Carson Dorsey gets Game 1 start for FSU in NCAA Regional; Cam Leiter ruled out

With his second-best pitcher unavailable and his staff ace earmarked for Saturday’s Game 2, Florida State coach Link Jarrett is turning to junior left-hander Carson Dorsey to start Friday’s opener of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional.

Dorsey didn’t pitch well last week at the ACC Tournament, and his season statistics aren’t especially impressive — he is 5-4 with a 5.53 ERA — but Jarrett believes this approach gives the Seminoles the best chance to advance out of the four-team regional.

Dorsey will start Friday’s noon game against No. 4 seed Stetson, while sophomore ace Jamie Arnold will pitch against either No. 2 seed Alabama or No. 3 seed UCF on Saturday.

“Not an easy decision,” Jarrett said Thursday, after discussing the plan with his assistant coaches for the better part of two days. “But with what we have, it seemed like that was the best way to get to the finish line properly.”

Jarrett said he gave a great deal of consideration to starting his ace, who boasts a 10-3 record with a 2.45 ERA, in the opener, but felt Arnold’s presence would be more beneficial in the middle of the regional.

If the Seminoles win the opener, Arnold could propel them into the championship round with a typically strong performance. If they get upset by Stetson, he could help them get back on track in the elimination bracket.

More important, Jarrett said, is what a lengthy start from Arnold could do for the rest of the pitching staff.

When Dorsey pitches, the Seminoles more than likely will need multiple bullpen arms to help finish off the game. And Jarrett believes it makes more sense to have those pitchers throw on Friday and perhaps again on Sunday, as opposed to using them on Saturday and then maybe not having them available the next day.

“It doesn’t matter who it’s against, we hope Jamie can give us a nice, deep start,” Jarrett said. “And that may or may not happen. This stuff rarely goes as you script it. You would hope that he can give us a good start, and that maybe gives a couple of the arms a chance to recover a little bit.”

Unfortunately for Florida State, the ‘Noles will not see the return of No. 2 starter Cam Leiter this weekend. The talented sophomore hasn’t pitched in a game in two months, but after some promising developments in his rehabilitation, Jarrett was hopeful that he might be available in a limited role this weekend.

That will not happen, Jarrett confirmed Thursday morning. The head coach said Leiter tried to throw a bullpen session on Wednesday but did not bounce back well from throwing last Sunday.

“He’s not going to be available,” Jarrett said, adding that the Seminoles haven’t given up hope that Leiter might be available if they make it further in the NCAA tournament.

The Florida State coach did say that junior right-hander Conner Whittaker, who has been pitching in relief in recent weeks after dealing with a midseason injury, could stay in that role or perhaps even start a game this weekend.

No matter how things shake out during the Regional, Jarrett made it a point multiple times Thursday to praise his team for earning a Top 8 national seed just one year after failing to reach the postseason.

“I’m proud of what our guys accomplished,” Jarrett said. “It’s not easy to be in the position of having this event at your home stadium. It’s not. I’m proud of what this team has stood for, how they’ve played … this is an honor, a reward to be in the position to manage this type of event.”

FSU (42-15) will face seed Stetson (40-20) at noon on Friday, while Alabama (33-22) and UCF (35-19) will square off at 6 p.m.

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