Seminole Saturday Summary: Two FSU Women’s Programs Celebrate ACC Championships

Last Saturday saw seasons come to an end for three Florida State programs. This Saturday saw a pair of FSU programs hoist ACC Championship trophies.

FSU softball got the day started by winning a sixth straight ACC title on its home field. The Seminoles completed the ACC Tournament sweep with a 6-inning victory over fourth-seeded North Carolina, 8-0.

While Florida State entered the tournament as the No. 2 seed, it quickly became the highest remaining seed after top-seeded Virginia Tech fell to NC State, the No. 8 seed, on Thursday. FSU topped Georgia Tech, Notre Dame and North Carolina over the three days without allowing a run.

Pitcher Meghan King was named the ACC Tournament MVP after earning three victories and tossing 17 shutout innings in Tallahassee. King started the first two games, but was called upon to work four shutout innings of relief on Saturday.

Florida State women’s track and field also wrapped up their first ACC outdoor title since 2016 on Saturday. The Seminoles led after each of the three days and it became apparent early in the day on Saturday that a championship for FSU would be a foregone conclusion.

FSU captured five individual ACC titles during the championships in Charlottesville. Ka’Tia Seymour won the ACC title for both the 100 meters and 200 meters. She was named the Women’s Track MVP.

Football

Weekly Commitments: Malachi Wideman, 4-star WR (No. 173 overall)*
2020 Recruiting Class Ranking: No. 5 nationally, third in ACC* (12 total commitments)

Men’s Basketball

Weekly Commitments: None
2019 Recruiting Class Ranking: No. 15 nationally, fourth in ACC* (6 total commitments)

Baseball

Record: 33-18 (16-11 ACC)
Ranking: No. 23 D1Baseball.com; No. 23 Collegiate Baseball; No. 25 NCBWA
Past Week: (5-2), defeated Pittsburgh 15-6 and 12-6; defeated Jacksonville, 3-0; lost to Jacksonville, 3-2; lost to Stetson, 1-0; defeated Richmond, 8-2 and 11-1.
Upcoming: vs. Richmond (Sunday), at Louisville (Thursday, Friday and Saturday)
Recognitions: Drew Mendoza, 3B (ACC Player of the Week)
Big Picture: Florida State may have won five games this week, but midweek losses to Jacksonville and being no-hit at Stetson did the Seminoles no favors. FSU is probably an NCAA Tournament team, but the Seminoles can ill-afford to lay an egg next weekend at Louisville and in the ACC Tournament.

Weekly Review

Pittsburgh 6, FSU 15
Sunday, May 5 (Game 1)
Florida State homered five times and recorded its most hits in an ACC game in 11 years to even the series with Pittsburgh in the first game of a doubleheader on Sunday — a contest that was suspended from Saturday. Five different Seminoles had three hits in the victory. Catcher Matheu Nelson drove in five runs while third baseman Drew Mendoza touched home four times. J.C. Flowers homered twice while Nelson, Robby Martin and Reese Albert also left the yard. Bryce O’Farrell was 3-for-4 with two RBIs for the Panthers.

Pittsburgh 6, FSU 12
Sunday, May 5 (Game 2)
The FSU bats stayed hot in the rubber game against Pittsburgh in the second game of a doubleheader on Sunday. Drew Mendoza was 3-for-3 with four RBIs and a pair of runs scored. Matheu Nelson and J.C. Flowers each plated a pair of runs. Jonah Scolaro retired all seven batters he faced in relief to pick up the win. Nico Popa and Connor Perry each homered for the Panthers in the loss.

Jacksonville 0, FSU 3
Tuesday, May 7 (Game 1, 7 innings)
Florida State starting pitcher Antonio Velez was outstanding in six shutouts innings as FSU downed Jacksonville in the first game of a shortened doubleheader. Velez allowed just four hits before J.C. Flowers worked a perfect seventh to record his 11th save of the season. First baseman Nico Baldor was 2-for-2 with a pair of doubles, a run and an RBI.

Jacksonville 3, FSU 2
Tuesday, May 7 (Game 2, 7 innings)
Jacksonville rallied late with a run in the sixth inning and two in the seventh to top Florida State in the second game of a doubleheader on Tuesday. The Seminoles cut a 3-1 lead in half with a run in the bottom of the seventh, but Nander De Sedas grounded out with the bases loaded to end the game. Jacksonville’s Dawson Julylia and FSU’s J.C. Flowers were each 2-for-3 at the plate.

FSU 0, Stetson 1
Wednesday, May 8
Three Stetson pitchers combined to no-hit Florida State in the final match-up between the schools in DeLand. Drew Mendoza drew three walks as the Seminoles managed five total base runners. Stetson shortstop Jorge Arenas drove in the game’s only run in the third inning.

Richmond 2, FSU 8
Friday, May 10
Mike Salvatore went 3-for-5 with an RBI and a run scored and Matheu Nelson homered as Florida State began its final home series of the year with an easy victory over Richmond. Drew Parrish allowed just two runs while striking out eight in six innings to pick up the win. Tyler Plantier’s 2-run homer provided all the scoring for the Spiders.

Richmond 1, FSU 11
Saturday, May 11
Florida State scored nine runs over the first four innings to turn Saturday’s contest with Richmond into a laugher. Senior Mike Salvatore finished 4-for-6 at the plate with two doubles, one triple, two runs scored and two RBIs. Carter Smith had three hits for the Seminoles in the victory. Starting pitcher C.J. Van Eyk struck out eight hitters in five shutout innings to earn the win.

Softball

Record: 51-8
Ranking: No. 2 seed ACC Tournament; No. 5 NFCA; No. 6 Softball America
Past Week: (4-0), defeated Syracuse, 14-5; defeated Georgia Tech, 7-0 (ACC Tournament quarterfinals); defeated Notre Dame, 2-0 (ACC Tournament semifinals); defeated North Carolina, 8-0 (ACC Tournament championship).
Upcoming: NCAA Tournament
Recognitions: Anna Shelnutt, C (ACC Player of the Week, All-ACC second team); Carsyn Gordon (All-ACC first team); Meghan King (All-ACC first team, ACC All-Tournament MVP, ACC All-Tournament); Sydney Sherrill (All-ACC first team, ACC Defensive Player of the Year, ACC All-Tournament); Elizabeth Mason (All-ACC second team); Makinzy Herzog (All-ACC Freshman); Kathryn Sandercock (All-ACC Freshman); Dani Morgan (ACC All-Tournament).
Big Picture: A sixth straight ACC title for Florida State softball likely wraps up a top-8 national seed. The Seminoles lost just twice at JoAnne Graf Field this season and the defending national champions will likely be home until the Women’s College World Series.

Weekly Review

(5) FSU 14, Syracuse 5
Sunday, May 5 (5 innings)
In the final game of the regular season, Florida State set the tone early with nine runs in the first two innings in an eventual run rule against Syracuse. Anna Shelnutt finished 4-for-4 with two home runs and five RBIs. Sydney Sherrill and Elizabeth Mason both homered for the Seminoles in the victory. Mason and Cali Harrod each had three hits.

(7) Georgia Tech 0, (2) FSU 7
Thursday, May 9 (ACC Quarterfinals)
Last year’s ACC Tournament hero, Anna Shelnutt, broke a scoreless tie with a 2-run home run in the bottom of the fifth. The Seminoles then blew the game open with five runs in the sixth. Dani Morgan and Zoe Casas also homered in the win. Morgan was 3-for-3 with two runs scored and three RBIs. Meghan King allowed just a hit and walk while striking out eight in six shutout innings to earn the win.

(3) Notre Dame 0, (2) FSU 2
Friday, May 10 (ACC Semifinals)
Florida State scored runs in each of the first two innings and Meghan King did the rest as the Seminoles advanced to the ACC Championship for a seventh straight season. King went the distance in the circle, allowing six hits and two walks. Sydney Sherrill got the scoring started with a solo home run in the first. Ali Wester had three of the six hits for Notre Dame.

(4) North Carolina 0, (2) FSU 8
Saturday, May 11 (ACC Championship, 6 innings)
FSU needed just six innings to defeat North Carolina for a sixth straight ACC title. The Seminoles broke things open with three runs in the fourth. Cali Harrod finished the day 4-for-4 with a home run, two runs scored and an RBI. Anna Shelnutt, the FSU catcher, threw out a pair of would-be base stealers and hit a homer of her own. Sydney Sherrill ended the game with an RBI double. After starting the first two games of the ACC Tournament, Meghan King threw four innings of shutout relief.

Women’s Golf

Ranking: No. 9 WGCA
Past Week: Finished second in Auburn Regional
Upcoming: NCAA Championships (May 17-22)
Recognitions: N/A
Big Picture: For a school-record fourth straight season, Florida State is in the NCAA Championships. The top eight teams will reach match play. FSU finished 12th last year. The Seminoles won their only national championship in 1981. Last season, FSU had its best finish since 2011.

Weekly Review

Second place at Auburn Regional
Monday, May 6 through Wednesday, May 8
Florida State women’s golf clinched a fourth straight appearance in the NCAA Championships with a second-place finish in the Auburn Regional. The Seminoles finished three strokes behind Vanderbilt. Amanda Doherty was the top finisher for FSU, coming in sixth at -2. Vanderbilt’s Auston Kim took the individual title at the regional at -6.

Men’s Golf

Ranking: No. 5 seed Myrtle Beach Regional; unranked GCAA
Past Week: N/A
Upcoming: NCAA Regional (Monday through Wednesday)
Recognitions: John Pak (All-ACC)
Big Picture: Florida State’s men’s golf will begin regional play on Monday at Myrtle Beach. The Seminoles will look to return to the NCAA Championships after missing an appearance last season for the first time since 2011. The top five teams in Myrtle Beach will advance.

Track and Field

Ranking: Men unranked USTFCCCA; Women No. 10 USTFCCCA
Past Week: Women won ACC outdoor championships; men finished third at ACC outdoor championships.
Upcoming: NCAA Championships (June 5 through June 8)
Recognitions: Andre Ewers (ACC Championships Men’s Track MVP); Ka’Tia Seymour (ACC Championships Women’s Track MVP)
Big Picture: The FSU men were unable to defend their ACC outdoor title, but the women won convincingly with 134 points — more than 40 more than any other team. It was their first outdoor title since 2016 and fifth as a member of the ACC. Both the FSU men and women will now head to Austin for the NCAA Championships, which begin on June 5.

Weekly Review

ACC Outdoor Championships: Women first, men third
Thursday, May 9 through Saturday May 11
For the first time since 2016, Florida State women’s track and field claimed the ACC outdoor championship. Ka’Tia Seymour claimed the ACC crown in both the 100 and 200 meters. Cortney Jones (100-meter hurdles), Shanice Love (discus) and Rougui Sow (long jump) all claimed ACC individual titles. After winning the outdoor title last year and sharing the indoor title this year, the FSU men finished third behind Virginia and Virginia Tech. As Seymour did on the women’s side, Andre Ewers won the men’s title in both the 100 and 200 meters. FSU also took first in the 4-by-100-meter relay.

Other News

FSU hoops added Ole Miss center Dominik Olejniczak as a graduate transfer.

J.C. Flowers became just the second FSU player ever to hit 10 home runs and record 10 saves in the same season earlier this week.

Seven FSU beach volleyball pairs participated in the USAV Collegiate Beach Championships, which began on Wednesday in Hermosa Beach, California.

FSU football had the lowest Academic Progress Rate among FBS programs for the 2017-18 academic year.

David Coburn has been named director of athletics at FSU on a permanent basis.

*247Sports Composite rankings

Mike Ferguson is the editor of The Daily Nole. Follow Mike on Twitter @MikeWFerguson. Like The Daily Nole on Facebook. To pitch an idea, author a post or to learn more about The Daily Nole, email Mike Ferguson at Mike@TheDailyNole.com.