After winning eight of 10, Florida State will enter the 2017 ACC Baseball Tournament in Louisville feeling pretty good about itself.
The Seminoles closed the season with consecutive wins at the venue where it will be playing in the ACC Tournament and there’s hope that the team is peaking at the right time. The No. 8 seed Seminoles will get set to take on 12th-seeded Notre Dame on Wednesday morning and then top-seeded Louisville on Friday afternoon.
Florida State has reached the ACC final in each of the last two years and won the tournament in 2015. In their last three ACC Tournament appearances, the Seminoles are a combined 9-2. As FSU looks to make another deep run, here are five things to watch for during its time in Louisville:
1. Taylor Walls
Taylor Walls, the FSU shortstop, has been on a tear over his last 21 games, hitting .315 after struggling for much of the year. Hitting at the top of the order, Walls is the table setter for FSU and when he gets on base, the Seminoles as a whole, are a much better team. Walls was 4-for-14 during last year’s ACC Tournament with three runs scored and three RBIs.
2. Tyler Holton
For Florida State to have a chance of reaching the ACC Championship for a third year in a row, it must get the most out of the game where Tyler Holton is on the mound. Over his last two starts, Holton has allowed just a run in 17 innings. Holton has also become the everyday right fielder when he’s not pitching. Holton hit his first career home run in last year’s ACC Championship, but more importantly, had a gem of a start on the mound against Miami in de facto ACC semifinal to make sure FSU got back to the title game. Though nothing is set in stone, Holton is likely to get the ball against Louisville on Friday.
3. The Bullpen
Excluding Holton, starting pitching for Florida State has been inconsistent this year. Cole Sands, Drew Parrish and Andrew Karp have all shown potential, but what you get varies from start to start. With that said, FSU will need a solid effort from an also shaky bullpen. Excluding a nightmarish ACC Championship against Clemson last year, the FSU bullpen has posted a 1.90 ERA over the last two ACC Tournaments. Alec Byrd and Jim Voyles have each pitched well of late for the Seminoles and not having to play in consecutive days in pool play could give head coach Mike Martin some flexibility with how he uses closer Drew Carlton.
4. Dylan Busby
Over the last two seasons, FSU corner infielder Dylan Busby has been known for coming on late in the season. In last year’s ACC Tournament, Busby was 9-for-17 in four games with three home runs and 10 RBIs. That included a walk-off single to beat Miami on the final day of pool play. Busby leads FSU in home runs this year with 12 and could supply some much-needed power.
5. Fielding
What was once a glaring weakness for Florida State has become a strength in recent weeks and that’s fielding the baseball. Over the last 11 games, FSU has committed just two total errors. In the 11 games prior, the Seminoles committed 16 total errors. If FSU is going to have another prosperous ACC Tournament, it can’t afford to give away outs.
Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson
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