FSU Stock Report (May 31, 2016)

An enormous weekend is coming up for Florida State as the Seminoles will get set to host the NCAA Baseball Tournament’s Tallahassee Regional. The FSU softball team will also get set to participate in the Women’s College World Series for a second time in three years, beginning on Thursday. Here’s whose stock is up and whose is down around Nole Nation:

Stock Up

FSU first baseman Dylan Busby: Florida State was unable to notch a second straight ACC championship, but that didn’t stop first baseman Dylan Busby from tearing it up in Durham. Over four games, Busby was 9-for-17 with six runs scored, nine RBIs and four home runs. Busby was the hero of Saturday’s 5-4 win over Miami, finishing with a homer, four hits and a walk-off single. He closed the tournament with a pair of home runs in an 18-13 loss to Clemson for the ACC Championship.

FSU softball shortstop Cali Harrod: Florida State shortstop Cali Harrod has hit in the lower part of the Seminole order for most of the year, but during the Tallahassee Super Regional, she really made her presence felt. With FSU clinging to a 2-1 sixth-inning lead on Friday and Utah with the tying run in scoring position, Harrod made a leaping catch to rob Utah’s Kristen Stewart and keep the game even. The very next inning, Harrod blasted a 3-run home run to give the Seminoles a 6-1 lead. She finished with four RBIs on Friday. FSU was able to shut out Utah on Saturday to clinch a spot in the Women’s College World Series.

Stock Down

FSU pitcher Jim Voyles: Since being hit in the head by a line drive against Notre Dame in April, FSU junior reliever Jim Voyles hasn’t been the same. In Sunday’s ACC Championship, Voyles had the worst outing of his career, yielding seven runs on five hits in 1 1/3 innings. If the Seminoles have any chance of going deep in the NCAA Tournament, they’re going to need Voyles to get back on track.

FSU fielding: As bad as the pitching was in Sunday’s 18-13 loss to Clemson, the fielding, at least early on, was nearly as bad. Over the first two innings, FSU committed four errors, including three in the first. By the time the second inning was over, Clemson had managed eight runs on just three hits. In addition to baserunning, the Seminoles’ play in the field has been a sore spot this season.

Worth Noting

• Florida State’s men’s golf team finished 27th out of 30 teams at the NCAA Championships in Eugene, Oregon over the weekend. The Seminoles were sixth after the first day, but struggled mightily on Saturday.
• Florida State will begin the NCAA Tournament on Friday at home against Alabama State. This year marks the 39th straight that FSU has reached the tournament and the sixth straight it has been a host.
• Florida State softball will open the Women’s College World Series on Thursday against Georgia. It marks the second time in three years the Seminoles have made it to Oklahoma City. FSU hasn’t won a game at the WCWS however, since 2004.