Sunday Centerpiece: The Top 10 FSU Sports Moments of 2019

Just days remain in 2019. For most, the year had its thrills and disappointments.

That is also true for Florida State athletics. Over the course of the year, FSU set program records in a number of sports and won three ACC team titles and one individual conference crown. Unlike 2018 which saw the Seminoles claim national championships in softball and soccer, 2019 did not produce a national title.

Despite that, there were plenty of thrilling moments. Here’s a look back at the top 10 from 2019:

10. John Pak wins ACC title
April 20
As a team, FSU men’s golf finished just fourth at the ACC Championships, but the top individual finisher was draped in garnet and gold. Sophomore John Pak shot -13 over the three rounds in North Carolina to become the first FSU player since Joan Blixt in 2007 to take the individual ACC championship. Georgia Tech’s Andy Ogletree had the lead entering the final round, but fell a stroke short. Unfortunately for FSU, it would miss the NCAA Championships for the first time since 2011.

9. FSU volleyball stuns No. 3 Minnesota
Aug. 31
After losing in straight sets to Wisconsin to open the season, Florida State volleyball made a huge early-season statement with a straight-set upset of No. 3 Minnesota in Chapel Hill for the ACC/Big Ten Challenge. FSU won 25-17, 26-24, 25-21. Jasmyn Martin paced the Seminoles with a match-high 16 kills. It was the highest-ranked win in program history. The Seminoles would end up falling to UCF in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

8. FSU men’s track and field win ACC Indoor Championships
Feb. 23
Florida State men’s track and field rallied on the final day of the ACC Indoor Championships to win its second straight indoor crown. The Seminoles shared the crown with Virginia Tech. With Andre Ewers nursing an injury, Kasaun James went on to claim ACC Track MVP honors. James won in both the 60- and 200-meter events. FSU would go on to finish sixth at the NCAA Championships.

7. FSU women’s track and field claims ACC Outdoor Championships
May 11
After losing the ACC Indoor Championships in heartbreaking fashion, the Florida State women’s track and field team bounced back to win the ACC Outdoor Championships. FSU beat second-place Miami by 41.5 points. Ka’Tia Seymour was named Track MVP after taking home the 100- and 200-meter titles. Cortney Jones and Shanice Love also had big final days for the Seminoles. It was FSU’s fifth ACC outdoor crown and first since 2016. The Seminoles would notch a top-10 finish at the NCAA Championships.

Drew Parrish worked eight shutout innings in a 1-0 win over Arkansas in the College World Series. (Mark Kuhlmann/FSU athletics)

6. FSU baseball opens Martin’s final campaign with combined no-hitter
Feb. 15
The 2019 season was the final one for legendary head baseball coach Mike Martin or affectionately known as “11”. The season began with an 11-0 victory over Maine that saw three hurlers combine for a no-hitter. Drew Parrish, Conor Grady and Chase Haney combined to walk just three batters and strike out 10. Reese Albert and J.C. Flowers each homered in the win. Robby Martin finished with three hits and five RBIs in his FSU debut.

5. Parrish kicks off Omaha trip with gem against Arkansas
June 15
Florida State hadn’t kicked off a College World Series with a win since 1999, but lefty Drew Parrish changed that in what would the final win in the legendary career of head coach Mike Martin. In a 1-0 win over Arkansas, Parrish worked eight scoreless innings, allowing just five hits and two walks while striking out nine. The contest entered the ninth scoreless before a sacrifice fly by Nander De Sedas scored J.C. Flowers for the game’s only run. Unfortunately for FSU, it would lose to Michigan and Texas Tech in its next two games as the season came to an end.

4. No. 2,000
March 9

Mike Martin was already college baseball’s winningest coach as he entered his final season, but he had one more milestone to reach. With a 5-2 win over Virginia Tech in the second game of a doubleheader, Martin became the only college coach in any sport to amass 2,000 victories. Cooper Swanson and J.C. Flowers each homered in the win. The Seminoles broke a 2-2 tie with two runs in the seventh before adding another in the eighth.

FSU softball pitched three straight shutouts to win its sixth straight ACC Tournament in May (Phil Kelly/FSU athletics)

3. FSU softball 6-peats as ACC champions
May 11
Florida State softball wasn’t the No. 1 seed as it hosted the 2019 ACC Championship, but that didn’t stop the Seminoles from winning a sixth straight conference crown. Pitcher Meghan King was named the tournament MVP after the Seminoles went three straight games without allowing a run. FSU needed just six innings to dispose of North Carolina in the ACC Championship, 8-0. King worked four innings of scoreless relief to earn the win. Cali Harrod was 4-for-4 with two runs scored and two RBIs in the title game. Harrod and Anna Shelnutt each homered. The Seminoles’ national championship repeat bid however would come up short as they fell to Oklahoma State in the decisive game of the Tallahassee Super Regional.

2. Terance Mann sinks Virginia Tech to open ACC Tournament
March 14

The 2018-19 season for Florida State men’s basketball had its fair share of memorable moments. FSU set a new program record for wins (29) and ACC wins (13), reached the Sweet 16 for a second straight year and reached the ACC Championship for just the third time. Perhaps the most iconic moment from the season was Terance Mann’s game-winner to beat Virginia Tech in the ACC Tournament opener. After Devin Vassell hit a 3-pointer late in regulation to force overtime, Mann was running out of time as the clocked ticked down in overtime. With the score tied 63-63, Mann was forced to heave a contested shot which rattled around the rim before dropping with less than two seconds to play to lift the Seminoles to an improbable 65-63 victory.

1. FSU baseball walks off to Omaha
June 9

The regular season was not among the better campaigns for Florida State baseball and legendary head coach Mike Martin, but in the NCAA Tournament, the Seminoles found some magic to get Martin to the College World Series in his final season. After blasting No. 4 Georgia in the final two games in the Athens Regional, FSU opened the Baton Rouge Super Regional by erasing a 4-0 deficit en route to a 6-4 win. In the second game of the Super Regional, FSU had let a 4-1 lead slip away before Antonio Velez and LSU’s Devin Fontenot traded zeros into the 12th inning. With two outs and Mike Salvatore on second in the bottom of the 12th, FSU’s Drew Mendoza laced a walk-off single to right field to send the Seminoles to Omaha for the final time under Martin in a 5-4 victory. It was FSU’s first-ever Super Regional victory on the road.

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.