2017 College Preseason Top 25 Capsules: No. 2 Florida State

2. Florida State

2016 Record (Ranking): 41-22 (13). RPI: 11.
Coach (Record at school): Mike Martin (1,898-671-4, 37 years).
Postseason History: 54 regionals (active streak: 39), 21 CWS trips (last in 2012), 0 national titles.

Mike Martin will soon enter his 38th season as Florida State’s head coach. He’s won 1,898 games—the second-most all time—and of the 3,850 games in FSU baseball history, he’s been on the field or in the dugout for 2,957 of them.

So you listen when Martin says there’s something he hasn’t seen during his time at FSU.

“We have as much depth from any year that I can remember,” Martin said of this year’s squad, which returns the overwhelming majority of players from last season’s super regional team.

“I don’t remember in all my years of having the entire rotation returning. Maybe we’ve had two in the rotation return a number of times.”

Sophomores Cole Sands and Tyler Holton and junior righthander Drew Carlton are all back. Carlton, a sinker-throwing innings eater, has been a rotation stalwart for two years. Holton posted 2.79 ERA in his first season, and Sands has the best stuff of the three, reaching the mid-90s at times with his fastball, giving him the chance to match up with any Friday ace in the Atlantic Coast Conference.

But there’s more. FSU is even deeper from a position-player standpoint. The Seminoles will miss last year’s leading hitter, John Sansone (.370/.455/.576) and outfielder Ben Deluzio, a speedster who signed as a nondrafted free agent. But the rest of the lineup remains intact and boasts tremendous balance and length. It’s the kind of lineup opposing teams should have a hard time pitching to.

“It’s the first lineup I’ve ever had with the possibility of four switch-hitters being in it,” Martin said.

One of those switch-hitters, junior Taylor Walls, was a first-team All-American shortstop last season and will bat leadoff. Fellow switch-hitters Cal Raleigh, a catcher, and outfielder Jackson Lueck established themselves as middle-of-the-order bats a season ago as freshmen, with Lueck coming on down the stretch while Raleigh did it all season. Senior second baseman Matt Henderson is the fourth of the switch-hitters and is coming off a strong summer in the California Collegiate League.

Adding some juice to the lineup is third baseman Dylan Busby, who blossomed offensively in his sophomore season, slugging 14 home runs and participating in the home run derby in Omaha. Freshman Drew Mendoza—at No. 43 in last year’s BA500, the highest-ranked position player to not sign a pro contract—should make an immediate impact for the Seminoles, already impressing the coaching staff the second he stepped foot on campus.

“If Drew Mendoza is not in our starting lineup, then you will know that I have decided to take my little 12 handicap and start playing golf,” Martin said. “He is definitely going to be in there.”

The only significant question the Seminoles face is who will fill the role of closer, with sophomore righthander Chase Haney looking like the likely frontrunner. Seniors Jim and Ed Voyles, who combined for 48 appearances last season, and senior lefty Alec Byrd return to the bullpen as well. But the Seminoles had just eight saves last season and never had a consistent closer.

“We tried to get Jameis Winston to hang around for a while,” Martin joked. “But he didn’t agree with that.”

The Seminoles have seen their last two seasons end in back-to-back super regionals at Gainesville, Fla., against the rival Gators, and Martin knows the pathway to Omaha—especially through a stacked ACC—isn’t an easy one. But he said he’s excited about the talent the Seminoles bring back, and there’s plenty of reason to think they’ll be competitive.

“Our league is loaded,” Martin said. “We have a long way to go. Yeah, we’re pretty good, but so is everybody else, in our league and in the SEC.

“(But) I’m very proud of their work ethic and the leadership that is being shown to our freshmen.”

2017 LINEUP
Pos.	Name, Yr.	AVG	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI	SB
C	Cal Raleigh, So.	.301	.412	.511	10	50	1
1B	Drew Mendoza, Fr.	HS—Minneola, Fla.
2B	Matt Henderson, Sr.	.230	.420	.279	0	14	4
3B	Dylan Busby, Jr.	.323	.374	.597	14	55	11
SS	Taylor Walls, Jr.	.355	.479	.516	6	46	14
LF	Jackson Lueck, So.	.379	.494	.576	4	35	2
CF	J.C. Flowers, Fr.	HS—Orange Park, Fla.
RF	Rhett Aplin	Tr.—Seminole State (Fla.) JC
DH	Quincy Nieporte, Sr.	.300	.354	.440	5	38	2
Pos.	Name, Yr.	W	L	ERA	IP	SO	SV
RHP	Cole Sands, So.	6	7	4.12	70	50	0
LHP	Tyler Holton, So.	3	4	2.79	68	84	1
RHP	Drew Carlton, Jr.	8	3	3.94	94	76	0
RP	Chase Haney, So.	5	0	2.78	32	37	0