Florida State is coming off a 41-22 season where it fell to Florida in the NCAA Super Regionals, just one win away from heading to the College World Series.
The Seminoles are back into the swing of things with fall practice underway in preparation for the 2017 season. The Seminoles are a loaded bunch and the expectations are as high as ever. FSU is returning the entire weekend rotation along with seven position players that started for head coach Mike Martin last year.
Florida State will play their annual Garnet and Gold games Thursday at 3 p.m. EST and Friday at 6 p.m. The Seminoles will take the weekend off before they return on Monday to play the Ontario Blue Jays, a 17 and 18U travel team, in a exhibition at 3 p.m. to close out the fall season.
Key Players to Watch Out For:
Junior shortstop Taylor Walls
Walls will bat lead-off for the Noles for a second straight season. The Louisville Slugger All-American hit .355 with six home runs and 14 stolen bases while playing in all 63 games last season.
Sophomore outfielder Jackson Lueck
After winning a starting job in the Florida State outfield last season, Lueck went on to hit .379 in 132 at-bats.
Sophomore catcher Cal Raleigh
Raleigh quickly became one of the team’s most valuable players last year. While holding down the catching job, he also hit .301 in his freshman campaign with 10 home runs and 50 runs batted in.
The Rotation
Florida State returns the whole weekend rotation from last year. Drew Carlton, Cole Sands, and Tyler Holton are all looking to build on last year’s success and propel another deep postseason run for FSU.
Key Newcomers:
J.C. Flowers
J.C. Flowers was drafted in the 18th round by the Cincinnati Reds in the 2016 MLB First Year Player Draft. Expected to start in center field, Flowers will also see time on the mound with a low 90’s fastball. What really has caught Mike Martin’s eye though is Flowers’ ability to run. Martin said that Flowers is as fast as anyone he has coached at Florida State. This includes guys like Deion Sanders and Ben DeLuzio.
Nick Derr
Nick Derr, an infielder from Lakewood Ranch, Florida, played his senior season at IMG Academy, where he hit .405 with 31 stolen bases. Derr was drafted in the 33rd round of the 2016 MLB First Year Player Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. (The Reds really like these Florida State guys; the Reds also drafted senior John Sansone.) Derr was the sixth best shortstop according to Perfect Game and could see some good playing time in preparation for Walls leaving at the end of the 2017 season.
Drew Parrish
Drew Parrish is a left-handed pitcher who will hit low 90’s with his fastball. Ranked as the seventh best lefty in Florida by Perfect Game, Parrish adds a big arm to the Florida State bullpen.
Kyle Cavanaugh
Kyle Cavanaugh transferred to Florida State from right down the road. Cavanugh played baseball at Tallahassee Community College, where he hit .399 with 58 runs batted in while playing in just 51 games.
Injuries:
Standout first baseman Dylan Busby, who hit .323 for the Seminoles last season with 14 home runs and 55 runs batted in, is dealing with a sports hernia. Martin told media that Busby could have played through the injury if needed, but chose to go ahead and have the surgery now to avoid further complications.
“When he (Busby) goes home for Thanksgiving and Christmas he will have the opportunity to get back into the real strenuous part of getting in shape,” Martin said Tuesday afternoon. “We’re glad this decision was made to have the surgery now instead of waiting to see if he can get through the season.”
Right-handed reliever Chase Haney will also sit the remainder of the fall out. Haney hurt his throwing arm about a week ago, according to Martin.
Haney had a 5-0 record in his first year on campus with Florida State. The 6-6 righty finished the season with a 2.78 ERA. In his 32 innings of work, Haney struck out 37 batters while holding opponents to a .238 batting average.
“To tell you the truth, we were looking at him (Haney) as a closer,” Martin said. “He’s had some arm problems so we shut him down a week ago… We’re hoping that with that rest, he’ll be back and competing for one of those important jobs.”
Drew Mendoza, one of the guys Seminole fans were most excited to see on the field this fall is also inactive with a broken jaw. The freshman had his jaw broken in the first week of practice when he was hit on a pick-off attempt at first base. Mendoza will see a lot of playing time this coming season — likely at third base — when he recovers.
Lastly, Cobi Johnson will miss the 2017 season after having Tommy John surgery in the middle of last season. Johnson is not expected to get back onto the mound again until the summer season takes place.
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