Florida State baseball roundtable: Answering the big questions before Opening Day

While the Tallahassee weather does not feel like it, Opening Day and year four of the Link Jarrett era is only seven days away. After going to Omaha two years ago, and finishing one win shy in 2o25, the Florida State program hopes that this will finally be the year to bring that elusive title back to Tallahassee.

Florida State’s roster will look different from a year ago after a program-record 11 players were selected in last year’s MLB Draft, along with the usual wear-and-tear of the transfer portal. In total, 23 of FSU’s 40 players on the 2026 roster are new to the program, including 10 out of the portal.

Even with all the turnover, the expectations are still high for FSU, as the Noles begin the season ranked 16th in D1 Baseball’s preseason rankings and were picked to finish third in the ACC preseason coach’s poll.

As with any new team, there are still many unanswered questions, especially for this group that will need to replace their ace middle infield, and most-trusted bullpen option from the last two seasons.

Check out the roundtable below to see how TN’s baseball writers think this season will go.

No. 1: Who starts at SS and 2B on Opening Day?

Jordan Silversmith: This appears to be both the biggest and most up-in-the-air decision for Link Jarrett heading into the 2026 season. Alex Lodise and Drew Faurot provided Florida State with incredible consistency and defensive play during their two seasons playing up the middle. Jarrett would rave about the way they turned double plays and always knew when to be in the right spot. All of this is to say that this will not be an easy transition for the Seminoles, and the pair that starts on Opening Day may not be the one that takes the field on the last day of the regular season. However, if I had to choose, Cal Fisher starts at short, and Gabe Fraser starts at second base. Fisher, in his third year in the program, will have Jarrett’s trust to play the most important position on the infield, and sometimes it comes down to just that. Fisher is a capable fielder and a middle-of-the-lineup bat, but his athleticism will be a question mark. I went with Fraser at second base because of his potential and the belief that the coaching staff can get the most out of him. He did not play much as a freshman at Arkansas, but he has a similar build to Faurot and should emulate his style of play.

Curt Weiler: It’ll be incredibly hard to replace FSU’s middle-infield pair this season. There’s just no easy way to replace players of that quality, both at the plate and defensively. But the Seminoles are not lacking in options and will have nonconference play to explore its options before likely settling into regular starters when conference play begins in March. I think I’m leaning Gabe Fraser at short and Eli Putnam at second to start the season. Putnam’s overall hit tool is not a question after he hit .349 or better each of the last two seasons at Davidson. The question will be how he adapts to playing at a higher level of college baseball, but that shouldn’t stop him from starting the season in the lineup considering he was one of the team’s bigger position-player transfer additions. If Fraser can hit enough, he could be the team’s best defensive option at shortstop. That is a question after he hit .250 in 52 at-bats as a freshman at Arkansas last season. If he’s able to produce at a rate to be a bottom-of-the-order hitter, his speed can be a real weapon and it frees up Cal Fisher to remain at third. But Fisher is also an option at short who I could easily see landing there if they don’t believe enough in Fraser’s hit tool.

Tim Alumbaugh: Florida State has both a good problem and a bad problem with the middle of the infield. They have several options that could play second or short, but also lack the positional certainty they did last year with Drew Faurot and Alex Lodise. Here is what I do feel confident about, both Cal Fisher and Eli Putnam will be in the starting lineup. But is that at second, third, or DH? In the end, I’ll go with Putnam and third and Cal at second. At shortstop, I think we’ll see Carter McCulley and Gabe Fraser battle for that spot, with Fraser winning out to start the season (Jace Estes could be a wildcard at one of the spots).

Jacob Lintner: There is obviously a lot of new, but good options for Florida State to transition into their new version of the elite middle-infield they’ve possessed in recent years. I believe that Cal Fisher is very trusted by the coaching staff but will continue to play that third base spot where he’s been in the past. I think that Gabe Fraser will get the nod at shortstop and Eli Putnam will start it off at second. A guy that Jarrett has talked about a lot between the fall and pre-season has been Carter McCulley who I think is the next in line to compete mainly for that shortstop role.

No. 2: What are the three arms in the weekend rotation?

JS: I think the first two spots over the weekend are locked down, LHPs Trey Beard and Wes Mendes. If I had to guess, Beard will be Florida State’s Friday night starter next week, but I would not be surprised if it is Mendes. The real question here is who gets the Sunday spot, and it appears to be a competition between LHP Payton Manca and RHP Bryson Moore. Manca flashed last season and had a great summer on the Cape, and Jarrett talked highly about his improved consistency and velocity. Moore comes to Tallahassee after transferring from Virginia after an injury-riddled sophomore season. At his best, Moore can throw a true three-pitch mix and work deep into games, but up to this point in his career, that has not been a given. However, I think Moore gets the final spot in the rotation due to his potential. Plus, if he struggles to stay healthy, Jarrett can make the easy swap of putting Manca in the weekend rotation out of the mid-week spot.

CW: Agree with Jordan about Mendes and Beard being locks to start the season in the weekend rotation. We saw Mendes’ capability as a front-line starter last season when he’s going well. The challenge entering his draft-eligible junior season will be righting the ship when things start to go wrong. He had an unfortunate knack for letting things snowball on the mound in 2025. However, the stuff remains some of the best in the ACC. The same can be said for Beard, probably FSU’s single biggest transfer addition. He was dominant last season at Florida Atlantic and will take a step up in opponent difficulty entering his draft-eligible season. His changeup is filthy and he gives FSU another lefty weapon to work with in the rotation. The question from there is the third starter plus the order in which they arrange them. Virginia transfer RHP Bryson Moore has been limited to seven appearances and four starts in each of his first two seasons of college ball. When out there, he’s been quite good, with a 3.77 ERA over 31 1/3 innings and nearly twice as many strikeouts (31) as walks (16). To me, he’s the leading candidate. But Payton Manca is another candidate and it would be great for the Seminoles if a few other options emerge during preseason camp.

TA: Hard to argue with what the guys laid out above. Beard and Mendes are a solid 1-2 punch for the Seminoles that will put FSU in a favorable position most weekends. I really like Manca— there were times he really flashed last season but there were also times he couldn’t escape an inning. Right now, I’d pencil Bryson Moore in as the Sunday starter. The staff has spoken highly of the UVA transfer and if he stays healthy, he could a solid third arm for the Seminoles.

JL: Going to have to fall in line with the others on the two arms that will kick off weekends for the Seminoles this Spring. The duo of Beard and Mendes look to be a great tandem that will be a tough handle for most programs in the country to start the weekend. For that third spot, I have to believe that we won’t see three lefties during the weekends, so I’m going to go with the right-hander that’s been talked about the most in the preseason, Bryson Moore. The righty transfer from Virginia described a new five-pitch mix going into the 2026 season. He should give the Seminoles good upside at that Sunday spot.

No. 3: How much do you trust the bullpen with the players added from the portal?

JS: Over the last couple of seasons, bullpen meltdowns have been the kryptonite of the FSU program. Even though all college coaches would say their respective bullpens are inconsistent, the Noles’ seemed to be especially bad in the biggest spots. However, Jarrett and pitching coach Micah Posey addressed the issue in the portal. The addition of Gabe Nard brings an experienced arm into the bullpen and should be a multi-inning reliever with a slow heartbeat. If either Cade O’Leary or Cole Stokes can harness their power fastball for strikes, Florida State could have the closer they have been missing. Throw in another offseason for John Abraham and Chris Knier, and don’t look now, but the Seminoles could have a variety of veteran arms coming out of the ‘pen. The main question will be whether a left-handed reliever can be trusted, as all of those names are righties. However, on a scale of 1-10, I will put my trust at 6.8 to begin the year.

CW: It seems clear adding both a high number and some high-quality arms was an emphasis of FSU’s roster building this offseason. Bullpen instability is an epidemic across college baseball — I promise it’s bad for other schools as well — but has certainly been an issue for the Seminoles the last few seasons. Really, I’d label it the one detractor from what has been largely an incredibly successful two-year tenure for Micah Posey as pitching coach. But it can certainly improve and it feels possible it will in 2026 between the new and returning arms likely to be available out of the pen. With transfers from Duke (Gabe Nard), Mississippi State (Cade O’Leary), USC (Brodie Purcell) and Oregon (Cole Stokes), FSU added four high-quality bullpen arms who have played at the highest level of college baseball. With returning options like John Abraham, Chris Knier and a few JUCO additions as well, color me cautiously optimistic about the bullpen, provided they get good injury luck.

TA: The FSU bullpen— now that’s a name that has produced heart palpitations over the last few seasons. The uncertainty, and at times chaotic results forced Jarrett and Posey into uncomfortable decisions last year. It was an obvious need, and the Seminoles addressed it primarily with the addition of Purcell and Nard, but also with the names mentioned above. It’s refreshing to see a coaching staff that recognizes a problem and uses the portal to find a solution. I think we see the bullpen take a step forward from last season. Experience from both outside the program (portal) and returning arms like John Abraham should give Jarrett the confidence he has lacked the last two seasons.

JL: Coach Jarrett was very clear that when you evaluate the portal for players and needs, it all comes down to getting what you can in any given year, and what Florida State now has is a group of experienced pitchers after their additions from the portal. The headliners in this portal class are Gabe Nard, Cole Stokes, Brodie Purcell, and Cade O’Leary. The combination of experience and upside makes this FSU pitching staff hopeful of separation from prior bullpen groups. This group has the diversity in experience and expertise to finally be the glue to this Florida State team’s success deep in the CWS.

No. 4: Give your floor, ceiling, and expectation for the 2026 season:

JS: I think this is a high-variable team because of the amount of talent and top-end talent the Seminoles are replacing. In a deeper ACC than in years past, at worst, Florida State could be a bubble team. They play the hardest schedule in the conference, according to D1 Baseball. They had incredible health from their pitching staff last season. They lost their two best players from a team that finished one win shy of Omaha. Hosting a regional or Super is not guaranteed. However, the ceiling for this team is another trip to the College World Series, given the blend of veterans and potential on the roster. If Myles Bailey, Hunter Carns, and Cal Fisher each take a step at the plate, the Noles will have a formidable middle of the lineup to go along with Brayden Dowd, Chase Williams, and Brody DeLamielleure. On the mound, almost all of FSU’s high-leverage arms will be in their junior or senior year. Throw in that Jarrett has proven himself to be a top head coach in the sport, and there are pieces to make a run. However, in my eyes, there is just too much to replace, so I have Florida State finishing this year where they ended last season, falling in a road super regional.

CW: I think Link Jarrett’s track record as a coach shows a base level of success his team should reach year-in and year-out. That base level, to me, is for Florida State to at least be in the conversation to hos an NCAA regional. This team should, at the very least, be there. Jarrett and his staff have a proven ability to develop and get the best out of their players. This lineup will have an ACC Player of the Year frontrunner in Myles Bailey, should hit for power and have some serious speed. The pitching staff is full of high-level stuff that should once again rack up the strikeouts. FSU has a lot of production to replace so perhaps falling a bit below last season’s No. 9 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament wouldn’t be a surprise. But I think FSU will be firmly back in the Top 16 and this team has the upside to be a national seed for the second time in three years and have a home path to Omaha.

TA: Jamie Arnold and Joey Volini were rocks for the Seminoles last year. When the season ran into question marks, these veteran arms provided answers. Their reliability cannot be overstated and if FSU is to repeat similar success to last season, the arms will have to answer the call. I do think the offense has potential to improve. FSU fans should be excited about the potential of Bailey, Carns, DeLamielleure, Putnam, and Fisher. There’s also several young players that could breakout and be a major impact (John Stuetzer, Noah Sheffield, etc). The floor? FSU is a top-16 seed. But the ceiling? I am drinking the early season Seminole Kool-Aid and believe that FSU has a real shot at a national seed and a return to Omaha.

JL: It can be very tough to separate roster from coach, and view these floor-ceiling conversations with a level head. I have a lot of trust in Coach Jarrett and his ability to get his group composed and ready each year, although this year there seems like a ridiculous amount to replace. Losing both middle infielders in Alex Lodise and Drew Faurot is a huge hit to the consistency of this lineup and defense. That’s before even talking about Jamie Arnold and Joey Volini who were consistently lights-out in last year’s campaign. To me, it seems like the moving pieces are a little too much this season, and they happen to hit at very critical spots for this Florida State group. With Coach Jarrett at the helm, I still believe this team has a very high floor. I think this team still makes a super regional, but I think they don’t make it further than that. There are a lot of hidden gems and young players that could prove to be breakout candidates that do fortunately provide this squad with a particularly high-ceiling when paired with already proven players such as Myles Bailey. I’m going to say their ceiling is Omaha, although I think it takes a lot going right for the squad this year, like it did a year ago, for them to pull it off.