Kassim: FSU baseball is struggling, but it's important to give Link Jarrett time to rebuild

Too much success too early can sometimes foil plans.

That seems to be the case for first-year Florida State baseball head coach Link Jarrett.

The Seminoles began Jarrett's career with six straight victories, including a series victory over then-No. 8 TCU on the road in Forth Worth, Texas.

Thus, the expectations for Florida State blew up for fans and maybe some within the program as well.

FSU was ranked as high as No. 16 following the series victory, but the season has gone sideways. FSU slipped to 12-12 following a 15-4 loss Sunday at No. 8 Virginia.

For perspective, the program has never had a .500 record or below in its history this far into a season. A loss to No. 3 Florida on Tuesday could make that little tidbit even worse.

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But Jarrett has warned that this team, consisting of 17 freshmen, would need to time to learn and grow. He has often alluded to the fact the team is lacking the pitching depth he is accustomed to.

And the signs of youth and the lack of pitching depth have shown up of late, as the Seminoles have lost six straight and eight of their previous nine games.

The schedule doesn't loosen up anytime soon. After being swept at Virginia, FSU continues a string of seven straight games away from Dick Howser Stadium.

Next is No. 3 Florida in Jacksonville, followed by a three-game series against No. 17 Miami.

FSU hasn't hosted an NCAA Regional since 2018 and the streak of reaching the NCAA tournament for 44 years straight is in serious jeopardy.

This will be a long season for the Seminole faithful, there's no doubt about that.

But there is hope for FSU fans at the end of the tunnel that Jarrett is the right answer for the program to return to prominence.

Here are two reasons the Seminoles have struggled of late, as well as a reason for optimism.

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Pitching and defense issues

Wyatt Crowell is 3-0 with a 0.87 ERA in 20 ⅔ innings with 33 strikeouts and 11 walks. His last outing was a shutout six-inning performance in a 5-3 win over Pittsburgh on March 11. He struck out 10, while walking four and allowed three hits in his first career start.

He threw 100 pitches in the outing, which was coming off a 94-pitch performance against FGCU on March 5.

Crowell (undisclosed) has missed the last two weekends after being scratched ahead of a start last Saturday against Boston College. While Jarrett has indicated it's not a serious injury, there is no timetable for his return.

Carson Montgomery, the No. 1 starter for FSU entering the season, has struggled. He is 0-2 with a 7.77 ERA in 24 ⅓ innings. He has allowed more hits (29) than hitters he has struck out (22) while also walking 16 hitters.

In his first two starts (nine innings), Montgomery allowed two runs on eight hits, while striking out six and walking four.

Since then, he has allowed 20 runs in 15 ⅓ and was demoted to the bullpen in his last appearance on Saturday.

Conner Whittaker, who was expected to be the second-best pitcher in the FSU staff, has struggled at times with a 4.85 ERA in 29 ⅔ innings (nine appearances). He has had to be overworked at times due to the lack of options for Jarrett.

Ideally, he is a pitcher who pitches twice a weekend, but extended outings, mostly on Fridays, have kept him from doing so.

As a pitching staff, the Seminoles have a 5.32 ERA, which ranks 10th out of 14 teams in the ACC entering Tuesday.

While the pitching has been a disappointment, the defense has struggled just as much. Entering play Sunday, the Seminoles' .965 fielding percentage ranked dead last in the ACC.

They have committed a conference-high 32 errors. Shortstop Jordan Carrion and second baseman Nander De Sedas have each committed a team-high seven.

While the pitchers' have worked themselves into trouble with 128 walks (most in the ACC), the defense giving extra outs to opponents has also been detrimental.

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Injuries

Crowell remains out with his injury, but he isn't the only player missing time so far this season.

Freshman DeAmez Ross has missed 13 games so far this season after sustaining a finger injury on a bunt attempt against TCU. When he has been in the lineup, he has produced a .318 average to go along with two doubles and eight walks atop the batting lineup.

West Virginia transfer McGwire Holbrook missed most of the fall with a hand injury and returned for a game before sustaining a hamstring injury which kept him out. He has played in just four games this season.

Last season he hit .318 in 67 games with the Mountaineers, with 33 runs, 64 hits, 13 doubles, seven home runs and 46 RBI, earning All-Big 12 second-team honors.

Freshman third baseman Cam Smith missed the three-game series against Boston College when his back flared up.

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Jarrett's proven track record and youthful roster

At his first coaching job, Jarrett helped guide UNC Greensboro to the NCAA Tournament drought in 2017, ending a 20-year drought for the Spartans.

Likewise, he inherited a struggling program at Notre Dame and took them to back-to-back NCAA Super Regional appearances for the first time in their program's history.

The Irish lost to Texas A&M in the College World Series last season.

At FSU, he joins a storied program and knows what it feels like to be at the top with the Seminoles. As a player, he helped the Seminoles reach the College World Series in 1991, 1992 and 1994.

Florida State has been a mainstay at the top of the college baseball world with 23 College World Series appearances.

While the run of 44 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament looks to be in danger this season, Jarrett is already working with a young roster he can mold.

FSU has 17 freshmen on its roster and just only eight upperclassmen.

The aforementioned Ross and Smith began the season at the top of the order and have shown a lot of promise. Another freshman, Ben Barrett has shown flashes as a two-way player. Jamie Arnold has shown glimpses of promise on the bump, as has Ryan Denison, while Titan Kamaka already has three home runs in limited playing time.

Key pieces such as Treyton Rank, James Tibbs, Cade Bush and Jackson Baumeister are sophomores.

Jarrett has the pieces, the support of athletics director Michael Alford, and potentially time, if the fans allow, to rebuild the program.

Florida State vs. Florida

When: Tuesday, 7 p.m.

Where: 121 Financial Ballpark, Jacksonville

TV/Radio: ACC Network/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: FSU baseball: Why Seminoles are struggling, Link Jarrett can fix team