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Season-opening sweep! FSU Baseball pounds James Madison, 10-0

On3 imageby:Ira Schoffel•02/16/25•

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Ole Miss transfer Wes Mendes delivers a pitch in his first Florida State start on Sunday. (Courtesy of FSU Sports Information)

Florida State baseball coach Link Jarrett couldn’t have asked for a whole lot more from his new-look Seminole squad during its season-opening series against James Madison.

The ‘Noles capped off a three-game sweep on Sunday with a 10-0 run-rule victory that featured more dominant pitching and a relentless offensive attack.

Led by Gage Harrelson and Alex Lodise, each of whom recorded three hits and drove in multiple runs, Florida State’s lineup pounded out 18 hits on Sunday and also stole eight bases. The Seminoles scored three runs in the second inning, one in the fourth and then blew things open with three more in the fifth to take a 7-0 advantage.

FSU starter Wes Mendes also continued what was an outstanding weekend for the Seminoles’ arms. In his first start after transferring in from Ole Miss, Mendes struck out eight batters, walked one and allowed two hits in five shutout innings.

“You have to have starting pitching to get out of the gates, and Wes was fantastic,” Jarrett said. “Quite frankly, as good as I’ve seen him throw, even in some of the scrimmages.”

For the weekend, Florida State’s three starting pitchers — Mendes, Joey Volini and Jamie Arnold — combined to pitch 15 2/3 innings without allowing an earned run; they struck out 23 while walking two and allowing five hits.

But it was the offense that might have been the bigger story on Sunday.

Harrelson, a Texas Tech transfer who batted leadoff and played right field Sunday, went 3-for-5 with 3 RBIs and 2 runs scored. Lodise, the Seminoles’ veteran shortstop, went 3-for-4 with 2 RBIs.

Florida State also got two hits apiece from Drew Faurot, Myles Bailey, Chase Williams and Nathan Cmeyla.

And the Seminoles continued to show off their improved speed on the basepaths, stealing eight bases on the day. Harrelson and Cmeyla each had two.

“Having different offensive mechanisms to create is very important,” Jarrett said. “Yesterday, a couple of home runs, and today the baserunning. Just the thought and the pressure is difficult to deal with when you’re on the other side of it. I thought we did a nice job of that.”

Florida State’s combined margin of victory in the three games was 25-2. The Seminoles’ pitchers allowed just one earned run all weekend.

Sunday’s game also featured a hit in the first career at-bat for freshman infielder Noah Sheffield. His famous father, former Major League Baseball star Gary Sheffield, was in attendance this weekend at Dick Howser Stadium.

Florida State returns to action Tuesday at USF.

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