FSU sports information:

The Florida State softball team (12-5) fell to Florida Gulf Coast (12-8), 3-1, Friday night at the FGCU Softball Complex.

Both teams were able to put runners in scoring position in the first inning but were unable to convert. Allison Royalty prevented any further damage with a strikeout in the bottom of the first to keep the Eagles off the board. FGCU was able to push two runs across in the bottom of the second thanks to a couple of infield singles to take the lead.

FSU got another chance in the bottom of the third but a couple of baserunning errors kept the Seminoles off the board.

FGCU pushed an unearned run across in the bottom of the fourth to extend the lead to 3-0.

FSU was able to get on the board in the top of the sixth inning as Michaela Edenfield led off with a single and was ran for by Annie Potter who stole second and advanced to third off a single by Isa Torres. Hallie Wacaser drove her home on a sacrifice fly to cut the lead to two.

Makenna Reid kept the Eagles in check in the bottom of the sixth to give the Noles a chance. Jaysoni Beachum hit a one out double but was thrown out trying to extend her double into a triple to end the threat.

FSU will play a doubleheader against Purdue and Western Michigan beginning at 10 a.m.

Florida State (11-0) opens a three-game series with New Orleans (8-4) on Friday at 5 p.m. ACC Network Extra will have a live stream with Jack Kavovit on the play-by-play and Chris Chavez as analyst.

Of note, FSU went 23-31 last season and is in position to have double the wins on March 8.

RHP Cam Leiter will be on the mound and looking to bounce back from his start last Saturday, which only went 4+ innings and resulted in a no decision against Illinois. Leiter (2-0, 3.86 ERA) has 25 strikeouts and nine walks in three starts.

New Orleans will use LHP Colton Mercer (1-1, 6.75 ERA)

Cam Smith has a 15-game hitting streak that dates to last season. James Tibbs leads FSU with six home runs.

FSU leads the ACC and nation with a .374 batting average, something Curt mentioned in part as he looked at the numbers in his story on Thursday.

We'll have lineups and updates in the thread below. For now, some good stat charts from FSU sports information:

FSU sports information:

The No. 16 Florida State softball team (12-4) hit four home runs in the first inning and five home runs total to take down Purdue (10-9), 7-3, in the Seminoles' first game of the FGCU Spring Break Classic on Friday afternoon at the FGCU Softball Complex in Fort Myers, Florida.

After finding themselves in a 3-0 hole after the top of the first inning, the Seminole offense exploded in the bottom half of the inning as Jaysoni Beachum and Kalei Harding hit back-to-back home runs to instantly cut the lead to one. Michaela Edenfield reached on an error, and Isa Torres stepped in with two outs and blasted her second home run of the season over the right field fence to give the Noles the 4-3 lead. Hallie Wacaser then hit a solo home run to give the Noles a 5-3 lead after the first inning.

FSU's four home runs in the inning tied a school record for most home runs in an inning. The Seminoles hit four home runs against USF in the 2019 Tallahassee Regional.

The Seminoles added another run in the third inning as Amaya Ross led off the inning with an infield single and immediately stole second. Torres laid down a great bunt that forced a throwing error from the Boilermakers which allowed Ross to score.

Wacaser picked up her second home run of the game in the fifth inning to extend the Seminoles lead to 7-3. It was Wacaser's third home run of the season and her second career multi-home run game. FSU's five home runs in a game was the most since May 8, 2022, when the Seminoles hit seven home runs against NC State.

Edenfield added one more run in the bottom of sixth as she singled down the left field line to score Beachum.

FSU's pitchers settled in after the first inning as Ashtyn Danley and Makenna Reid combined to allow just one hit in the final six innings. Danley picked up the win to improve to 3-0 this year.

FSU will be back in action against Florida Gulf Coast at 5 p.m. on ESPN+.

Jamir Watkins gets his hand in the passing lane, deflecting the ball before dribbling upcourt and doing one of two things — passing it off on the fast break or dunking.

The defense creates offense and few in the ACC have done it better than Watkins, a Florida State junior forward who has scored in double figures in 16 straight games but also hit 15 or more points in eight straight games.

“He fit what we're looking for, what we're trying to do here at Florida State with his body type, his size, athleticism, his intensity on the defensive end,” FSU assistant coach Steve Smith told the Osceola. “Now, did we know that he was going to all that he’s doing? We knew he could shoot the ball and make shots, but we didn't know he would shoot it this well. He does so much.

“It ended up being a better fit than we even realized.”

Watkins is in position to be the first FSU player in school history to lead the team in scoring (15.1 points), rebounds (5.8), assists (2.66) and steals (1.8). He has 80 assists to Jalen Warley’s 82 going into the final regular-season game on Saturday against Miami (4 p.m. on ACC Network). Watkins has a year of eligibility left but is on track to graduate this summer and will be among those who are being honored on Senior Day before the game.

FSU sports information:

A six-run first inning from Jacksonville (6-11) was too much for the Seminoles (11-4) to overcome as they fell to the Dolphins 6-5 on Sunday afternoon at Veronica Wiggins Field on the campus of Florida A&M.

Jahni Kerr got the Noles going right away with a leadoff triple to right field. Isa Torres reached on an error to score Kerr to get the Noles on the board in the first. Jaysoni Beachum singled, and Michaela Edenfield drew a walk to load the bases for Hallie Wacaser who delivered with a RBI-single to left field to give the Noles a 2-0 lead after the top of the first inning.

The Dolphins responded with six runs off three hits to take the lead in the bottom of the first.

Ashtyn Danley settled in the circle and did not allow the Dolphins to get another hit in the final six innings.

FSU cut into the lead in the top of the fifth inning as Kalei Harding singled to put a runner on for Beachum. Beachum smacked her fourth home run of the season to left field to bring the Seminoles within two. The Seminoles had its final chance in the top of the seventh inning. Amaya Ross drew a walk, and Edenfield doubled to right field to bring Ross home. FSU was unable to capitalize with a runner in scoring position.

FSU will be back in action next week at the FGCU Spring Break Classic in Fort Myers, Fla. FSU is slated to play five games in three days against FGCU, Purdue and Western Michigan.

From Rivals' Marshall Levenson, FSU is in the top three for TE Aaron Ia:

From Rivals' John Garcia: Nuggets on WR Koby Howard and OLB Tarvos Alford as well as three others from the Southeast:

Just saw a post that Watkins will be honored on senior night . What a kick in the guts! Any hope for next year needed him to stay

Whether or not the Seminoles land Howard on the 31st, they are in an advantageous position given his unofficial visit is just three days before.
https://floridastate.rivals.com/new...koby-howard-commitment-coming-at-end-of-march

From Braden Fiske’s 40 time to Johnny Wilson’s vertical to Keon Coleman’s gauntlet drill, the performances of Seminoles at the NFL Combine was also a celebration for FSU coaches, strength and conditioning staff and teammates.

“To send 12 guys to the combine in the first place is a big accomplishment,” FSU strength and conditioning coach Josh Storms said. “To see 11 of those guys be able to go there and perform at a high level, some of those at the highest level, that’s awesome for those guys. You see them put the work in here. You might be Keon where you’re here for less than a year, some of those guys have been here since day 1 with DeLo (Kalen DeLoach) and guys like that. I’ve seen the work. I’ve seen all of the stuff that’s happened in the dark behind the scenes. To be able to see them go out there on that stage and perform to the level I know they’re capable of, that’s huge.

“Every year you have guys who go to the combine who have done great things and because of the situation, because of the moment or whatever, they don’t perform to the level that what you maybe expected them to. To see those guys go out and do exactly what we knew they could do and excel like that, that’s huge.”

FSU sports information:

The No. 4 Florida State beach volleyball team will travel to Tampa this weekend for the Tampa Invitational. The Seminoles will face Houston Christian, No. 20 Tampa, Coastal Carolina and FGCU.

The Noles are coming off a dominant 4-0 victory at home last weekend against Tampa, No. 16 Georgia State, No. 18 Stetson, and ULM. FSU’s commanding performance saw the Seminoles drop just four sets over 20 matches, extending their record to 7-0 this season.

The weekend was capped with graduate student Maddie Anderson and junior Skyler Germann being recognized as the CCSA Pair of the Week. The duo defeated all four pairs they played in two sets and have yet to drop a set this season.

Tampa is coming off a 2-2 weekend in Tallahassee, beating Stetson and ULM. The Spartans remain in the top 20 for the second week in a row.

FSU previously defeated Coastal Carolina 5-0 in Jacksonville on February 23. Since that match, the Chanticleers have gone 4-3, defeating Jacksonville, UT Chattanooga, and College of Charleston, and falling to No. 13 FIU, UNC Wilmington, and South Carolina.

This weekend will mark the first of two meetings between FSU and FGCU this season. The Noles are 4-0 in their history against Eagles, previously defeating them 3-2 last March. FGCU currently sits at 7-3 with notable wins over Mercer, Southern Miss, Jacksonville, and UNF.

The Seminoles look to continue their dominance, playing at 11 a.m., and 5 p.m. on Friday, and at 8 a.m. and 2 p.m. on Sunday. Live stats from each match will be available on Seminoles.com.

FSU (21-9, 12-6) will play the Wake Forest-Virginia winner on Thursday at 7:30 p.m. in the ACC Tournament quarterfinals. Wake and Virginia face off in a game on Wednesday night.

This is the first time since 2016-17 and 2017-18 that FSU has won 12 or more ACC games in back-to-back seasons.

FSU just has a pair of All-ACC first-team picks in Ta'Niya Latson and Makayla Timpson. Latson tied for the league lead with six 30-point games in ACC play, while Timpson led the conference in blocked shots by +21 compared to the next closest competitor. Timpson became the fourth Seminole to earn All-ACC First Team and ACC All-Defensive Team in the same season, joining Jacinta Monroe, Natasha Howard and Morgan Jones.

For the second straight season, FSU led the ACC in scoring offense during the regular season as it continues to execute associate head coach Bill Ferrara’s pace-and-space offense. The Seminoles average 76.2 possessions per game, 10.7 fast-break points per game and yet are first in the ACC and eighth nationally averaging just 11.7 turnovers per game.

Makayla Timpson’s next double-double will be a record breaker at FSU. The junior forward has 15 double-doubles this season, tying the program’s single-season mark held by WNBA All-Star Natasha Howard from the 2013-14 season.

Coach Brooke Wyckoff takes her third team to the ACC Women’s Basketball Tournament. In her interim season in 2020-21, an FSU team predicted eighth in the league earned a No. 4 seed at the conference tournament. Last year, her FSU squad predicted ninth in the ACC tied for fourth in the regular season. This year, FSU was predicted fifth and tied for fifth in the regular season.

The Noles begin the ACC Tournament having gone 7-2 over their last nine games played.

FSU sports information:

The No.19/NR Florida State indoor track and field teams will be represented by five student-athletes at the 2024 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships. The meet will be held at the Track at New Balance in Boston from March 7-9.

Dejaz DeFrand, Shenese Walker, Jeremiah Davis, Jordan Turner and David Mullarkey will return to the site of the 2024 ACC Championship after being selected based on their performances throughout the indoor season.

“We have a small but talented group going to indoor nationals,” FSU track and field head coach Bob Braman said. “DeFrand has a chance to make the finals in the 60-meter and 200 and I wouldn’t be surprised if Walker joined her in the 60.”

DeFrand holds the eighth fastest time in the nation in the 60 at 7.18, which was set at the Tiger Paw Invitational and ranks fourth in FSU history. She also set a season best in the 200 (22.91), which is the 11th fastest in the nation.

Walker won the 60 at ACCs, clocking a lifetime best and fifth-fastest time in school history at 7.20. Walker placed second in the 200, running her best time at 23.30, boasting the fifth-fastest time in FSU history.

“All three of our men could score,” added Braman. “Davis has a strong chance to win both the long and triple jump. Our goal is to crack the top 10 and we have a solid chance to make that happen.”

Davis enters the National Championship with the fourth- farthest leap in the nation in the long jump at 8.20m, that was set at the Tiger Paw Invitational for a new facility record. He also sits second in FSU history and ranks second nationally in the triple jump with a lifetime best of 16.69m.

Turner contributed his best mark at the Tiger Paw Invitational in the long jump at 7.90m, which is ranked 12th in the nation.

Mullarkey sits 14th in the nation after setting a new school record in the 3,000 at the John Thomas Terrier Classic with a time of 7:42.89.

Friday, March 8
4:00 p.m. – finals | men’s long jump
7:18 p.m. – semifinal | women’s 60
8:40 p.m.-semifinal | women’s 200
Watch- https://bitly.ws/3f3KD
Results-https://bitly.ws/3f3L7

Saturday, March 9
3:30 p.m.-finals | men’s triple jump
5:00 p.m. – finals | men's 3000m
7:10 p.m. – final | women’s 60
7:50 p.m.-finals | women’s 200
Watch- https://bitly.ws/3f46d
Results-https://bitly.ws/3f3L7

We got to watch FSU football's final Tour of Duty workout early this morning. Here are a bunch of observations from the workout, including the newcomers who flashed, players taking big leaps from Year 1 to Year 2 and much more.

11 games into the season, FSU baseball's .374 team batting average is the best in the country and the Seminoles have scored at least seven runs in every game.

With a schedule difficulty ramp-up on the horizon after this weekend's home series vs. New Orleans, FSU's bats are making noise.

He was one of the recruits I was so excited to get back in the day. He and Brett Williams the next year as far as OL went.
It’s tough seeing guys roughly my age passing away.

Some photos from FSU's Tour of Duty workouts on Thursday:

Getting that FSU football itch a few weeks out from spring football? Here's nearly 50 minutes of footage from this morning's final Tour of Duty workout. See the newest Seminoles for yourself.

The transfer portal is an opportunity to grab a veteran player with experience to plug-and-play for what's viewed as an immediate impact. Jaheim Bell was just that in 2023.

But the transfer portal is also an opportunity to grab a stash-and-develop player for the short term and long term. Kyle Morlock was just that in 2023.

Morlock arrived as a small-school gem, leaving Division II Shorter College in Rome, Ga., and making the leap to the Power 5 level at FSU. This was understandably quite the jump, and Morlock still has plenty of room to improve as a blocker. But he has also shown flashes of his skills as a receiver, grabbing four passes for 80 yards at Pittsburgh in a game where the Seminoles were shorthanded without Johnny Wilson and Keon Coleman.

FSU 73 Pitt 88 The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly


The Good

Camron Corhen dominating under the basket scoring a career high 25 points on 8 of 12 shooting and 9 of 10 from the FT line. Add in 8 rebounds, 4 of which were offensive boards leading to 4 second chance points.

Jamir Watkins after picking up his second foul just 2:05 into the game and taking a seat for much of the first half scored all of his 15 points in the 2nd period. It was his 16th consecutive game in double digits.

Darin Green sparking FSU's offense early with 16 points on 4 of 8 from behind the arc.

Plays of the game: Or in this case, runs of the game with FSU going on a 12-2 run after being down 5-0 to start the game. With 15:00 to play and the Seminoles down 53-40, Leonard Hamilton went to a 1-3-1 zone defense cutting the Pittsburgh lead to seven. The zone initially caused several Pitt turnovers or empty possessions. Watkins with the dribble drive to the left around the key and the floater off the backboard plus the foul, 62-54. Watkins spotting Corhen left totally unguarded under the basket for the easy lay in, 71-59. Corhen with the offensive rebound and the emphatic slam dunk, 53-42.


The Bad

FSU falls to 15-15 overall, 9-10 ACC and is just 3-8 in its last eleven games. The loss ends a two game winning streak at Pittsburgh and improves the Panthers' all time record against the Seminoles to 17-7. With the outcome of other games (GT over WF and UNC over Syracuse) loses any possibility of moving up to the 4th seed and instead now sits tied for the 8th seed.

Pitt just blistered the Seminole defense shooting 56% and connecting on 11-26 (42%) from the arc.

Coming into the game, Pit was 11-3 when shooting 10 or more three pointers. Make that 12-3. And many of those three pointers were of the 30 foot variety.

Responsible for most of those threes was Blake Hinson with 6 of 11. That gave him a total of 104 three pointers good for the single season record at Pitt. With his 27 points, Hinson has now eclipsed the 20 point mark in the Panthers' last five games.

Following the 12-2 run mentioned earlier, FSU was just 6-18 after that.

Where it started to slip away. After Pitt missed two FTs and avoided an over and back, Hinson was wide open in the left corner. He of course connected on the three to give the Panthers a 14-12 lead, a lead they would never relinquish. By halftime, FSU trailed 42-31. It only got worse as Pitt went on an 11-4 run to start the second period.

Yeah, Jalen Warley made the shot, 53-40, but standing on the three point line is still the worst shot in basketball.


The Ugly

That 1-3-1 worked for a while. But when Pitt finally solved it, they solved it in a big way connecting on 7 of 9 shots including 5 threes (four by Hinson).

FSU clearly has a monopoly on blocking shots after they hit the glass as the 'Noles did picking up yet another goaltending call.

Watkins and Carlton Carrington getting into to a small altercation with both getting T'd up. Unfortunately that was Watkins' second foul of the game forcing him to the pine with almost 18 minutes left in the half.

Watkins with a FT that rolled around the rim multiple times before falling off. It kind of summed up the frustration the Seminoles have had this season with consistent inconsistency.


Up Next

FSU hosts Miami for the final regular season game on Saturday at 4 PM. The game will be broadcast on ESPN2. The Hurricanes have lost their last 7 games. They sit tied next to last in the ACC standings with Boston College who they play tomorrow night. Florida State beat the 'Canes 84-75 on January 17 at Miami. Matthew Cleveland had two points for Miami in the loss.