Off The Bat: Florida State Finishes With A Flourish

Tyler Holton (Photo by Richard C. Lewis/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

SEE ALSO: Top 25

In Off The Bat, Teddy Cahill wraps up the weekend in college baseball and looks ahead.

Florida State traveled to then-No. 2 Louisville two weeks ago in what appeared to be a must-win situation. The Seminoles were winless in their last three Atlantic Coast Conference series and had fallen to 12-14 in the conference. Another series loss would have left them in dire straits going into the conference tournament, which was also to be played in Louisville.

Florida State beat Louisville twice before rain washed out the final game of the series, giving it momentum going into the ACC Tournament. The Seminoles rode their hot streak to Sunday’s championship game, beating Louisville again along the way. Florida State finished its run with a 7-3 victory against No. 2 North Carolina to claim the ACC Tournament title, its second in three years.

A few hours after Florida State’s victory, it learned it had been awarded a home regional this week. The Seminoles (39-20, 14-14) also returned to the Top 25 this week, entering at No. 15.

In the span of 10 days, the Seminoles had played their way from a team in danger of falling onto the NCAA Tournament bubble into a regional host.

“I’m just very proud to be a part of this ball club,” coach Mike Martin said. “We did a lot of things right and I’m glad we were rewarded for doing things right.”

Florida State ranked No. 2 in the Preseason Top 25 and came into the season with weighty expectations after coming within a win from the College World Series in 2016 and returning nearly its entire roster. But it struggled to keep its lineup healthy for much of the year and its pitching staff faltered in the first half of the season. There was much concern that this would be the season Florida State’s 39-year streaks of winning at last 40 games and making regionals would come to an end.

The Seminoles were able to turn their season around, however, and again look like a team capable of pushing for a CWS berth. Martin said he is proud of the way his team has fought back.

“They have worked so hard to overcome some tough situations,” Martin said. “We don’t make excuses at Florida State and these young men continued to battle, support each other and trusted each other. I’m very proud to see them have success they’ve had the last couple weeks.”

In Louisville, Florida State’s stars came through with the season hanging in the balance. Preseason All-American third baseman Dylan Busby went 12-for-28 with six extra-base hits. Blue-chip freshman first baseman Drew Mendoza hit two home runs in the ACC Tournament championship game. Left fielder Jackson Lueck was named ACC Tournament MVP after going 7-for-16 in the event.

Martin was especially impressed with sophomore lefthander Tyler Holton, who twice beat Louisville. In two starts against the Cardinals, he struck out 21 batters in 16 innings and limited them to four runs (two earned).

With Holton starting in back-to-back weeks against Louisville, Martin said pitching coach Mike Bell and Holton did a good job of changing the lefthander’s approach to keep the Cardinals off balance.

“Tyler pitched another gem against a team that is arguably the No. 1 in the country in Louisville,” Martin said. “He pitched beautifully. It’s hard to come back and pitch against a team like that after you’ve had success. He changed his routine and pitched differently and continued to have good outings.”

After a dream trip to Louisville, Florida State now returns home to Tallahassee and Dick Howser Stadium, where it will host a regional for the seventh straight year. With the Seminoles finally hitting their stride this season, Martin wants his team to stick with what has worked over the last two weekends as they move into the NCAA Tournament.

“We have to be sure we continue to work hard and don’t fall in love with ourselves,” he said.

Iowa Claims First-Ever Big Ten Tournament Title

Jake Adams (Photo by Brian Ray/hawkeyesports.com)

For the second straight year, Iowa advanced to the Big Ten Conference Tournament championship game. And a year after coming up just short against Ohio State, the Hawkeyes would not be denied again.

Iowa defeated Northwestern, 13-4, Sunday in Bloomington, Ind., to claim its first Big Ten Tournament title in program history. The win clinched an automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament for the Hawkeyes (36-20, 15-9), their second appearance in regionals in three seasons.

The title was an emotional one for fourth-year coach Rick Heller.

“In four years, we’ve come a long way,” Heller said. “We were a couple outs away from winning last year and we didn’t get it done. To get back this year with an entirely new team—we were missing a lot of arms this year—it meant a lot. This group is really special.”

Northwestern (27-30) made a Cinderella run to the championship game in coach Spencer Allen’s second season, winning their final five regular season games to reach the conference tournament and then advancing to the title game for the first time since 1984. But Iowa made sure the clock struck midnight early Sunday.

The Hawkeyes scored five runs in the first inning to quickly take control of the game and provide a cushion for righthander Drake Robison (4-2, 6.00). The senior had been knocked out of his last start in the first inning due to command problems. But Robinson turned in his best start of the year Sunday, holding Northwestern to one run in seven innings.

“Drake stepped up about as big as I’ve seen a pitcher do in my career,” Heller said.

With Robison in control on the mound, Iowa’s powerful offense did the rest. First baseman Jake Adams went 4-for-4 with two home runs, and is now hitting .339/.422/.747 with 27 home runs. He is tied for the most homers in the country this season and the Big Ten’s single-season record.

Heller said nothing Adams does surprises him anymore, but he is trying to appreciate the slugger’s feats.

“At my age, the chances of coaching a guy like Jake down the road are pretty slim,” Heller said. “Not only does he have crazy power, but he’s an awesome hitter. He’s just a great hitter and a great team player.”

While the Hawkeyes scored 34 runs in five games at the Big Ten Tournament, Heller said he doesn’t think they were at their best offensively. He is hopeful they will be able to get back in their routine this week and find their stride again before the NCAA Tournament begins.

“Conference tournaments take you out of your routine,” Heller said. “We’ll start preparing for who we’re going to see and have a couple, two or three days of quality practice.”

All season, Iowa has found a way. The Hawkeyes were picked sixth in the preseason coaches’ poll, having lost 22 seniors over the last two seasons and two of their top pitchers to injuries in the offseason. Heller admitted that even he was “a little nervous” in the fall.

But Iowa has steadily improved, as Heller’s teams so often do. The Hawkeyes overcame a midseason swoon to make history, and are playing like a team that will be a dangerous draw in regionals.

“I’m really proud of this group of guys,” Heller said. “For our guys to play five games and win the championship, the first one in school history, it’s a big deal. It’s a big one for the program.”

Eight for Omaha

Florida, Long Beach State, Louisiana State, Louisville, North Carolina, Oregon State, Texas Christian, Texas Tech

There are no changes to the field this week. I feel pretty strongly that these eight teams are the best in the country, which shouldn’t come as a surprise since in July I picked five of them as Omaha teams and two others as super regional teams.

Eye-Catchers

Five players or programs who stood out this weekend

UNC Greensboro (Photo by Tom Priddy)

Davidson: The Wildcats (32-24) beat top-seeded Virginia Commonwealth twice Saturday to win the Atlantic-10 Conference Tournament and advance to regionals for the first time in program history. The conference championship was Davidson’s first in any sport since moving from the Southern Conference to the A-10 three years ago.

Florida Gulf Coast: FGCU beat top-seeded Jacksonville twice Sunday to win the Atlantic Sun Conference Tournament and advance to regionals for the first time as a Division I program. The Eagles improved to 42-18, setting a new program record for wins in a season.

Connor Grammes, dh, Xavier: Grammes went 9-for-15 with four runs and five RBIs to help lead Xavier to its second-straight Big East Conference Tournament title. The freshman was named tournament MVP and is hitting .336/.376/.502 with seven home runs this season.

Chad Spanberger, 1b, Arkansas: Spanberger showed off his power at the Southeastern Conference Tournament, hitting five home runs to win MVP honors and help Arkansas reach the championship game. The junior is now hitting .309/.385/.636 with 19 home runs.

UNC Greensboro: The Spartans (35-22) won the Southern Conference Tournament for the first time in program history to return to regionals for the first time since 1997. UNCG’s powerful offense scored 41 runs in five games, including beating Furman, 13-1, in seven innings in Sunday’s championship game.