted a 9-6 win in Jacksonville on February 26 before 11-10 and 14-2 (7 innings) home victories on April 1 and May 6, respectively.
On February 26, 2025, a three-run homer in the fifth and consecutive strikeouts with the bases loaded in the eighth helped FSU to a 9-6 win at JU. DeLamielleure hit his first career home run, a three-run blast in the fifth, and was one of five players with multiple hits. Chris Knier picked up the save, the first of his FSU career.
On April 1 in Tallahassee, Florida State erased two early-inning deficits to beat Jacksonville 11-10. In their return home after a season-long seven game roadtrip, the Seminoles rallied from down 5-0 in the first inning to lead 6-5 after two. The Dolphins answered to retake a 7-6 advantage, but FSU responded right back with a three-run fourth and added two in the seventh before halting a two-run comeback attempt in the ninth.
On May 6 at Howser, FSU defeated Jacksonville 14-2 in seven innings to finish the series sweep. The Seminoles benefited from a four-run fourth inning and a nine-run fifth. Fisher added two hits, two RBI and two runs. Jacob Marlowe made his first start as a Seminole and earned his first win. In a season-best 3.0 innings, he did not allow a run on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
Recaps and box scores can be found here: February 26 | April 1 | May 6
SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
Jacksonville is 4-0 following a sweep of Rhode Island at home to begin the season from February 13-15. JU began the campaign with a 16-3 win on Friday night in seven innings, followed by 11-6 and 4-3 triumphs in a doubleheader sweep on Saturday. Sunday saw the Dolphins post a 15-1 victory.
The team is hitting .346 with 46 runs on 45 hits with four home runs and nine doubles. Roger Vergara is hitting .667 with eight hits, while Derek Bermudez notched 13 RBI with nine hits. On the mound, Jacksonville has a 2.25 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 24 hits allowed in 32.0 innings. Seven pitchers did not allow a run in at least 1.0 innings, while Dominic Pieto’s eight strikeouts pace the team in 4.0 innings.
LAST TIME OUT: SEASON OPENER
Florida State swept James Madison in two games at Dick Howser Stadium from February 13-14 to begin the 2026 campaign. FSU won the opener 5-1 before a 16-5 win on Saturday in seven innings. Inclement weather canceled Sunday’s finale.
On Opening Day, the Seminoles took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a towering home run by Bailey and never looked back. Another homer by DeLamielleure in the second made it 2-0 while Mendes threw 5.0 shutout innings. After the Dukes cut the lead in half with a run in the sixth, Sheffield delivered a two-RBI pinch-hit single as part of a three-run eighth inning. Bailey’s first-inning home run was his eighth game in the last 10 with a long ball going back to his freshman season in 2025. The win came in front of a sellout crowd of 6,700, the second consecutive year the Seminoles have sold out their season opener.
The next day, FSU posted a 16-5 victory in seven innings. Four players had multiple hits, three had multiple RBIs and four scored multiple runs. Fisher led the way offensively with four hits and five RBI, both career highs, while junior left fielder Brayden Dowd registered three hits, including his first FSU home run, with three RBI and a career-best five runs scored. Sheffield added three hits, an RBI and four runs scored for his first career multi-hit and multi-run game. On the mound, all four pitchers made their FSU debuts. Sophomore righty Cade O’Leary got the win with 2.1 innings in relief where he allowed two runs on two hits with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings.
Recaps and box scores from the series are available here: Game 1 | Game 2
UP NEXT: BIG LEAGUE WEEKEND IN TEXAS
The Seminoles travel to Arlington, Texas, for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field from February 20-22. FSU will face Michigan, No. 9 Auburn and Nebraska at the home of the Texas Rangers. The Seminoles return home on Wednesday, February 25, at 5 p.m. ET, to face North Florida to open a season-long nine-game homestand. Tickets are available at Seminoles.com/Tickets.
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).
Both FSU and JU are unbeaten after the first weekend of the year ahead of the first midweek contest.
Tuesday’s game will be streamed live on ESPN+. Fans can listen to the game via the Seminole Sports Network on 96.5 FM The Spear. Every game in 2026 also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App and Seminoles.com. Live stats are at JUDolphins.com. Direct links to watch, listen and follow along can be found on the schedule page at Seminoles.com/Baseball. News, notes and behind-the-scenes updates are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
Redshirt sophomore left-hander Payton Manca will face grad righty Ben Baker-Livingston, as both make their season debuts.
In one of the most-played series in program history, the Seminoles and Dolphins have squared off every year since 1993 except the shortened 2020 campaign. Florida State has won seven in a row and 10 of the last 11 and is 138-42 all-time against Jacksonville.
FSU is 2-0 on the season following a home series win over James Madison from February 13-14. Fourth-year head coach Link Jarrett improved to 10-0 in opening series with the Seminoles. JU is 4-0 in 2026 and began the year with a home sweep of Rhode Island, including two wins on Saturday.
As a team, Florida State is hitting .379 with 25 hits, four home runs, three doubles, 12 walks, 21 runs scored and 18 RBI. The pitching staff owns a 3.38 ERA with six earned runs on 13 hits with 26 strikeouts and 10 walks in 16.0 innings.
Sophomore infielder Noah Sheffield has four hits in four at-bats and has scored four runs, while sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey and junior shortstop Cal Fisher also have four hits. Fisher leads the team with five RBI and redshirt sophomore outfielder Brody DeLamielleure paces the squad with two homers. On the mound, junior lefty Wes Mendes did not allow a run in his Opening Day start, striking out seven in 5.0 innings to earn his first win. Junior right-hander Brodie Purcell has one save.
NATIONALLY RANKED SEMINOLES
Florida State is nationally ranked in each major poll, including No. 16 in D1Baseball Preseason Top-25. Perfect Game has FSU at No. 9 and Baseball America has the Seminoles at No. 12.
SERIES HISTORY VS. JACKSONVILLE
FSU is 138-42 all-time against Jacksonville, including 88-14 at home, 49-28 on the road and 1-0 at a neutral site. In a series that began in 1964 and has been played every year except 1992 and 2020, and multiple times in most of those years, Florida State won 20 in a row from 1994-2002 and another 18 consecutively from 2002-2006, with just one loss separating those streaks. More recently, the Seminoles have won the last seven and 10 of 11 since 2022.
Last season, Florida State posted a 9-6 win in Jacksonville on February 26 before 11-10 and 14-2 (7 innings) home victories on April 1 and May 6, respectively.
On February 26, 2025, a three-run homer in the fifth and consecutive strikeouts with the bases loaded in the eighth helped FSU to a 9-6 win at JU. DeLamielleure hit his first career home run, a three-run blast in the fifth, and was one of five players with multiple hits. Chris Knier picked up the save, the first of his FSU career.
On April 1 in Tallahassee, Florida State erased two early-inning deficits to beat Jacksonville 11-10. In their return home after a season-long seven game roadtrip, the Seminoles rallied from down 5-0 in the first inning to lead 6-5 after two. The Dolphins answered to retake a 7-6 advantage, but FSU responded right back with a three-run fourth and added two in the seventh before halting a two-run comeback attempt in the ninth.
On May 6 at Howser, FSU defeated Jacksonville 14-2 in seven innings to finish the series sweep. The Seminoles benefited from a four-run fourth inning and a nine-run fifth. Fisher added two hits, two RBI and two runs. Jacob Marlowe made his first start as a Seminole and earned his first win. In a season-best 3.0 innings, he did not allow a run on three hits with two strikeouts and one walk.
Recaps and box scores can be found here: February 26 | April 1 | May 6
SCOUTING THE DOLPHINS
Jacksonville is 4-0 following a sweep of Rhode Island at home to begin the season from February 13-15. JU began the campaign with a 16-3 win on Friday night in seven innings, followed by 11-6 and 4-3 triumphs in a doubleheader sweep on Saturday. Sunday saw the Dolphins post a 15-1 victory.
The team is hitting .346 with 46 runs on 45 hits with four home runs and nine doubles. Roger Vergara is hitting .667 with eight hits, while Derek Bermudez notched 13 RBI with nine hits. On the mound, Jacksonville has a 2.25 ERA with 31 strikeouts and 24 hits allowed in 32.0 innings. Seven pitchers did not allow a run in at least 1.0 innings, while Dominic Pieto’s eight strikeouts pace the team in 4.0 innings.
LAST TIME OUT: SEASON OPENER
Florida State swept James Madison in two games at Dick Howser Stadium from February 13-14 to begin the 2026 campaign. FSU won the opener 5-1 before a 16-5 win on Saturday in seven innings. Inclement weather canceled Sunday’s finale.
On Opening Day, the Seminoles took a 1-0 lead in the first inning on a towering home run by Bailey and never looked back. Another homer by DeLamielleure in the second made it 2-0 while Mendes threw 5.0 shutout innings. After the Dukes cut the lead in half with a run in the sixth, Sheffield delivered a two-RBI pinch-hit single as part of a three-run eighth inning. Bailey’s first-inning home run was his eighth game in the last 10 with a long ball going back to his freshman season in 2025. The win came in front of a sellout crowd of 6,700, the second consecutive year the Seminoles have sold out their season opener.
The next day, FSU posted a 16-5 victory in seven innings. Four players had multiple hits, three had multiple RBIs and four scored multiple runs. Fisher led the way offensively with four hits and five RBI, both career highs, while junior left fielder Brayden Dowd registered three hits, including his first FSU home run, with three RBI and a career-best five runs scored. Sheffield added three hits, an RBI and four runs scored for his first career multi-hit and multi-run game. On the mound, all four pitchers made their FSU debuts. Sophomore righty Cade O’Leary got the win with 2.1 innings in relief where he allowed two runs on two hits with four strikeouts in 2.1 innings.
Recaps and box scores from the series are available here: Game 1 | Game 2
UP NEXT: BIG LEAGUE WEEKEND IN TEXAS
The Seminoles travel to Arlington, Texas, for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series at Globe Life Field from February 20-22. FSU will face Michigan, No. 9 Auburn and Nebraska at the home of the Texas Rangers. The Seminoles return home on Wednesday, February 25, at 5 p.m. ET, to face North Florida to open a season-long nine-game homestand. Tickets are available at Seminoles.com/Tickets.
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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