Florida State 2012 Baseball World Series Capsule

Florida State Seminoles
ACC (43-12, 24-6)

 
The man simply known as number 11, Mike Martin, in 2012 has rolled out his usual explosive offensive baseball team down at Dick Howser Stadium. The Seminoles for the most part have rolled through their ACC Schedule with sweeps over Virginia and Miami. Florida State has been the model of consistency in college baseball since the year 2000 as they have won the most games in college baseball at well over 600. This year’s squad also has had a great knack of winning the close game and, thanks to Robert Beincasa’s sub 1.00 ERA, that should play a huge factor in June when the games became a lot more down to the wire. Having a lock-down closer could very well be the difference between winning a national championship or going home early in the postseason.

Big Wins: 3/17 thru 3/19 vs. Virginia, (12-3), (4-3), (7-5), 4/20 thru 4/22 vs. Miami, (11-2), (6-1), (8-7)
Bad Losses: 2/24 vs. Florida International (5-8), 3/25 at Wake Forest (5-7), 4/4 vs. Florida Gulf Coast (1-5), 4/15 at Boston College (6-17), 5/7 vs. Maryland (5-8)
Coach: Mike Martin (33 seasons at Florida State)

Why They Can Surprise:
If Compton and Leibrandt step up and pitch like veterans, the quest to Omaha and a national championship for Mike Martin and company will become a lot easier path. The Seminoles can score runs and are led by James Ramsey.  Ramsey is hitting nearly .400 and getting on base almost 54 percent of the time.  Having an offensive force like that is huge for the Seminoles. Jayce Boyd and Devon Travis are both hitting well over .300 and complement Ramsey nicely. So teams can’t completely pitch around anyone in the heart of the lineup. They also could surprise because of the chip on their shoulder that they have after getting bounced at home in the Super Regional last year against Texas A&M in the decisive third and decisive game by a score of 11-2.

Why They Can Disappoint:
The losses in third games of ACC series against inferior opponents is a potential red flag. Teams that win in Omaha in June have that ability to apply the knockout punch and losing to the likes of Maryland and Boston College is not exactly an encouraging sign. Thus, pitching depth and relying on two talented freshmen, Mike Compton and Brandon Leibrandt, could be a concern in postseason if the Seminoles were to unexpectedly lose a game against a lesser tournament opponent. The schedule in conference play has been very generous in missing North Carolina and getting UVA and Miami at home. Also, when they have gone out of conference on the road against the likes of Florida, they have not gotten the job done. Only a win at Stetson sticks out as a good road win.

Key Field Players:
James Ramsey, Senior, Outfielder, .380 BA, 11 HR, 45 RBI
Jayce Boyd, Junior, Infielder, .399 BA, 54 RBI
Devon Travis, Junior, Infielder, .315 BA, 32 RBI
Sherman Johnson, Senior, Infielder, .274 BA, 27 RBI

Key Pitchers:
Mike Compton, Freshman, Starting Pitcher, 2.96 ERA, 10-1 W/L, 70.0 IP, 50 SO
Brandon Leibrandt, Freshman, Starting Pitcher, 2.93 ERA, 6-2 W/L, 73.2 IP, 61 SO
Robert Beincasa, Junior, Closer, 0.56 ERA, 4-0 W/L, 32.0 IP, 45 SO, 13 SV

By the Numbers:
Batting Average: .285 (94th in nation, 5th in conference)
Scoring Offense: 6.8 (21, 3)
Doubles per Game: 2.16 (10, 2)
Triples per Game: 0.18 (194, 10)
Home Runs per Game: 0.62 (71, 8)
Slugging Percentage: .417 (53, 5)
Stolen Bases per Game: 1.04 (128, 9)
Earned Run Average: 3.49 (61, 6)
Fielding Percentage: .969 (89, 5)
Double Plays per Game: 0.95 (39, 5)

Recent Postseason Appearances:

*all team stats through 5/20

 
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