No. 20 FSU Begins ACC Play at No. 12 Wake Forest
WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. – The No. 20 Florida State baseball team commences ACC play at No. 12 Wake Forest from March 13-15 at David F. Couch Ballpark in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
The series begins on Friday, March 13, at 6 p.m. ET, with game two set for Saturday at 4 p.m. The finale will be broadcast live on ACC Network on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Sunday’s game on ACC Network will have Daron Vaught and Devon Travis on the call. The first two games will be streamed on ACC Network Extra (Friday | Saturday), accessible through your television provider or a subscription to ESPN+. Fans can listen to every game via the Seminole Sports Network on WFLA 100.7 FM. Every game also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App and Seminoles.com. Live stats are at WakeForest.Statbroadcast.com (Friday | Saturday | Sunday). 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 all weekend are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
Friday, March 13 – 6 p.m. ET
Watch: ACC Network Extra
Listen: WFLA 100.7 FM | Seminoles Unconquered App | Seminoles.com
Live Stats
Saturday, March 14 – 4 p.m. ET
Watch: ACC Network Extra
Listen: WFLA 100.7 FM | Seminoles Unconquered App | Seminoles.com
Live Stats
Sunday, March 15 – 3 p.m. ET
Watch: ACC Network
Listen: WFLA 100.7 FM | Seminoles Unconquered App | Seminoles.com
Live Stats
Two juniors get the ball to open the series, as FSU left-hander Wes Mendes (4-0, 0.83 ERA) will face right-hander Blake Morningstar (0-0, 3.45 ERA) on Friday. On Saturday, Florida State junior lefty Trey Beard (1-0, 2.92 ERA) toes the rubber against sophomore righty Chris Levonas (4-0, 1.83 ERA). Two right-handers will take the mound in Sunday’s finale, with Seminole junior Bryson Moore (2-0, 4.24 ERA) against Demon Deacon sophomore Duncan Marsten (0-0, 3.45 ERA).
FSU is 13-3 on the season, 11-0 at home, 1-1 on the road, 1-2 at a neutral site and 0-2 against ranked opponents. The Seminoles are coming off a 6-3 loss at No. 23 Florida on Tuesday night, which snapped a nine-game win streak. The team is on the road this week after a nine-game homestand that ended with a stretch of eight games in nine days.
As a team, Florida State is hitting .303 with 159 hits, 18 home runs, 38 doubles, two triples, 93 walks, 139 runs scored and 122 RBI. The pitching staff has a 3.90 ERA with 58 earned runs allowed on 99 hits with 173 strikeouts and 61 walks in 134.0 innings.
Sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey is hitting .360 with six home runs, 18 hits, 17 RBI and 18 runs scored. Sophomore infielder/outfielder Noah Sheffield has 19 hits with 22 RBI, seven doubles and 19 runs scored. Freshman designated hitter Kelvyn Paulino Jr. has a .371 average with 13 hits, while junior center fielder Chase Williams has five stolen bases in seven attempts. On the mound, junior lefty Wes Mendes is 4-0 with a 0.83 ERA, having struck out 30 and given up two earned run on nine hits in 21.2 innings. Junior right-hander John Abraham has made six appearances out of the bullpen, along with one start, and has 22 strikeouts and a 0.57 ERA in 15.2 innings.
NATIONALLY RANKED SEMINOLES
Florida State continues to be nationally ranked in each major poll, including at No. 20 in D1Baseball Top-25. Additionally, FSU is No. 12 by The Athletic, No. 15 in the NCBWA rankings, Coaches poll and Perfect Game rankings and No. 18 according to Baseball America.
SERIES HISTORY VS. WAKE FOREST
FSU is 98-40 all-time against Wake Forest, including 52-18 at home, 32-16 on the road and 14-6 at a neutral site. The first meeting was in 1962 in the NCAA Tournament, a pair of wins in Gastonia, North Carolina. The two teams have met every year since 2021 and the shortened 2020 season was the only time they did not square off since 1992. A year ago, in a matchup between two of the top five teams in the ACC standings at the time, Florida State lost its first weekend series of 2025 with a pair of defeats in three games from April 4-6, 2025.
In the opener on April 4, FSU walked off Wake with a 5-4 win. The Seminoles led 4-0 in the fourth, but the Demon Deacons fought back to tie it with no outs in the seventh. FSU pitchers then stranded a combined five runners on base while getting the final nine outs to set up Max Williams’ walk-off hit. The FSU pitching staff helped Wake Forest strand 11 runners on base. WF’s leadoff hitters were 6-for-9 on the night but then 2-for-22 with runners on and 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Wake was held without a two-out RBI.
The series was evened with a 12-0 loss on Saturday. The Seminoles were shut out for the first time in 2025 and had a season-low-tying three hits. Joey Volini suffered his first loss of his FSU career. He allowed more than two runs and did not pitch into at least the fifth inning for the first time on the year.
FSU lost Sunday’s finale, 17-2. Florida State was held to two runs on five hits. The home side led 2-0 after two before Wake scored four in the fourth, seven in the fifth and six in the eighth. Wes Mendes got the loss, his first in 2025, and allowed seven runs on five hits in 4.0 innings.
Recaps and box scores from the 2025 series are available here: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
Wake Forest is 15-2 in 2026, including 11-0 at home, 2-1 on the road and 2-1 at a neutral site. The Demon Deacons are 3-0 in the ACC after opening league play with a home sweep of Stanford. A pair of wins in a doubleheader on March 7 extended Wake’s win streak to 15 in a row after a season-opening loss to Houston. The Deacs saw their win streak come to an end on Tuesday night with a 10-4 loss at No. 16 Coastal Carolina. That matchup at CC was the team’s only game against a ranked opponent before hosting FSU this weekend.
The Demon Deacons are ranked in the top-20 in each major poll, including at No. 12 by D1Baseball. Wake also is 12th in the coaches poll, No. 13 according to the NCBWA, No. 14 in The Athletic top-25, No. 16 by Perfect Game and No. 18 in Baseball America’s poll.
LAST TIME OUT: WIN STREAK SNAPPED
In a top-25 matchup on the road, Florida State saw its nine-game win streak snapped with a 6-3 loss at No. 23 Florida on Tuesday night in Gainesville. Playing its second true road contest of the year and second ranked foe, FSU scored its three runs on six hits with eight runners left on. The Gators scored six runs on six hits with nine runners stranded. Neither team committed an error.
Florida State took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but UF answered with five runs in the third. FSU scored one in the fourth and Florida added a run in the sixth. Junior shortstop Cal Fisher had a hit with two RBI and sophomore catcher Hunter Carns had two hits. On the mound, Abraham did not allow a hit in his 2.0 innings. Making his first start of the season, he struck out two and walked three. Redshirt junior left-hander Kevin Mebil suffered the loss, his first at FSU, and is 1-1.
A recap, box score and postgame interview is available here.
UP NEXT: BACK TO HOWSER
FSU returns home for four games, beginning against Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday, March 17, at 6 p.m. ET, before a weekend series against NC State from March 20-22. 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).
The series begins on Friday, March 13, at 6 p.m. ET, with game two set for Saturday at 4 p.m. The finale will be broadcast live on ACC Network on Sunday at 3 p.m.
Sunday’s game on ACC Network will have Daron Vaught and Devon Travis on the call. The first two games will be streamed on ACC Network Extra (Friday | Saturday), accessible through your television provider or a subscription to ESPN+. Fans can listen to every game via the Seminole Sports Network on WFLA 100.7 FM. Every game also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App and Seminoles.com. Live stats are at WakeForest.Statbroadcast.com (Friday | Saturday | Sunday). 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 all weekend are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter/X and Facebook (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram (@NoleBaseball).
Friday, March 13 – 6 p.m. ET
Watch: ACC Network Extra
Listen: WFLA 100.7 FM | Seminoles Unconquered App | Seminoles.com
Live Stats
Saturday, March 14 – 4 p.m. ET
Watch: ACC Network Extra
Listen: WFLA 100.7 FM | Seminoles Unconquered App | Seminoles.com
Live Stats
Sunday, March 15 – 3 p.m. ET
Watch: ACC Network
Listen: WFLA 100.7 FM | Seminoles Unconquered App | Seminoles.com
Live Stats
Two juniors get the ball to open the series, as FSU left-hander Wes Mendes (4-0, 0.83 ERA) will face right-hander Blake Morningstar (0-0, 3.45 ERA) on Friday. On Saturday, Florida State junior lefty Trey Beard (1-0, 2.92 ERA) toes the rubber against sophomore righty Chris Levonas (4-0, 1.83 ERA). Two right-handers will take the mound in Sunday’s finale, with Seminole junior Bryson Moore (2-0, 4.24 ERA) against Demon Deacon sophomore Duncan Marsten (0-0, 3.45 ERA).
FSU is 13-3 on the season, 11-0 at home, 1-1 on the road, 1-2 at a neutral site and 0-2 against ranked opponents. The Seminoles are coming off a 6-3 loss at No. 23 Florida on Tuesday night, which snapped a nine-game win streak. The team is on the road this week after a nine-game homestand that ended with a stretch of eight games in nine days.
As a team, Florida State is hitting .303 with 159 hits, 18 home runs, 38 doubles, two triples, 93 walks, 139 runs scored and 122 RBI. The pitching staff has a 3.90 ERA with 58 earned runs allowed on 99 hits with 173 strikeouts and 61 walks in 134.0 innings.
Sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey is hitting .360 with six home runs, 18 hits, 17 RBI and 18 runs scored. Sophomore infielder/outfielder Noah Sheffield has 19 hits with 22 RBI, seven doubles and 19 runs scored. Freshman designated hitter Kelvyn Paulino Jr. has a .371 average with 13 hits, while junior center fielder Chase Williams has five stolen bases in seven attempts. On the mound, junior lefty Wes Mendes is 4-0 with a 0.83 ERA, having struck out 30 and given up two earned run on nine hits in 21.2 innings. Junior right-hander John Abraham has made six appearances out of the bullpen, along with one start, and has 22 strikeouts and a 0.57 ERA in 15.2 innings.
NATIONALLY RANKED SEMINOLES
Florida State continues to be nationally ranked in each major poll, including at No. 20 in D1Baseball Top-25. Additionally, FSU is No. 12 by The Athletic, No. 15 in the NCBWA rankings, Coaches poll and Perfect Game rankings and No. 18 according to Baseball America.
SERIES HISTORY VS. WAKE FOREST
FSU is 98-40 all-time against Wake Forest, including 52-18 at home, 32-16 on the road and 14-6 at a neutral site. The first meeting was in 1962 in the NCAA Tournament, a pair of wins in Gastonia, North Carolina. The two teams have met every year since 2021 and the shortened 2020 season was the only time they did not square off since 1992. A year ago, in a matchup between two of the top five teams in the ACC standings at the time, Florida State lost its first weekend series of 2025 with a pair of defeats in three games from April 4-6, 2025.
In the opener on April 4, FSU walked off Wake with a 5-4 win. The Seminoles led 4-0 in the fourth, but the Demon Deacons fought back to tie it with no outs in the seventh. FSU pitchers then stranded a combined five runners on base while getting the final nine outs to set up Max Williams’ walk-off hit. The FSU pitching staff helped Wake Forest strand 11 runners on base. WF’s leadoff hitters were 6-for-9 on the night but then 2-for-22 with runners on and 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position. Wake was held without a two-out RBI.
The series was evened with a 12-0 loss on Saturday. The Seminoles were shut out for the first time in 2025 and had a season-low-tying three hits. Joey Volini suffered his first loss of his FSU career. He allowed more than two runs and did not pitch into at least the fifth inning for the first time on the year.
FSU lost Sunday’s finale, 17-2. Florida State was held to two runs on five hits. The home side led 2-0 after two before Wake scored four in the fourth, seven in the fifth and six in the eighth. Wes Mendes got the loss, his first in 2025, and allowed seven runs on five hits in 4.0 innings.
Recaps and box scores from the 2025 series are available here: Game 1 | Game 2 | Game 3
SCOUTING THE DEMON DEACONS
Wake Forest is 15-2 in 2026, including 11-0 at home, 2-1 on the road and 2-1 at a neutral site. The Demon Deacons are 3-0 in the ACC after opening league play with a home sweep of Stanford. A pair of wins in a doubleheader on March 7 extended Wake’s win streak to 15 in a row after a season-opening loss to Houston. The Deacs saw their win streak come to an end on Tuesday night with a 10-4 loss at No. 16 Coastal Carolina. That matchup at CC was the team’s only game against a ranked opponent before hosting FSU this weekend.
The Demon Deacons are ranked in the top-20 in each major poll, including at No. 12 by D1Baseball. Wake also is 12th in the coaches poll, No. 13 according to the NCBWA, No. 14 in The Athletic top-25, No. 16 by Perfect Game and No. 18 in Baseball America’s poll.
LAST TIME OUT: WIN STREAK SNAPPED
In a top-25 matchup on the road, Florida State saw its nine-game win streak snapped with a 6-3 loss at No. 23 Florida on Tuesday night in Gainesville. Playing its second true road contest of the year and second ranked foe, FSU scored its three runs on six hits with eight runners left on. The Gators scored six runs on six hits with nine runners stranded. Neither team committed an error.
Florida State took a 2-0 lead in the second inning, but UF answered with five runs in the third. FSU scored one in the fourth and Florida added a run in the sixth. Junior shortstop Cal Fisher had a hit with two RBI and sophomore catcher Hunter Carns had two hits. On the mound, Abraham did not allow a hit in his 2.0 innings. Making his first start of the season, he struck out two and walked three. Redshirt junior left-hander Kevin Mebil suffered the loss, his first at FSU, and is 1-1.
A recap, box score and postgame interview is available here.
UP NEXT: BACK TO HOWSER
FSU returns home for four games, beginning against Bethune-Cookman on Tuesday, March 17, at 6 p.m. ET, before a weekend series against NC State from March 20-22. 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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