Ira Schoffel: An incredible turnaround, but unfinished business for FSU Baseball

As his team’s lead expanded and UCF’s opportunities to mount a rally dwindled, FSU baseball coach Link Jarrett wondered what was going through his players’ minds.

Were they thinking about celebrating with a dog pile near the pitcher’s mound? Were they plotting a Powerade bath for him or his staff?

In his mind, Jarrett hoped the answers to both of those questions would be no. He just wasn’t sure if he should state it proactively.

“This is not a dog pile moment,” FSU’s second-year head coach said. “This is business. You took care of business. Next week, there could be a dog pile opportunity if it goes right.”

As it turned out, his players were on the same page.

Yes, there were plenty of smiles. There were hugs and high-fives, just like after every victory.

But after they rolled to a 12-4 win Sunday night in the championship game of the NCAA Tallahassee Regional, FSU’s players did exactly what they had done after their first 45 victories of the 2024 season.

They gathered in right field to listen to Jarrett’s coaching points about everything that went right and wrong in the game. They broke it down as a team. Then they headed to the clubhouse to begin thinking about the next task at hand.

The Seminoles (46-15) don’t yet know who their opponent will be in the Super Regional round — it will be the winner of Oklahoma and UConn in tonight’s championship game of the Norman, Okla., Regional.

But if they perform like they did for three games in the Tallahassee Regional, the ‘Noles should have as good a chance as anybody to advance to the College World Series.

Starting pitcher Conner Whittaker, who missed more than a month of the season due to injury and was limited to a predetermined pitch count of about 60, kept UCF at bay for most of his four-plus innings. His only major mistake was giving up a two-run home run in the top of the first inning, but after that, he kept the Knights in check.

Reliever Connor Hults did the same for the next three innings, and that gave the explosive FSU offense an opportunity to break through with one of its trademark big innings. The Seminoles took advantage of a UCF error to get the fifth inning going, then they pounded out five hits, drew five walks and ended up scoring nine runs.

Before that frame, UCF starter Tyler Kozera did a nice job of not giving Florida State’s hitters many pitches they could do damage with, and the Seminoles obliged by chasing many that they couldn’t.

“I could probably count on one hand the good at-bats prior to the fifth inning,” Jarrett said.

But once the Seminoles’ fuse was lit in the fifth, the Knights couldn’t extinguish it. Cam Smith’s two-run homer and Max Williams’ three-run bomb were emphatic bookends to the rally, but Jaime Ferrer also laced a two-run double, and Jaxson West came through with a two-out, two-run single to keep it going.

The Knights ended up going through four pitchers in the inning.

“It’s a really dangerous offense, and they play good defense,” UCF head coach Rich Wallace said. “They’re really athletic. And that’s about as good a team as you’re gonna see in college baseball.”

Wallace knows how far the Seminoles have come under Jarrett’s leadership better than just about anyone. They worked together at Notre Dame, and Jarrett brought him along as his recruiting coordinator when he landed the FSU job in the summer of 2022.

Wallace’s one season in Tallahassee was not much fun on the field. The Seminoles didn’t possess nearly enough pitching depth or talent, and they didn’t have enough athletic ability to play defense effectively or attack on offense.

The result was a 23-31 season that saw Florida State fail to make the NCAA Tournament for the first time in over four decades.

“As bad as it gets,” was how Jarrett described that season when asked to reflect on Sunday night.

“As you’re going through that, you’re saying, ‘This cannot and will not happen again.’ Now, how do you solve it? The only thing you can do is try to coach them as best you can last year. And then try to manage the roster and recruit.

“So, this is great. I expected to do this.”

He did it by building a complete lineup around the established heart of his offense — Smith, Ferrer and James Tibbs.

The other six starting batters on Sunday were transfers — West and Williams from Alabama, first baseman Daniel Cantu from USF, shortstop Alex Lodise from UNF, second baseman Drew Faurot from UCF, and designated hitter Marco Dinges from Tallahassee Community College.

FSU also brought in several talented new pitchers.

Then under the guidance of Jarrett and his new-look coaching staff — Wallace and former pitching coach Chuck Ristano (Navy) got head coaching jobs during the offseason — the Seminoles came together for one of the greatest single-season turnarounds in school history.

They went from not even making the ACC Tournament to now being two wins away from the College World Series.

“It’s about them,” Jarrett said of his players. “They went and did this. We helped get ’em here. They went and performed and executed.”

Toward the end of his press conference Sunday night, Jarrett was asked if he could appreciate how far his program has come over the course of one year. Not just the play on the field, but the excitement in the stands. The way the 2024 Seminoles have reignited the passion of the Seminoles’ fan base.

“It’s difficult for me to just sit there and soak it in,” Jarrett said. “I probably fail to enjoy this stuff as much as I should. But I’m here for one reason. We’re missing something over there in that corner, in that cabinet. That’s why I’m here.”

That missing piece, of course, is a national championship.

It’s the one thing legendary FSU baseball coach Mike Martin Sr. never accomplished.

Jarrett starred on Martin’s teams during the program’s heyday in the 1990s. He knows how great the Seminoles have been in the past.

He also endured every disappointing moment of 2023 — when things were, “as bad as it gets.”

There will be time for reflection later.

For now, Jarrett and his Seminoles are too busy pushing to see how good it can get.

Contact Warchant managing editor Ira Schoffel at [email protected].

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