Yesterday’s Poll Results

Today’s Poll

🏹 Welcome to The Chief Brief! 🏹

Happy hump day, Seminole!

From walk-off heroics in Jax to softball’s red-hot streak, NCAA championship week in the pool, and a stacked lineup of recruiting momentum and academic excellence — this edition of The Chief Brief delivers it all.

Here’s what’s coming your way:

💣 Lodise Walks It Off
A grand slam + a cycle? Alex Lodise just carved his name into FSU baseball lore with a jaw-dropping finish against Florida.

🥎 Softball’s Nine-Game Tear
The Noles return home on a mission — fresh off a 4-0 week and sitting atop the ACC.

🏊 NCAA Championship Week Begins
Ten Seminoles hit the pool in Washington with school records, top-8 seeds, and big-time relay depth.

🎓 Hoops Earns Academic Honors
Timpson, Gordon, Bonner, Viegas and Watkins are thriving in the classroom as much as they did on the court.

⛳ Top-3 Again for Men’s Golf
Clanton and Bigham deliver as FSU takes third at Valspar, outpacing six ranked teams.

👑 All-America Buzz for Latson & Timpson
Two of the best in the nation are in the running for WBCA Coaches’ All-America — and the numbers back it up.

💥 4⭐ Cam Brooks Talks FSU
The dream school edge rusher breaks down his latest visit — and why he’s not done yet.

🚀 RB of the Future? 2026’s Carsyn Baker Eyes the Noles
FSU will host one of the fastest backs in the class for two big visits — and they’re in the thick of it.

Let’s get into it.👇

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💣 LODISE LEGEND: Walk-Off Grand Slam Lifts Noles Over Florida

Jacksonville went wild. With the game tied 4–4, bases loaded, and no outs in the ninth, Alex Lodise crushed a first-pitch grand slam to walk it off in front of a sold-out VyStar Ballpark. FSU wins, 8–4. Cue the dogpile.

Oh — and he hit for the cycle.
🔁 Single (3rd)
🧱 Double (1st)
💨 Triple (7th)
💣 Walk-off homer (9th)

Lodise finished the night 4-for-5 with 4 RBIs, hitting for FSU’s first cycle since 2019 and delivering the program’s first walk-off homer since 2022 — and its first walk-off vs. UF since 2015.

📊 FSU (21–3) vs UF (18–9)

• Runs: FSU 8, UF 4

• Hits: FSU 8, UF 3

• Win: LHP Hudson Rowan (first career W)

Other standouts:
🧨 Brody DeLamielleure launched a 2-run shot in the 4th
🎯 Drew Faurot drove in Lodise for the game’s first run
🔥 Joe Charles retired 8 straight in relief
💪 Hunter Carns nailed a baserunner + reached base in the 9th-inning rally

📈 FSU has now won 4 of the last 5 against Florida and improves to 135–128–1 all-time in the rivalry. The win also marks the Noles’ first neutral-site victory of the season.

Next up: FSU heads to Notre Dame for a 3-game ACC series March 28–30.

Lodise walked it off — and walked straight into Seminole lore. 🏆

Read more here

🥎 Softball's Scorching: Noles Bring 9-Game Win Streak Home

The Noles are heating up — and JoAnne Graf Field is about to feel it. No. 8 FSU Softball (29–5, 6–0 ACC) returns home for an eight-game homestand after ripping off four ranked road wins last week and extending their win streak to nine straight.

📅 Next Up at JoAnne Graf Field:

• 🧑‍🏫 Wed vs. Stetson (3 PM) – Faculty & Staff Appreciation

• 🎀 Fri vs. NC State (6 PM) – Paint It Pink

• 🎖 Sat (1 PM) – Military Appreciation

• 🚓 Sun (12 PM) – First Responders Day
  🎥 All games on ACCNX

🔥 Last Week’s Flex:

• 5–2 win at No. 24 Alabama ✅

• Sweep of No. 18 Duke (33–17 run differential) ✅

• First road sweep of a ranked ACC foe since 2023 ✅

• Julia Apsel = 10–0, 2.13 ERA out of the pen ✅

📊 By the Numbers:

• 6–0 in ACC play (best start since 2018)

• 15 run-rule wins

• Outscoring opponents 182–42 in last 20 games

• Leads the country in hits (346) & runs (287)

• .374 team avg — 3rd nationally, 1st in ACC

• 2.15 team ERA — 1st in ACC, 14th in nation

💣 Hit Parade Headliners:

• Kennedy Harp: .458 | 7 HR | 41 RBI | Nation-leading 9 triples

• Isa Torres: .446 | 6 HR | 32 RBI | Only 1 strikeout in 121 ABs

• Jaysoni Beachum: .393 | 10 HR | 33 RBI

• Michaela Edenfield: .395 | 6 HR | 32 RBI | 50 career HRs (3rd in FSU history)

🌀 Pitching Power by Committee:

• Ashtyn Danley: 1.51 ERA | 51 IP

• Annabelle Widra: 2.20 ERA | 10.0 K:BB ratio

• Julia Apsel: 10–0 | 2.13 ERA

• Jazzy Francik (Freshman): 5 saves | 2.26 ERA | 21 appearances

⚡ Bottom Line: This team has elite depth, relentless bats, and shutdown arms. They’ve outscored the ACC so far 62–15 and are poised to climb even higher.

Next stop: Protect the home turf — and keep the streak alive.

🏊 Ten Noles Dive Into NCAA Championship Week

Let’s go swimming. Ten Florida State athletes are set to compete at the NCAA Men’s Swimming & Diving Championships from March 26–29 in Washington — and they’re bringing serious heat.

🔥 Freshman phenom Michel Arkhangelskiy headlines the squad with top-8 seeds in all three of his events (100 back, 200 back, 100 fly) after breaking four school records at ACCs.

He’s joined by a stacked group of Noles including:

• 🧱 Max Wilson (100 back, 50 & 100 free, relays)

• 🏁 Mason Herbet (100 back, 100 free, 200 IM, relays)

• 🦋 Logan Robinson (200 fly school record holder, relays)

• 🐸 Tommaso Baravelli (200 breast record holder, relays)

• 🌊 Carlos Vargas (platform diving, NCAA debut)

• 🧢 Relay anchors: Yordan Yanchev, Sam Bork, Utku Kurtdere, Gustav Olsson

🏅 FSU qualified for all 5 relays for the second straight year — a sign of elite depth.

🕐 Prelims start 1 PM ET daily (Diving at 3:15 PM), Finals at 9 PM
📺 Watch all sessions live on ESPN+

Coach Neal Studd: “The men are coming into NCAAs riding high and looking to do something special.”

Let’s ride. 🏊‍♂️🍢

🎓 Four Noles Earn Academic All-District Honors

Brains and buckets. Florida State Women’s Basketball saw four players named to the 2024–25 Academic All-District Team, honoring excellence on the court and in the classroom.

🏆 Makayla Timpson – Psychology
Program record holder in rebounds (350) and blocks (103) this season. First Team All-ACC. Set career highs across the board. Set to graduate in May.

🏆 O’Mariah Gordon – Sport Management
Surpassed 1,000 career points, notched her first double-double, and dropped a career-best 34 at Miami. Also graduating in May.

🎯 Carla Viegas – Media & Comm. Studies
Hit 43% from deep, draining 63 threes on the season. Started 17 games as a sophomore sniper.

🛡 Amaya Bonner – Sport Management
A defensive spark plug with +40 impact in the NCAA opener vs. George Mason. Season-high 83 rebounds and 6 assists in that game alone.

📚 Timpson and Gordon now advance to the Academic All-America ballot, with winners announced April 16.

Smart. Tough. Seminoles. 🏀🎓

⛳ Noles Notch 3rd at Valspar, Clanton & Bigham Shine

Another top-3 for the Noles. No. 11 Florida State Men’s Golf finished third at the Valspar Collegiate at the Floridian Golf Club, closing at 22-under and beating six ranked teams — including No. 1 Auburn, No. 7 Oklahoma, and No. 8 UNC.

🔥 Luke Clanton grinded through 126 holes in 5 days, finishing 7th overall at 10-under (203) with rounds of 66-69-68.

💥 Jack Bigham posted a career-low 65 in the final round, carding seven birdies and an eagle on 13 to help seal third place. He finished 11th at 7-under (206).

🏌️‍♂️ Other Scores:

• Gray Albright: 1-under (T-37th)

• Tyler Weaver: Even-par (T-42nd) with a strong final-round 69

📊 FSU now owns four top-3 finishes in four events this spring. Rolling. ⛳

🎓🏀 Academic Excellence + All-America Honors for Noles Hoopers

On and off the court, the Noles are making noise.

📘 Jamir Watkins capped a stellar season by earning CSC Academic All-District honors, becoming the only player in the ACC named to both an All-ACC team and the Academic All-District list. The senior averaged 18.4 PPG, hit the 1,500 career point mark, and led FSU in scoring, threes, and minutes — all while maintaining a 3.56 GPA in social science.

📅 He’ll walk across the stage at the Donald L. Tucker Center on May 3, proudly becoming the first in his family to earn a college degree.

🌟 Watkins now advances to the Academic All-America ballot — national honors to be announced soon.

👑 On the women’s side, Ta’Niya Latson and Makayla Timpson were named WBCA All-America Finalists, among the top 50 players in the nation.

• Latson: Nation’s leading scorer (25.2 PPG), fastest to 2K points in FSU history, and holder of the FSU single-season scoring record (731)

• Timpson: FSU all-time leader in rebounds (1,094) and double-doubles (46), with a Power 4-best 3.12 blocks/game

📅 The 10-member WBCA All-America team will be announced April 3.

📚🏀 Brains, buckets, and banners — that’s the Seminole way.

💥 FSU Making Moves with 4⭐ Edge Cam Brooks

Cam Brooks can’t stay away. The four-star edge rusher from Thomas County Central (GA) made yet another visit to Tallahassee — his most frequent stop by far — and got his first look at FSU’s new defensive staff in action.

👀 “They’re flying around now,” Brooks told Warchant. “Just seeing it is different. I’m ready to see it in the game.”

🏈 The 6’2.5”, 225-pounder projects as a “Jack” linebacker in Tony White’s scheme. Brooks also met new DL coach Terrance Knighton for the first time and was sold on his no-nonsense approach:
🗣 “Straight up, straight honest… He don’t sugarcoat nothing.”

📍Fellow contenders: Cal and Ohio State are also in the mix, but Brooks said FSU is still high on his board — and he’s likely back on campus next week.

✨ “Florida State was the dream school growing up,” he said. “You’ve got an opportunity 30 minutes away to see that dream school — you’re gonna see it.”

Read more here

🚀 Elite 2026 RB Carsyn Baker Locked in for April Visit

Speed is coming to Tally. 🏃‍♂️💨 On300 RB Carsyn Baker (Fairburn, GA) will make his first visit to Florida State on April 1–2, with an official visit already set for May 30.

🔥 The 2026 blue-chip back — who clocked 10.6 in the 100m — is FSU’s top RB target, with Coach David “YAC” Johnson leading the charge.

🗣 “Can’t wait to see practice and how Coach Norvell and Coach YAC are,” Baker told On3.
📈 He’s high on FSU’s development track: “The way people and prospects are being developed… and the great program Coach Norvell has established.”

Baker ran for 1,282 yards and 13 TDs as a junior and ranks as On3’s No. 11 RB and No. 138 prospect overall in the 2026 class.

📍FSU’s battling Ohio State, Georgia, South Carolina, and Clemson — but the Noles are very much in it.

And that’s a wrap!

From grand slams in Jax to dominance on the diamond, the green, and in the classroom, this edition showed what makes Florida State different — competitive, connected, and climbing.

💥 Lodise went legend.
🥎 Softball’s firing on all cylinders.
🏊‍♂️ Swimmers are chasing titles.
📚 And our athletes? Winning in more ways than one.

With April around the corner, stay ready — spring camp battles, postseason pushes, and recruiting visits are just getting started.

Catch you in the next Brief. 🍢