The Florida State baseball team is two wins away from a second straight trip to the College World Series.
However, those two wins will be hard to come by on the other side of the country this week when the ninth-seeded Seminoles (41-14) play a best-of-three super regional at No. 8 Oregon State (45-13-1) this weekend, starting Friday at 6 p.m.
The Beavers, who have won three national titles in the last 20 years, are looking for their first trip to Omaha since 2018. They're positioned where they are now as a super regional host by battling through a D-I independent schedule after the Pac-12 dissolved at the end of the 2024 season.
To get a better idea of Oregon State entering the series, I sent a few questions to Brendan Slaughter, publisher of BeaversEdge, the Oregon State Rivals site. Here's that Q&A.
Q: Oregon State has certainly played a unique schedule in its first season as a D-I independent. How do you think that schedule has prepared them better and potentially not prepared them as well for the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament and beyond?
Slaughter: It's definitely been an experience. Being left to wither away after the collapse of the Pac-12 would have spelled doom for many baseball programs in Oregon State's shoes, but given the Beavers' credibility and brand recognition in the college baseball world with three championships since 06, they were able to thread the needle and create a road-heavy schedule that gave up home games and a conference tournament in lieu of having a resume that if they won enough games, would put them in the national seed picture and that's exactly what happened.
The Beavers played a good blend of opponents this year, and outside of a bad weekend against Oregon (0-4) and a series loss to Nebraska, this team has been very consistent throughout the season and that's why they're hosting. Not having a conference tournament and being off prior to regional weekend definetly led to the rust we saw in the loss to St. Mary's, but the team was able to shake it off very quickly and arguably play its best ball of the season this past weekend. The Beavers seem to be peaking offensively, which is a great sign to go along with a strong staff as well.
Overall, I think they're well-prepared because of the nature of the competition they've seen this season. Sure, there were some lowly opponents, but Cal Poly, Auburn, Virginia, Oklahoma, UCLA, & UC Irvine have been solid tests that have prepared them for the postseason.
2) There's talent throughout the OSU lineup but Aiva Arquette and Gavin Turley are definitely the main catalysts for the Beavers offensively. What has allowed them to have such almost identically successful seasons and what, if anything, have been things that opposing pitchers have been able to do to have success against them?
Slaughter: Those two are certainly the straw that stirs the Oregon State offense, as they've put up great numbers. Gavin Turley, he's been this special for a couple of seasons now, and he holds Oregon State's home run record, so seeing him take a sizable step in his final season wasn't too out of left field.
Arquette is a bit of a different story, because he's only been here for the one season after transferring from Washington. There was an expectation that he was going to be a first-round pick and a really great player for the Beavers, but we needed to see him in the lineup. He's fit like a glove, and arguably is one of the top shortstops in Oregon State history, definitely pushing Darwin Barney for that spot, who went on to win a gold glove in the majors, showing the really high standard Arquette has played to this season.
As far as their similar numbers, I think it's just a case of two really good players who will hear their names called early in the draft. At times pitchers have been able to pitch around them, with some other guys in the lineup not being as consistent, but 1-through-9 really broke out in the regional, so there's definitely a bit more protection in the lineup for those two over the final push of the regular season and the postseason.
3) Beyond those two, who do you point to as the x-factor in the lineup? Are there one or two other hitters that you could see being the difference this weekend?
Slaughter: I think there are a couple of guys who could potentially be in that mix. Trent Caraway has been on fire recently, hitting a home run in every game of the Corvallis Regional and winning MVP honors. He's been on a surge to close out the regular season and been a big reason for their extended success. Catcher Wilson Weber has also had a great year, and has a ton of power at the plate. Tyce Peterson has also been swinging a good bat lately, along with AJ Singer, Canon Reeder, & Jacob Krieg. If the Beavers can get timely hits from guys other than Arquette and Turley, I see them having success this weekend. If the other guys in the lineup struggle a bit, it could be more of a challenge. However, the Beavers' bats are as hot as they've been all season, so it'll be a very interesting matchup against Florida State's pitching staff.
4) On paper, it seems like Oregon State's Saturday and Sunday starters have had better seasons than Friday starter Eric Segura entering this weekend. What's your read on why the coaching staff has kept the same rotation order throughout this season when Dax Whitney and Ethan Kleinschmit have such impressive numbers? Do you think there's any chance the starting rotation order changes this weekend?
Slaughter: Good question. The Friday spot has sort of been a revolving door to an extent this season... Nelson Keljo was the original ace, but eventually was moved the to the bullpen following the Oregon series where he's remained since. Eric Segura had starting experience so he was a natural fit for the spot, but has only been there for a little over a month, so there's some flexibility there. I think Segura brings great experience and has good stuff as well when he's on, but Dax Whitney and Ethan Kleinschmit are No. 1 and No. 2 in the order for the weekend in my opinion, with Segura or James DeCremer being Sunday options. Whitney and Kleinschmit have been two of their best this season, so I'm betting they'll start with either of those two.
Regardless, Oregon State's pitching depth was showcased having to run through the losers bracket this last weekend, so the depth is definitely improved and capable of providing innings. A couple of other pitchers to watch are AJ Hutcheson, Laif Palmer, Wyatt Queen, and Kellan Oakes.
5) It seems like this best-of-three series is very much being viewed as a virtual toss-up by the oddsmakers and national college baseball folks. What's your best guess on how this weekend plays out? Are home-field advantage and the top-tier talent on Oregon State's roster too much for FSU to overcome?
Slaughter: I think it's going to be a dandy of a series. Personal bias aside, I think this has a case to be the most intriguing Super Regional outside of a few others, with two very evenly matched teams that will be laying it all on the line for a trip to Omaha. I do give Oregon State the slightest of edges considering the home-field advantage as Goss Stadium is one of the more intimidating environments in college baseball with the fans right on top of you. I see this series going three games, and while I will give Oregon State the narrow 2-1 edge, the margin is very slim here. I think we'll see three great baseball games, with Oregon State having just a little more being at home.
However, those two wins will be hard to come by on the other side of the country this week when the ninth-seeded Seminoles (41-14) play a best-of-three super regional at No. 8 Oregon State (45-13-1) this weekend, starting Friday at 6 p.m.
The Beavers, who have won three national titles in the last 20 years, are looking for their first trip to Omaha since 2018. They're positioned where they are now as a super regional host by battling through a D-I independent schedule after the Pac-12 dissolved at the end of the 2024 season.
To get a better idea of Oregon State entering the series, I sent a few questions to Brendan Slaughter, publisher of BeaversEdge, the Oregon State Rivals site. Here's that Q&A.
Q: Oregon State has certainly played a unique schedule in its first season as a D-I independent. How do you think that schedule has prepared them better and potentially not prepared them as well for the second weekend of the NCAA Tournament and beyond?
Slaughter: It's definitely been an experience. Being left to wither away after the collapse of the Pac-12 would have spelled doom for many baseball programs in Oregon State's shoes, but given the Beavers' credibility and brand recognition in the college baseball world with three championships since 06, they were able to thread the needle and create a road-heavy schedule that gave up home games and a conference tournament in lieu of having a resume that if they won enough games, would put them in the national seed picture and that's exactly what happened.
The Beavers played a good blend of opponents this year, and outside of a bad weekend against Oregon (0-4) and a series loss to Nebraska, this team has been very consistent throughout the season and that's why they're hosting. Not having a conference tournament and being off prior to regional weekend definetly led to the rust we saw in the loss to St. Mary's, but the team was able to shake it off very quickly and arguably play its best ball of the season this past weekend. The Beavers seem to be peaking offensively, which is a great sign to go along with a strong staff as well.
Overall, I think they're well-prepared because of the nature of the competition they've seen this season. Sure, there were some lowly opponents, but Cal Poly, Auburn, Virginia, Oklahoma, UCLA, & UC Irvine have been solid tests that have prepared them for the postseason.
2) There's talent throughout the OSU lineup but Aiva Arquette and Gavin Turley are definitely the main catalysts for the Beavers offensively. What has allowed them to have such almost identically successful seasons and what, if anything, have been things that opposing pitchers have been able to do to have success against them?
Slaughter: Those two are certainly the straw that stirs the Oregon State offense, as they've put up great numbers. Gavin Turley, he's been this special for a couple of seasons now, and he holds Oregon State's home run record, so seeing him take a sizable step in his final season wasn't too out of left field.
Arquette is a bit of a different story, because he's only been here for the one season after transferring from Washington. There was an expectation that he was going to be a first-round pick and a really great player for the Beavers, but we needed to see him in the lineup. He's fit like a glove, and arguably is one of the top shortstops in Oregon State history, definitely pushing Darwin Barney for that spot, who went on to win a gold glove in the majors, showing the really high standard Arquette has played to this season.
As far as their similar numbers, I think it's just a case of two really good players who will hear their names called early in the draft. At times pitchers have been able to pitch around them, with some other guys in the lineup not being as consistent, but 1-through-9 really broke out in the regional, so there's definitely a bit more protection in the lineup for those two over the final push of the regular season and the postseason.
3) Beyond those two, who do you point to as the x-factor in the lineup? Are there one or two other hitters that you could see being the difference this weekend?
Slaughter: I think there are a couple of guys who could potentially be in that mix. Trent Caraway has been on fire recently, hitting a home run in every game of the Corvallis Regional and winning MVP honors. He's been on a surge to close out the regular season and been a big reason for their extended success. Catcher Wilson Weber has also had a great year, and has a ton of power at the plate. Tyce Peterson has also been swinging a good bat lately, along with AJ Singer, Canon Reeder, & Jacob Krieg. If the Beavers can get timely hits from guys other than Arquette and Turley, I see them having success this weekend. If the other guys in the lineup struggle a bit, it could be more of a challenge. However, the Beavers' bats are as hot as they've been all season, so it'll be a very interesting matchup against Florida State's pitching staff.
4) On paper, it seems like Oregon State's Saturday and Sunday starters have had better seasons than Friday starter Eric Segura entering this weekend. What's your read on why the coaching staff has kept the same rotation order throughout this season when Dax Whitney and Ethan Kleinschmit have such impressive numbers? Do you think there's any chance the starting rotation order changes this weekend?
Slaughter: Good question. The Friday spot has sort of been a revolving door to an extent this season... Nelson Keljo was the original ace, but eventually was moved the to the bullpen following the Oregon series where he's remained since. Eric Segura had starting experience so he was a natural fit for the spot, but has only been there for a little over a month, so there's some flexibility there. I think Segura brings great experience and has good stuff as well when he's on, but Dax Whitney and Ethan Kleinschmit are No. 1 and No. 2 in the order for the weekend in my opinion, with Segura or James DeCremer being Sunday options. Whitney and Kleinschmit have been two of their best this season, so I'm betting they'll start with either of those two.
Regardless, Oregon State's pitching depth was showcased having to run through the losers bracket this last weekend, so the depth is definitely improved and capable of providing innings. A couple of other pitchers to watch are AJ Hutcheson, Laif Palmer, Wyatt Queen, and Kellan Oakes.
5) It seems like this best-of-three series is very much being viewed as a virtual toss-up by the oddsmakers and national college baseball folks. What's your best guess on how this weekend plays out? Are home-field advantage and the top-tier talent on Oregon State's roster too much for FSU to overcome?
Slaughter: I think it's going to be a dandy of a series. Personal bias aside, I think this has a case to be the most intriguing Super Regional outside of a few others, with two very evenly matched teams that will be laying it all on the line for a trip to Omaha. I do give Oregon State the slightest of edges considering the home-field advantage as Goss Stadium is one of the more intimidating environments in college baseball with the fans right on top of you. I see this series going three games, and while I will give Oregon State the narrow 2-1 edge, the margin is very slim here. I think we'll see three great baseball games, with Oregon State having just a little more being at home.
