A longtime Florida State fan, former UCF slugger Drew Faurot excited for second act with Seminoles
Drew Faurot was a Seminole at heart, long before he was a UCF Knight. And after an impressive first year of college baseball, he couldn’t be more excited about coming back home to Florida State.
Faurot, a Tallahassee native and son of former FSU baseball standout Adam Faurot, committed to the Seminoles last week shortly after entering the transfer portal.
The switch-hitting shortstop broke UCF’s single-season freshman record with 15 home runs this past season.
“Absolutely,” Faurot told Warchant, when asked if he was a fan of the ‘Noles in his youth. “Growing up, I enjoyed watching the program, and now I am excited to be a part of it.”
When Faurot was starring at Florida High in baseball and football, he actually wore the Seminoles’ garnet and gold. But instead of continuing that tradition in college, he ended up signing with UCF because he felt he could make an early impact there, and he described the program as, “a good fit.”
Despite his initial success, the 6-foot-3, 190-pound Faurot was one of several UCF players to enter the transfer portal after head coach Greg Lovelady was dismissed in late May.
And once Faurot started looking at his options for a new program, it didn’t take long for Florida State to emerge as the front-runner — especially given the chance to play under second-year head coach Link Jarrett.
While Adam Faurot’s college career didn’t overlap with Jarrett’s — the older Faurot played at FSU in 1995 and ’96 while Jarrett’s career ended in 1994 — there obviously is plenty of familiarity and respect.
“What sold me on FSU was Coach Jarrett’s experience and ability to help me develop as a hitter and as a shortstop,” Drew Faurot said. “I heard great things about what Coach Jarrett and the staff did at Notre Dame and now what they are building at FSU.”
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Florida State’s coaches got a great chance to see what Faurot could do when the Seminoles took a trip to Orlando for two games in mid-March. The UCF shortstop went 3-for-8 at the plate, and the Knights won both contests.
For the season, Faurot hit .252 with 15 homers, 9 doubles and 51 RBIs. Like many freshmen, he struggled at times with strikeouts at the plate and errors in the field, but he said those are some of the areas where he’ll be seeking help from Jarrett and FSU’s other coaches.
“The key for me is consistency,” Faurot said. “Every part of my game — offense, defense, and baserunning — as I continue to mature physically.”
Improvement also will be on the agenda during the coming weeks, as Faurot prepares to play summer ball in the prestigious Cape Cod League with the Orleans (Mass.) Firebirds.
“I get to the Cape on Tuesday,” he said. “It’s an honor to be able to go up there and compete and continue to work on things over the summer against great competition.”
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