FSU baseball: Seminoles look to snap 3-game losing streak, face hot Boston College team
For the first time this season, the Florida State baseball team is on a losing streak.
Following back-to-back wins to open the ACC opening series against Pittsburgh last weekend, the No. 21 Seminoles (11-6, 2-1 ACC) dropped the finale to the Panthers on Sunday. FSU then dropped both games of a two-game series to UCF in Orlando in a midweek matchup.
The Knights defeated Florida State 14-3 (Tuesday) and 6-3 (Wednesday).
Now the Seminoles will look to nip their losing streak against a streaking Boston College. The Eagles (12-2, 2-1) are ranked No. 18 by Baseball America, their first time ranked in 2023.
The series kicks off Friday at 3 p.m. at Dick Howser Stadium, with game two Saturday at 7 p.m. and a quick turnaround at 11:30 a.m. for the series finale Sunday.
The Friday game time was moved up from 6 p.m. due to inclement weather expected in the area later in the day.
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The Eagles had their Tuesday contest against Holy Cross canceled due to inclement weather in Brighton, Mass.
Boston College, however, took two out of three games against No. 10 Virginia Tech on the road in Blacksburg, Va., including a double-header sweep Saturday.
The Eagles dropped the opener against the Hokies and their other loss came on opening day against Pepperdine.
BC also has a major victory over No. 2 Tennessee, a 7-6 10-inning win on their resume so far this season.
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Key Eagles
Boston College has four players with an OPS over 1.000 entering the weekend against the Seminoles. Cameron Leary and Joe Vetrano both enter with six home runs and 13 RBI to lead the team. Leary leads the team with 36 total bases, while Vetrano leads the team with 13 runs scored.
Peter Burns (1.013 OPS) and Barry Welsh (1.040) are also major threats at the plate. Burns is hitting .357 and is reaching base at a .513 clip.
Burns has walked 10 times and struck out just three times.
Travis Honeyman had a double, home run and drove in four runs and scored four runs in the second game of the doubleheader against Virginia Tech. Leary hit a two-run shot in the opener of the twin bill.
On the mound, Chris Flynn has been dominant with a 4-0 record and 0.79 ERA in 22 ⅔ innings. He has struck out 32, walked eight and allowed just two extra base hits.
Eric Schroeder has been the top reliever for the Eagles posting a 3-0 mark and a 1.84 ERA in 14 ⅔ innings, striking out 11 and walking three.
Both Flynn and Schroeder were the winning pitchers in the doubleheader sweep Saturday.
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What FSU needs to do to win
Pitching, pitching, pitching.
The Seminoles won the first two of the series against the Panthers following strong starts from Jackson Baumeister and Wyatt Crowell.
Carson Montgomery struggled in the series finale, while Brennen Oxford struggled in his first career start on Tuesday.
Ryan Denison had a stronger start Wednesday, but Conner Whittaker struggled some out of the bullpen, allowing five earned runs. Some of Whittaker's struggles can be attributed to the defense, however, as outfielders had trouble with the wind.
The Seminoles also need to limit the big innings. The Panthers had a three-run sixth propel them to victory, while the Knights had a five-run first and a seven-run seventh Tuesday and a five-run fourth inning Wednesday.
FSU will stick with the same starting rotation as last weekend, with Baumeister and Crowell to kick off the weekend on Friday and Saturday, respectively. Montgomery gets the nod Sunday.
Left-handed pitcher A.J. Colarusso starts Friday for BC and Flynn will matchup with Crowell on Saturday. Boston College has not announced who will start Sunday.
The Seminoles will also look to get their offense going. They had eight 10-run games in their first 12 games, but have scored 20 runs combined in their last five games.
FSU was just 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position on Wednesday.
James Tibbs continues to hit well, as he had a home run and three RBI against the Knights over the two games. He has six home runs on the season.
Florida State vs. Boston College
When: Friday, 3 p.m.; Saturday, 7 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.
Where: Dick Howser Stadium
TV/Radio: ACC Network Extra(Friday and Sunday), ACC Network (Saturday)/100.7 FM
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports) and Instagram (tlhnolesports).
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This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Florida State baseball: Seminoles continue ACC against Boston College
