2017 College World Series: Seminoles Walk All Over Titans

Drew Mendoza hit his ninth homer.

OMAHA—Most players and baseball fans are fascinated by the home run, by hits, doubles, batting average, game-winning shots. For most, that’s the action of the sport.

That’s never been the case for Florida State. Certainly not in Mike Martin’s 38 years at the helm of the program. The Seminoles are grinders. They work deep counts, control the strike zone, fight off two-strike pitches. That’s the Mike Martin way.

FSU players gets more excited for walks than they do for hits.

“One hundred percent,” freshman Drew Mendoza said. “And even more than that—hit by pitch. That’s the Florida State baseball way . . . We go crazy in the dugout for that kind of stuff.”

So it should be no surprise, then, that Florida State won Monday’s College World Series elimination game with Cal State Fullerton not by slugging, not by running, but by walking.

The Seminoles defeated the Titans, 6-4, riding eight bases on balls—along with seven hits—to victory.

“Eight walks—I don’t think anybody on our team sees that as very much,” Mendoza said, cracking a grin. “That’s a normal approach for us, just to see a lot of pitches, make the pitcher work, and hopefully get deep in the bullpen, which we were able to do today.”

The Seminoles put up their most crooked offensive number of the afternoon in the seventh, scoring three runs to bypass the Titans and reclaim a late lead. Two of those three runs were scored on—unsurprisingly—bases-loaded walks, padding their nation-leading total to 393 free passes.

DH Quincy Nieporte, who has hit four grand slams this season alone, worked the count full against reliever Blake Workman and drew the first of those two walks to tie the game at 4-4. The next batter, catcher Cal Raleigh, did the same to establish a lead. And second baseman Matt Henderson singled against Fullerton closer Brett Conine to add insurance.

Not explosive by any means—but effective.

“We had some very good at-bats,” Martin said. “And Quincy’s I thought was really, really outstanding. We’ve drilled an awful lot on that phase of the game.”

Of course, the veteran FSU lineup can swing it, too. The Seminoles punish mistakes. Mendoza, Florida State’s long-haired prized freshman, hit his ninth homer of the year off of Fullerton reliever Gavin Velasquez in the sixth. Florida State earlier had chased starter John Gavin from the game, saddling Gavin with two runs on four walks and running his pitch count up to 78 with one out in the fourth.

As much as the Seminoles battled, the Titans turned in an equally gritty effort. Senior shortstop Timmy Richards, who hit a three-run homer Saturday, slugged a two-run shot in the sixth inning to give the Titans a 4-3 lead.

But it was a lead they couldn’t hold.

“We didn’t throw strikes again,” Fullerton coach Rick Vanderhook said. “We didn’t do it for the last couple of days. A lot of pitches. We definitely got to know the field here at TD Ameritrade, because the last two games I think these guys stood out in every inch of their position for longer than anybody in the history of the two games that we played. Because it was a nice, beautiful day, but it was warm. And they’re ready to go back to California with their suntan, that’s for sure.”

With the loss, the Titans left Omaha 0-2. They’ve now lost nine straight games in Omaha, dating back to 2006.

“Well, I can say at least we’re here to lose nine in a row,” Vanderhook quipped.

For Florida State, the win advances the Seminoles into another elimination showdown against the loser of Louisiana State and Oregon State. Martin is in the midst of his 16th trip to the World Series, but a national championship has proved elusive.

Though the Seminoles are thrilled to live another day, they also know have more work to do.

“I always want to do more, do whatever I can to help our team win,” said Mendoza, who turned down first-round overtures in the 2016 draft and was the highest-ranked high school prospect to come to college. “Just to be here and get a win. I’m content with that (win) but not satisfied.

“It feels good to be in this uniform, where I always wanted to be, and continue this trip in Omaha.”