3 Up, 3 Down: Bats come alive as FSU becomes consensus top-10 team

Florida State baseball hurled a combined no-hitter last week, yet the story for the Seminoles revolves around the bats. After dropping game one of its weekend series against NC State, FSU’s offense exploded for 26 combined runs on Saturday and Sunday with 13 extra-base hits. Most impressively, they received contributions up and down the lineup, from Myles Bailey going 6-12 on the week and continuing his push for ACC Player of the Year to backup catcher Nathan Cmeyla getting the Sunday start and going 3-5 with two doubles and three RBI.

This lineup runs hot and cold, but the wins over the Wolfpack proved just how sweltering the bats can be. With a series victory over NC State, all of the early-season metrics are coming up Nole. Florida State is a consensus top-10 team in the three major collegiate baseball rankings, is up to fourth in RPI and is in first place in the ACC with a 5-1 record.

It’s only March and way too early to be thinking about seeding possibilities, but Florida State’s resume after two massive series wins over Wake Forest and NC State to begin its in-conference slate is amongst the nation’s best and sets up the Seminoles well. Three Up No. 1: Top of the lineup For the sake of the exercise, the top of the lineup will be Brayden Dowd, Kelvyn Paulino Jr.

and Bailey, because after this weekend, those will be the first three names written down in the batting order from here on out. It should come as no surprise that with Dowd back in the lineup, FSU’s offense took off. The USC transfer can best be compared to a souped-up Gage Harrelson, where he gets on base and provides quality at-bats from the leadoff spot, but provides more pop than Harrelson did a season ago.