Florida State Baseball gears up for 'Super Regional' feel this weekend at No. 8 TCU

He was mostly pleased with his Florida State baseball team’s first weekend series — a sweep of visiting James Madison. He seemed pleasantly surprised by how easily his team dispatched of Jacksonville University on the road two days later.

But first-year FSU baseball coach Link Jarrett knows better than anyone the stakes are rising exponentially this weekend.

When the Seminoles take the field tonight at 7:30 p.m. (ET) inside Lupton Stadium, they will face a TCU team that is ranked No. 8/10 in the country — a team that has already defeated two top-10 opponents — and they’ll likely be doing it in front of a raucous crowd of more than 4,000 or 5,000 fans.

A “Super Regional” is what Jarrett has been calling this three-game series all week. He described it that way immediately after the Seminoles’ 11-2 win at JU, and he said it more than once when speaking with the media on Thursday.

And while the repercussions won’t be the same as a true Super Regional — where the winner advances to the College World Series and the loser goes home — Jarrett believes the level of competition, and the environment, will be exactly the same.

“This is a handful. It’s a great atmosphere,” Jarrett said. “This will be a true test. They are extremely skilled and talented. Clearly one of the best teams in the country. So a great opportunity and a tremendous challenge.”

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In getting out to a 3-1 start, it has been TCU’s offense that has put up the gaudiest stats so far. The Horned Frogs are averaging 11 runs per game, and they have six starting position players batting .300 or better; four are batting at least .400.

And with seven players who have already stolen bases this season, TCU also possesses great team speed and will put pressure on a Florida State defense that features three new infielders this season — including a true freshman at third base, Cam Smith, and a converted outfielder at first, James Tibbs.

But it actually is the Horned Frogs’ pitching that seems chief among Jarrett’s concerns. TCU has already tested out 14 arms in four games, including relievers Luke Savage and River Ridings, both of whom pitched on the Team USA Collegiate National Team last summer.

So as good as Jarrett has felt about Florida State’s offensive output so far, he knows the Seminoles won’t be able to count on as many big innings as they enjoyed against James Madison and Jacksonville.

“Some of the nuances and more of the strategic offense is probably going to factor in as much as just the raw extra-base hitting,” Jarrett said. “I hope the extra-base hitting is in play, but you know they’re going to be so equipped — and their bullpen so dynamic — that you’re gonna have to scratch and claw and maybe do more situational stuff to try to scratch runs.”

The other big challenge for Florida State (4-0) this weekend, aside from the talent in the other dugout, will be the experience of a high-profile road series for the Seminoles’ younger players.

For Smith, center fielder DeAmez Ross, Saturday staring pitcher Jamie Arnold and other freshmen, this will be unlike anything they have ever experienced.

“The first true trip,” Jarrett said. “Tuesday is a midweek trip. This is really a trip. And you get to evaluate and assess what you see out of your opponent — three games in a row on the road. You have to deal with a crowd that is not for you. They’re against you. And it’s different. And the environment, and the wind and the surface and the bullpen, and everything that goes into walking into a different venue and trying to figure out a way to win.”

To help his players handle those challenges, Jarrett is a firm believer in routine. He wants everything to be the same every time the Seminoles play — from the time of the pregame meal to the length of the scouting report (20 minutes) to the players’ demeanor when they get off the bus for a game.

“We go to the field, and it’s game on,” Jarrett said. “And we do that every single time we play — home or road. … Taking the things you do and not changing and not wavering and walking off the airplane, off the bus, into foreign territory and functioning like you function at home is something you have to do if you’re going to be a nationally prominent organization. And we have to do that. And this is as good a challenge as anybody will face this weekend on the road.”

During his time at Notre Dame, Jarrett led the Irish to an incredible run of road success. They posted a 53-23 record away from home during those three seasons, capped off by a stunning 2-1 series win at No. 1 Tennessee in last season’s NCAA Super Regional.

Part of that success could certainly be attributed to the structure of Jarrett’s program and the methods his coaches have put in place. But the Seminoles’ first-year head coach also knows that all of the preparation in the world can only put players in position to play well — then it’s up to them to perform.

“You have to have talented players at this level,” Jarrett said. “Make no mistake: If you’re not talented enough to compete at this level, you won’t. But then it’s the toughness and the focus of the guys.”

With normal Friday night starter Carson Montgomery getting some extra rest after tweaking his leg last week, Florida State will start sophomore right-hander Jackson Baumeister (0-0, 2.25 ERA) tonight against TCU; the Horned Frogs will go with junior right-hander Ryan Vanderhei (0-0, 5.40).

The Seminoles will throw Arnold on Saturday and Montgomery on Sunday.

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