No. 4 FSU baseball looks to even season series vs. UF in Jacksonville

A lot has changed in the two weeks since Florida State and Florida played their first baseball game of the season against each other.

Both teams entered that game with established midweek starters and in the top seven nationally. The Seminoles entered a perfect 15-0 on the season while the Gators were 15-2.

Florida may have won that night in Tallahassee, coming away with a 7-2 road win over the Seminoles, but that marked a turning point of sorts for the Gators. Since that win, a banged-up UF team (18-8) has lost six of its last eight games, starting SEC play with an 0-6 record and falling out of the updated D1Baseball top 25 on Monday.

FSU (20-3, 5-1 in ACC), meanwhile, is coming off a 2-2 week and a road series win at Miami and is No. 4 in D1's updated top 25 entering the second FSU-UF game of the season Tuesday night (6 p.m.) at VyStar Ballpark in Jacksonville.

Both teams will be starting different pitchers from the first rivalry matchup two weeks ago. FSU's starter that night, Jacksonville transfer Evan Chrest, left early in the game with an apparent arm injury. Link Jarrett said he has a decision to make about the rest of his season and how he'll go about his recovery.

UF's starter in that game, Billy Barlow, is now in the weekend rotation because the Gators have seen a few weekend starters go down.

As such, it'll be a new matchup Tuesday night. FSU is starting sophomore righty John Abraham (3.65 ERA over 12.1 innings) vs. Florida, a source tells the Osceola. He has 18 strikeouts to nine walks this season and has been been better in his last two relief appearances (one earned run, two walks over 3.1 innings) after dealing with some control issues earlier in the season.

Florida is starting freshman LHP McCall Biemiller (7.20 ERA over five innings this season). Biemiller faced his first power-conference opponent Saturday vs. Georgia and allowed three runs on two hits over two innings, issuing two walks and striking out four batters.

For Abraham and Biemiller, it'll be a matchup of former Tampa Jesuit teammates facing off opposite each other on the mound Tuesday night in Jacksonville.

FSU in the national stat rankings

Even after FSU finally had a few underwhelming weekend starts on the mound vs. Miami, the Seminoles still rank fourth nationally with a 2.98 ERA on the season. FSU is also in the top 10 nationally in batting average, ranking fifth with a .335 average as a team, and are tied for 13th nationally in home runs (41).

FSU is one of two teams, along with UCF, that ranks in the top 10 in both ERA and batting average. It is the only team that ranks in the top 10 in both and is also top 15 nationally in home runs this season.

Individually, FSU shortstop Alex Lodise ranks 10th nationally in batting average (.458) after his seven-hit, seven-RBI, two-homer weekend vs. Miami. Lodise has reached base in each of FSU's last 22 games and has eight three-hit games as well as 14 multi-hit games through 23 games this season.

FSU left-handed pitcher Joey Volini ranks seventh nationally in ERA (0.99) after he had the first complete game by an FSU starter since 2018 in Thursday's 14-1 run-rule win over Miami in seven innings.

No TV for FSU-UF Tuesday

Tuesday's FSU-UF rivalry game in Jacksonville will unfortunately be the only game on FSU's schedule this season that won't be televised in any format.

The only way to see the game will be to be there in person, but the game is already sold out. You can follow along by listening to Eric Luallen on the radio broadcast or by following our game thread on the Osceola Village as I'll be there in person.

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No. 4 FSU baseball looks to even season series vs. UF in Jacksonville

FSU in the national stat rankings

No TV for FSU-UF Tuesday

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