FSU baseball College World Series staff predictions

As Florida State enters the 2017 College World Series, the staff here at Tomahawk Nation gives you our predictions on how far we think the Seminoles will survive as well as who we believe the Florida State “MVP” will be.

Curt Weiler:

FSU's draw is by far the more difficult one. Game one provides a matchup against maybe the hottest team and pitcher in the field in LSU and Alex Lange. Get past that and it's likely you will have to deal with top seed Oregon State. all of the above is going to make what comes next even weirder.

Call it a gut feeling or whatever else, but my honest prediction after days of pondering is that FSU makes it out of the group and into the championship game against all odds. From there, I'm not sure what happens, but that's my prediction and I'm sticking to it.

MVP: Jackson Lueck

Andrew Miller:

I just want to preface this by saying wow. I still can’t believe Florida State is playing in this year’s College World Sereis. Now onto my prediction....

I honestly have no idea how Florida State is going to perform. I would say they are aided with the pitchers park that TD Ameritrade Stadium is, which will give the pitches a little more leeway, and will allow FSU’s power hitters to smash it up the gaps. Ultimately, it all comes down to pitching. If Tyler Holton and Drew Parrish are able to give FSU a good six innings, that’s the best shot FSU has. If Florida State is forced to go to its bullpen early, things could become ugly.

My prediction, which is more of a guess, is that Florida State goes 1-2, losing to LSU, defeating Cal-State Fullerton in the first elimination game before losing to Oregon State.

MVP: Taylor Walls

Raysnnoles:

It really is exciting to see Florida State back in the College World Series, especially after this team was all but left for dead a month ago. While making it to Omaha is an accomplishment in its self I really do think the Seminoles pose a real threat to make it to the title series despite the opposition. FSU not only has to go through a LSU squad that has won 21 of there last 23 but an Oregon State team that has only lost 4 games all season.

Given the way FSU has improved and performed against the best competition in the country during the past four weeks there is no reason to believe that FSU can't play for that elusive first title. Offensively they challenge opposing pitchers to be perfect, their approach is a struggle for even the best arms. Hitters one through six are pretty locked in right now and even the bottom part of the lineup is having productive at bats, even if that means just working the count or turning the line up over.

The pitching staff is the real reason the Seminoles are where they are right now. They've miraculously found additional starting pitching outside of Tyler Holton which limits amount of innings needed out of a less than stellar bullpen. Defense has been a liability all season and that shouldn't change for the infield position players but where the Noles could benefit is in the outfield. Leuck, Flowers and Wells have a combined nine outfield assists all while committing zero errors, and Flowers ability to cover a lot of ground in a massive park could prove crucial.

Limiting mental mistakes like bad base running and tactical errors; bunting with elite hitters is a must for success. The coaching staff needs to allow the players to play the game and stay out of they way. Despite the confidence that I have in this team I just can't objectively say they are better than Oregon State and in the end I do think the Beavers win the whole thing. Despite the results it was a phenomenal season for the Seminoles and its time to be a fan and just enjoy the kids playing on the biggest stage.

Evenflow58:

My head tells me this team can't do it. FSU's fielding is the worst in the field and they beat themselves too often on the base paths. However, I've been saying this since the 'Noles traveled to Louisville on May 18th and they've only dropped 1 out of the 13 games they've played since. Maybe it's time to believe. After all Florida State has never had better pitching entering Omaha. You don't need a ton of starting pitching to win in Omaha, just a bit and FSU's one-two punch of Holton and Parrish are built for this park. Junk ball pitchers that can fight and hit their spot? Yes, please.

They've continued to hit well and be patient at the plate but most of all they've gotten the most out of the opportunities they've earned. Whether it's a triple in the bottom of the ninth against Auburn to tie up an elimination game or clawing their way out of a 5-1 hole against Sam Houston State FSU has perceived. I'm going to predict that FSU continues to do the impossible and finally brings one home for 11.

Jackson Lueck brings home the MVP of the tournament by hitting line drive after line drive, just as he's done for the last month of the season.

Additionally, I asked Twitter who they thought the FSU “MVP” would be during the 2017 College World Series. Here are some of the answers I received:

What are your predictions for Florida State baseball in the 2017 College World Series? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.