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Yesterday’s Poll Results
Today’s Poll
Be honest — what are you most confident in right now?
🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹
Happy Saturday, Seminole!
Florida State stacked wins and headlines across the board; from a dominant baseball opener in Arlington to an ACC title in the pool, a triple sweep on the sand, and recruiting foundations quietly taking shape.
Here’s what you need to know today:
⚾ Baseball passed its first Omaha-style test.
Wes Mendes looked like a Friday ace, the lineup depth showed up, and FSU opened 4–0 in an MLB park.
🥎 Softball showed both ceiling and calibration.
A run-rule explosion against Dartmouth — followed by a reminder of the razor-thin margin vs. top-10 Alabama.
🏊 Logan Robinson became an ACC champion.
Four school records fell in one night as FSU swimming keeps stacking NCAA cuts.
🏐 Beach volleyball didn’t drop a dual.
Three sweeps. Zero hesitation. Standard set early.
🎾🥍🏀 Road tests everywhere.
Tennis narrowly missed at Louisville, lacrosse faces a ranked Army squad, and men’s hoops head to Clemson riding momentum.
🏈 Recruiting quietly building.
Five 2027 commits already in the fold — and spring positioning season is just getting started.
Momentum. Measuring sticks. Margin for error.
Let’s get into it.
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⚾🔥 Noles Open Arlington with Statement Win 🔥⚾
No. 16 Florida State (4–0) opened the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series with a 6–1 win over Michigan at Globe Life Field, stacking 13 hits behind a dominant outing from Wes Mendes.
🧠 What Stood Out
🔥 Wes Mendes’ offseason work showing up
5.1 IP, 1 hit, 7 K, 1 BB (89 pitches)
19 swings-and-misses, 12 on the fastball
Heater touched 95 mph
74.5% strikes on 47 fastballs
Mendes added a cutter, reshaped his slider, hardened the changeup, and incorporated breath work + sports psychology this offseason. Early returns? Commanded gas and variety.
💪 Top of the Order Rolling
Brayden Dowd and Noah Sheffield have been relentless the last three games:
20-for-29 reaching base (.690 OBP combined)
13 hits (5 XBH), 6 walks, 14 runs scored
Just 2 total strikeouts
Production at the top is fueling everything.
🎯 Jace Estes: Gamer Energy
Making just his second career start, Estes went 3-for-4 with 2 RBI and 2 runs.
At 5'9", 154 pounds, he may not look the part — but he executes. Small-ball, two-strike approach, steady glove. Jarrett’s trust looks earned.
🔒 Bullpen Backbone
John Abraham retired 7 of 8 batters in relief and has now allowed just one hit over his last 4.1 innings. Five-pitch mix, improved command — trending upward.
🧤 Defense: Mixed Signals
Myles Bailey continues to shine at first with range and reliability.
Elsewhere? Some early-season infield miscommunication and errors. Jarrett may continue rotating pieces until he finds the right alignment.
📊 The Bigger Picture
FSU improves to 16–4 all-time in MLB parks and 8–2 vs. Michigan. The Seminoles are now 4–0 and will face No. 9 Auburn next.
Why It Matters:
The lineup depth is real. Mendes looks like a Friday anchor. The bullpen is settling. Defense still needs tightening.
This weekend was billed as an Omaha-type measuring stick and Game 1 looked the part.
🥎⚖️ Noles Split Friday: Run-Rule Win, Ranked Reality Check ⚖️🥎
No. 7 Florida State (10–3) powered past Dartmouth 10–2 in six innings before falling 8–0 to No. 9 Alabama in Friday’s Dugout Club Classic doubleheader at JoAnne Graf Field.
🔥 Game 1: FSU 10, Dartmouth 2 (6 inn.)
🧨 Extra-Base Barrage
Marin Heller, Ashtyn Danley, Shelby McKenzie, and Isa Torres fueled a doubles-and-triples clinic.
Torres finished 3-for-4, capped by an inside-the-park home run to end it via run rule — FSU’s first since 2018.
🎯 Danley Sets the Tone
3.2 innings, two hits, two runs
Makenna Reid closed it out with 5 strikeouts in 2.1 innings to earn the win.
📈 Anna Hinde Stays Hot
Extended her reached-base streak to every game this season.
Also riding a six-game hitting streak.
FSU improved to 3–0 all-time vs. Dartmouth and extended its regular-season win streak against unranked non-conference foes to 40.
📉 Game 2: FSU 0, Alabama 8
After three scoreless innings, Alabama broke through in the fourth with three home runs and never looked back.
FSU managed just two hits (Hinde, Sturgis).
Bella DimitrijeviC allowed three hits (all in the fourth) before Marlee Gaskell finished the game.
The Tide added four insurance runs late.
📊 The Split Takeaway
Against Dartmouth, the lineup depth and extra-base production showed up in waves. Against Alabama, the margin against elite arms and power bats was clear.
Why It Matters:
This weekend is an early-season calibration point. The offense can explode. The pitching has depth. But against top-10 teams, execution tightens.
FSU gets another crack at both Dartmouth (12:30 p.m.) and Alabama (3:00 p.m.) on Saturday.
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🏊♂️🏆 Robinson Wins ACC Title, Records Keep Falling 🏆🏊♀️
No. 13 Florida State swimming & diving delivered another massive night on Day 6 of the ACC Championships, capturing an individual ACC title, a relay silver medal, and four school records at McAuley Aquatic Center in Atlanta.
🥇 Logan Robinson: ACC Champion
One night after earning silver in the 200 free, Robinson returned to win the ACC title in the 200 butterfly.
1:40.98 (NCAA cut) in prelims
1:38.73 in finals — new school record
First career ACC title
Team’s second individual title of the meet
That time shattered his previous program mark (1:40.23) and capped a three-medal week for the sophomore.
🥈 Relay Silver + More Records
🔥 Men’s 400 Medley Relay (Silver Medal)
Max Wilson
Tommaso Baravelli
Michel Arkhangelsky
Logan Robinson
3:01.08 (school record)
The quartet nearly won it all and secured another podium finish.
💥 100 Backstroke History
The program record fell twice in one day:
Sarah Evans: 52.06 in prelims → 51.83 in finals
Alice Velden: 51.48 in the C final (new school record)
The first two sub-52 swims in program history.
📊 NCAA Cuts Across the Board
Wilson: 44.99 (100 back, 7th overall)
Baravelli: 52.15 (100 breast, 7th overall)
Arkhangelsky: NCAA cut in 100 back prelims
Matheson & Christensen: NCAA marks in 200 fly
Julia Mansson: 1:00.22 (100 breast, NCAA cut)
The depth continues to show.
📈 Team Standings (One Day Left)
Men: 6th (499.5 points)
Women: 10th (304 points)
Why It Matters:
An ACC champion, relay silver, and four program records in one night. Momentum is real heading into the final day and Robinson has officially stamped himself as one of the meet’s headliners.
🏐🔥 Beach Noles Open 2026 with Triple Sweep 🔥🏐
Florida State beach volleyball launched its 2026 season in dominant fashion at the FSU Unconquered Invitational, sweeping UAB, Cal State Bakersfield, and Georgia State in three straight dual wins.
🧠 What Stood Out
💨 UAB Sweep to Set the Tone
10 total set wins
Only two courts pushed to three sets
Kyleene Filimaua & Kenzie Hultquist rolled on Court 5 (21-10, 21-12)
⚡ Bakersfield Dominance
Every court finished in straight sets
Jordan Boulware & Audrey Rothman held Court 1 to just seven points in Set 1 (21-7) before closing 21-11
🔥 Georgia State Close-Out Moment
Saofe Duval & Gella Andrew edged a tight second set, 21-19
Duval delivered the decisive scoop-and-swing to seal the sweep
📊 The Big Picture
Three duals. Three sweeps. Season opened without dropping a match.
Why It Matters:
Early-season form looks sharp across all courts, and the depth is already showing. The Seminoles now turn to North Alabama (11:30 a.m.) and Southeastern Louisiana (4:30 p.m.) to continue the momentum.
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🎾📉 Noles Fall 4–3 at Louisville 📉🎾
Florida State (2–6, 0–1 ACC) dropped a tight 4–3 match to No. 62 Louisville after securing the doubles point and taking a 3–2 lead in singles.
🧠 Key Notes
Shaw/Li and Deatherage/Cricchio clinched the doubles point.
Deatherage (6-2, 6-3) earned her 10th singles win.
Shaw battled to a three-set win on Court 1.
Louisville took the final two courts to seal it.
Why It Matters:
Another narrow ACC match and the Noles are competitive, but finishing late remains the difference.
🥍🛫 Noles Head to Atlanta for Top-25 Test 🛫🥍
Florida State lacrosse (2–2) travels to the Atlanta Lacrosse Invitational on Saturday to face No. 21 Army (2–1) at 6:15 p.m. at B.T. Harvey Stadium.
🧠 What to Know
Lola Mancuso leads FSU with 9 goals and 9 points.
Meg Kenny has 7 goals, including four last weekend vs. Cal.
Catrina Tobin anchors the cage with 23 saves.
Mary Grace Tibbs leads the defense with 7 caused turnovers.
Why It Matters:
A neutral-site matchup against a ranked opponent offers an early-season measuring stick for the Noles.
🏀🛣️ Noles Travel to Clemson for Lone Regular-Season Meeting 🛣️🏀
Florida State (13–13, 6–7 ACC) heads to Clemson on Saturday at noon (The CW) for its only matchup this season against the Tigers.
🧠 What to Know
FSU has won 5 of its last 6.
Clemson (20–7, 10–4 ACC) has lost three straight but is 11–2 at home.
Chauncey Wiggins returns to face his former team.
FSU hasn’t won at Clemson since February 2019.
📊 Series Snapshot
FSU leads all-time 46–41.
Clemson has won the last six meetings.
Why It Matters:
Hot Noles. Slumping Tigers. Tough road venue. This one’s a momentum swing game in the middle of ACC play.
🏈📌 2027 Foundation: Five Early Noles in the Fold 📌🏈
While most of the focus is on shaping the 2027 board, Florida State already holds five commitments to build around.
🧠 Who’s Committed
⭐ 4★ S Mekhi Williams
6'2.5" Ruskin (FL) safety
Longest-tenured pledge
Versatile fit in FSU’s 3-3-5
Official visits set elsewhere, but intel says he’s locked in for now
💪 3★ LB Gregory Batson Jr.
Lee County (GA) product
In-state priority type FSU must keep
Georgia Tech & Mississippi State still pushing
🧨 3★ EDGE Anthony Cavallaro
6'5", 229 lbs (Largo, FL)
Chose FSU over multiple P4 offers
Strong January visit sealed it
🛡️ 3★ S Jemari Foreman
DB with multiple programs probing
Only official scheduled: FSU in June
🧱 3★ TE Connor Winn
H-Back profile
Injury history but stays engaged with frequent visits
Why It Matters:
The 2027 class isn’t starting from zero. With defensive back depth, early EDGE help, and a local linebacker locked in, the foundation is set. Now it’s about retention and adding impact pieces this spring.
And that’s a wrap!
This time of year isn’t about finished products.
It’s about indicators.
A Friday ace emerging in Arlington.
An ACC champion rewriting record books.
Three straight sweeps on the sand.
Recruiting pieces locking in before the real push begins.
Spring is positioning season and the Noles are stacking data points.
We’ll see who keeps rising.
Until tomorrow,
Stay Unconquered. 🏹
— Chief
