Link Jarrett explains FSU decision to play first game of Tallahassee Regional as host

Florida State is the No. 1 seed and is hosting the Tallahassee Regional, meaning that head coach Link Jarrett had the option of requesting to play No. 4 seed Stetson in the afternoon game or at night.

Jarrett went with the early game, facing off against the Hatters at Noon on Friday. He joined ESPN during the broadcast and explained why.

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“Well, you have some decisions to make on the longevity of a weekend and how to best navigate it. I’ve been on both sides of that, and I feel like sometimes this early game, getting out of the gates and playing is the best thing for the team,” Link Jarrett said. “And then you get to watch the night game and it gives you some time to recover, win or lose. So that’s our preference on how we manage today, and then clearly after today it’s set up based on how you perform.”

Despite Florida State playing Stetson during the day, plenty of fans still came out to support the Seminoles. Jarrett spoke with ESPN about what it’s like hosting a regional in Tallahassee in Year 2 as the head coach.

This is the first time Florida State has hosted a regional since 2018.

“We have the best fans in the country. They’re into it every game. The passion, the knowledge of the game, second-to-none here,” Jarrett said. “We’ve got our work cut out. Stetson’s an incredible team. Bama, UCF, this is as tough as it gets. Dorsey, he’s gotten us into this thing a little bit. The 0-2 base hit that started it and then the 1-2 ball they hit in the corner, we were fortunate to get an out on that to get out of the inning, but hopefully he can continue to dial it up. And he clearly has to be better when he’s ahead in the count.”

Playing early worked out just fine for Florida State. The Seminoles earned a 7-2 win over Stetson behind a strong pitching performance from Carson Dorsey.

The lefty threw 8 2/3 innings, allowing only one earned run. Dorsey struck out seven in the sensational performance.

With the win, Florida State advances to face the winner of Alabama and UCF. That game will take place on Saturday, while Stetson will face the loser of the Crimson Tide and Golden Knights game — also on Saturday.