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Sunday Seminoles Summary: Softball Rocking, Basketball Transacting, Baseball Stagnating, and other FSU sports news

Catching you up on the latest in Florida State Seminoles athletics

By FrankDNole
/ new
Charles Mays Media/Tomahawk Nation

Just in case you missed the last ‘TN Triple-S’ coverage of Florida State Seminoles athletics, here is the recap: Sunday Seminoles Summary: Softball sweeps Clemson, Beach Volleyball digging, Baseball balking, and other FSU sports news.

This week:

  • The Men’s basketball team made some noise this week. The Seminoles hoops lost a Cleveland and a R-Jay, but kept a Baba, gained a Nickelberry, went out and got themselves another Nickelberry, and then added a Watkins just for good measure.
    I think I overheard the Tomahawk Nation basketball guru’s say that all things considered, it was a net gain for the basketball team.
  • The Softball team continues rocking and rolling by taking the weekend series from the Virginia Cavaliers after splitting the first two games.
  • The baseball team has not won a series against another team in over a month.
  • The Beach Volleyball teams’ regular season is now over. The Noles finished their season with an overall record of 29-5, and 10-2 at home. They await their invitations to the CCSA and NCAA Championship tournaments.
  • Other sports and cool stuff.

Tomahawk Nation is committed to keeping you up to date on all of the Florida State sports information that we are able to source, AND NEVER BEHIND A PAYWALL.

Feel free to include any other FSU related news of any kind that we may have missed in the comment section.

Most of the summaries below are courtesy of Tomahawk Nation, FSU SID, and the Twitters.

Men’s Basketball

The Florida State Seminoles basketball team continues their roster makeover with their second transfer commitment of the week. Jamir Watkins, a forward out of VCU, announced that he will be suiting up for the Seminoles next season....{continued}

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Florida State Seminoles basketball got some welcome news from the transfer portal on Friday, with guard Josh Nickelberry committing to the Seminoles.

Nickelberry averaged 10.3 points a game for the La Salle Explorers this past season, his second with the team after starting his career with the Louisville Cardinals.

As a high school player in the 2019 class, he was considered a four-star prospect and the No. 17 shooting guard in the country by the 247Sports Composite....{continued}

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Florida State men’s basketball has hired Georgetown associate head coach Kevin Nickelberry as an assistant coach, the program announced on Friday.

Nickelberry spent one year with the Hoyas after three years with the LSU Tigers, serving as an assistant coach as well as interim head coach in 2022....{continued}

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Florida State freshman forward Baba Miller will return to the Seminoles next season, as first reported by ESPN and confirmed by Tomahawk Nation on Friday.

Miller, who came to Tallahassee after starting his career with Real Madrid, missed half of the 2022-2023 season after being suspended by the NCAA for receiving financial assistance to travel to the United States to participate in a basketball camp — which was promptly paid back....{continued}

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The Florida State Seminoles basketball team went through one of their worst years ever during the 2022-2023 season. Season ending injuries combined with record setting losses sunk a team that looked promising heading into the summer. One bright spot was sophomore Matthew Cleveland, who averaged nearly 14 points a game for the Seminoles....{continued}

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Florida State men’s basketball assistant coach R-Jay Barsh is leaving for a similar position with the Gonzaga Bulldogs....{continued}

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  • Raiquan Gray made his NBA debut for LastNoleofKrypton’s beloved Brooklyn Nets; he won’t be on the playoff roster but it was an impressive performance in the last game of the regular season:

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*BRAND SPANKING NEW:*

Is Florida State back to being a football school, or will the basketball team get to the Final Four in 2024?

This is the place we’ve set up for our members to discuss the Florida State Seminoles men and women’s basketball teams, with any breaking news, recruiting, players eligible for the NBA Draft, and any other basketball related news you may want to bring up for discussion....{Continued}

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Robert Johnson went to the crossroads and sold his soul to the devil, but unless you know something I don’t, that’s probably not an option for FSU basketball. The ‘Noles will stay earthbound, and likely tie the record for most losses in program history...{continued}

Softball

MACK LEONARD IS A HUGE FOREIGNER FAN!
Charles Mays Media/Tomahawk Nation

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Due to weather on Sunday, Florida State softball played a double header abasing Virginia on Saturday. The night before, FSU got the series opening win versus the Cavaliers, with the power of Katie Dack...{continued}

Charles Mays Media/Tomahawk Nation

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Charles Mays Media/Tomahawk Nation

The first game of Player’s Weekend against the Virginia Cavaliers had a matchup of Kathryn Sandercock for Florida State, and Molly Grube for UVA.

Right out of the gate, the Hoos started with a lead off triple from Jade Hylton. Sandercock secured the first out, but Hylton crossed home on a ground out. Sandercock and her defense ended the inning, but UVA claimed the first run....{continued}

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Charles Mays Media/Tomahawk Nation

The 27-13 Cavaliers are 7-8 in the ACC this season, after ending their 2022 in the National Invitational Softball Championship. After not earning a NCAA Tournament bid last season, coach Joanna Hardin has her Hoos looking for a more impressive season...{continued}

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FSU pitcher Katyrn Sandercock was awarded the ACC Co-Pitcher of the Week title on Tuesday after her performance against No. 4 Clemson last weekend. This is the sixth time she has earned this title in her career, and the second time this season:

Sandercock shut down one of the top offenses in the country this past weekend as she picked up a win and two saves against the Tigers. In total, Sandercock pitched 11.1 innings and allowed just one earned run in three separate appearances. Sandercock allowed just six hits while striking out five batters. She threw a complete game in the second game of the series holding the Tigers to just one run. Sandercock is now 13-3 this season and has won her last six decisions. During ACC play, Sandercock has allowed just two earned run in 35.1 innings.

She picked up her fourth and fifth saves of the season to tie the single season school record for saves in a single season and is now just two saves away from being the school record holder for saves in a career.

Charles Mays Media/Tomahawk Nation
Charles Mays Media/Tomahawk Nation
Charles Mays Media/Tomahawk Nation

Beach Volleyball

  • SEMINOLES SPLIT DAY ONE OF CENTER OF EFFORT

San Luis Obispo, Calif. – The No. 4 Florida State Seminoles split day one of the Center of Effort Challenge, winning against No. 11 Long Beach State and losing to No. 2 USC.

FSU 4, No. 11 LBSU 1

The Noles got off to a hot start on court three. Jordan Polo and Anna Long made quick work in the first set, winning 21-14. The second set was closer but Polo and Long were able to hang on and win 21-18.

Caitlin Moon and Raelyn White won their first set 21-17. The pair then had a rocky start to the second set but pulled out a 21-19 win.

Carra Sassack and Audrey Koenig took court two to three sets. The pair won the first set 21-18, then dropped the second set 21-13. The third set was back-and-forth, but LBSU was able to pull out the 15-13 win, giving them their first dual point of the match.

Alexis Durish and Makenna Wolfe were also in a three-set fight on court five. The pair lost the first set 21-18, then took the second set to extra points before winning 22-20. The third set was all Wolfe and Durish, the pair won 15-7 and gave the Noles their third dual point of the match.

There was yet another three-set match on court one with Maddie Anderson and Paige Kalkhoff winning the first set 21-14, then dropping the second a close 21-18. The third set was where Anderson and Kalkhoff found their groove, winning 15-10.

FSU 2, No. 2 USC 3

Another rematch of the 2022 National Championship and it did not disappoint.

Caitlin Moon and Raelyn White continued their streak from the earlier matches, winning the first set 21-16. The pair stayed hot in the second set and won 21-17.

Carra Sassack and Audrey Koenig kept both sets close as the pair lost both sets 21-19.

Anna Long and Jordan Polo fought hard on court two. The pair lost the first set 21-17 and had a back and forth second set that ended with USC getting the win 21-19.

Maddie Anderson and Paige Kalkhoff had a rocky start to the first set losing 21-14. The pair battled back in the second set and there were multiple lead changes before USC took the win 21-18.

Makenna Wolfe and Alexis Durish took court five to three sets. In the first set USC came out hot and won 21-15. Wolfe and Durish recovered nicely and took the second set to extra points before winning 21-23. The third set was a close one, but Wolfe and Durish found their groove and won 15-11.

The Noles will take on No. 7 LMU at 3:45 p.m. ET tomorrow before being placed for their last match of the challenge based off the result of the LMU match.

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Baseball

Friday Night Results

Florida State (13-20, 4-11) dropped a rain delayed game to NC State (22-11, 5-9) 14-3.

The game got off to a good start for the ‘Noles as FSU had runners on second and third from two walks and a passed ball. Unfortunately they also had two outs due to strike outs and couldn’t bring anything home. In the second Jordan Carrion got things started with a single and was brought home on Nander DeSedas’s fourth home run of the year giving Florida State a 2-0 lead....{continued}

Ferrer home run 4/6 Clemson
Peyton Baker/Tomahawk Nation

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The struggling Florida State baseball team received a significant blow tonight when their fears were confirmed that star pitcher Wyatt Crowell would be out for the season. The junior posted to social media this evening thanking doctors for a successful surgery....{continued}

Peyton Baker/Tomahawk Nation

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Once again Florida State (13-19, 4-11) wasted a good start by Ben Barrett and blew a late lead falling to Florida (28-6, 9-3) 5-3.

Barrett threw five innings of one hit ball striking out two and surrendering just two walks. He was very efficient with his pitches, totaling just 64 on the night. Barrett has put together a few nice starts now and will probably get a shot in the weekend rotation going forward....{continued}

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Sophomore Jackson Baumeister was named the Perfect Game and NCBWA National Pitcher of the Week for his performance last week against Clemson. He was previously named the ACC Pitcher of the Week for his game against the Tigers. All three honors are the first career weekly accolades for Baumeister and for a Seminole this season.

Baumeister, from Jacksonville, set career-highs with 7.0 innings pitched and 14 strikeouts in FSU’s 5-1 victory over the Tigers. Baumeister threw 110 pitches in the contest and allowed just four hits, two walks and did not allow a run.

Peyton Baker/Tomahawk Nation

Women’s Basketball

  • Another incredible honor for Ta’Niya Latson:

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  • School-Record Seven Seminoles Make All-ACC Women’s Basketball Academic Team

Florida State Women’s Basketball established its own program record with seven selections to the 2022-23 All-ACC Women’s Basketball Academic Team, announced on Thursday afternoon by the conference.

Minimum academic requirements for selection to the All-ACC Academic Team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Academic Team.

Earning selections to this year’s team, each for the second time, are sophomores O’Mariah Gordon and Makayla Timpson. Gordon majors in Sport Management while Timpson, who was the ACC’s Most Improved Player, is a Pre-Mechanical Engineering major.

Redshirt senior Erin Howard was also added to the team as a Sport Management major. The Madison, Wis., native finishes her collegiate basketball career having at least one 3-point field goal in 26 straight games.

Graduate forward Valencia Myers, the school’s all-time leader with 145 games played, earned a selection as a Marketing and Management major. The Solon, Ohio, native is closing in on her second degree earned at Florida State University, completing her Bachelor’s Degree in Interdisciplinary Social Science.

Graduate Taylor O’Brien, a welcomed transfer from Bucknell this past season, was named to the All-ACC Academic Team as a Sport Management major. O’Brien proved to be one of FSU’s best two-way players this past season and ends her collegiate career with 1,279 career points between her time with the Bison and the Seminoles.

Freshman Brianna “Snoop” Turnage and sophomore Mariana Valenzuela round out FSU’s selections. Turnage is a Criminology major with the potential to elevate the Seminoles in the coming years. Valenzuela majors in Communication Studies and is one of the top knock-down shooters in the ACC, shooting 49.7 percent from the floor this season.

Florida State’s seven selections breaks its previous school record of four, which occurred multiple years in 2006, 2017, 2021 and 2022.

Golf

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Junior Charlotte Heath finished in a tie for fifth place in the individual standings, and the Seminole Women’s Golf Team finished in fifth place in the team standings as stroke play at the 34th Annual ACC Women’s Golf Championships at the Sedgefield Country Club came to a close. Heath earned the best ACC Championships finish of her career as she carded a 2 under par score of 70 in the third and final round to finish with a 5 under par tournament score of 211. Seminole senior Amelia Williamson finished in a tie for 15th place in the individual standings, as Florida State finished as one of five teams with multiple players who finished in the top 15 of the individual standings.

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  • The No. 7 Florida State men’s golf team made history on Tuesday by tying a program record to win the Lewis Chitengwa Memorial Tournament held at Birdwood Golf Course in Charlottesville, Virginia. The team shot an impressive 41-under par to clinch the victory:

The 41-under team score matches the program-low set in 2014 at the USF Invitational. FSU’s three-round aggregate score of 811 (264-274-273) is the second-lowest in school history. The same team established a low of 805 at the Maui Jim Intercollegiate this past fall.

Soccer

From FSU:

Coaches and members of the team will be on hand to lead participants through drills designed to kindle fun and a love for the game. FSU’s Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD) and the FSU Autism Institute are hosts of the event.

Kickin’ it for Autism aims to raise awareness of autism and related disabilities but the goal is for participants to have fun, said Cathy Zenko, director of CARD.

“You don’t have to be good at soccer or a great athlete; you just have to want to have fun and learn something,” she said. “Any age, any neurodiversity, any soccer skill level is welcome and if you need any accommodations, we’ll make them.”

Sarah Buckley, director of operations for FSU’s soccer team, said the event is one that the players look forward to every year.

“They develop their own drills and they’re in charge of showing how to do it and encouraging others,” Buckley said. “It’s a chance for the community to get to know the individuals on our team. I know our players want to help raise awareness, and this is one event where we can do that.”

That awareness echoes long after the event, Zenko said.

“If you’re not around people with autism you might not recognize it or you might have misconceptions,” she said. “One great effect of this event is that you create natural ambassadors in the community who continue to raise awareness.”

In many respects, the event sells itself, she said.

“For the early bird registration, you get a T-shirt, food from Gordo’s and Hungry Howie’s and learn soccer tips and tricks from the reigning ACC champions for $10,” she said. “We would love for this to be our biggest year yet.”

Kickin’ it for Autism takes place from 2‑4 p.m. Sunday, April 23 at the FSU Soccer Complex.

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It has been about two weeks since Florida State fell to North Carolina in the first national semifinal game. Therefore enough time has passed to allow us to evaluate the season a bit more dispassionately. We will also discuss the (very) early prospects for next season.

These are real questions posed by real people in the sense that they are actual questions (they end in a question mark) and I am a real person. I have written all of the questions....{continued}

Track & Field

  • SEMINOLES SET HIGH MARKS ON THE FIRST DAY OF TOM JONES MEMORIAL IN GAINESVILLE

Florida State’s track and field teams put on a show on the first day of the Tom Jones Memorial meet in Gainesville, Fla. on Friday.

Jeremiah Davis, competing for the first time outdoors this season, won the invitational division in the long lump with an NCAA-leading leap of 8.19 meters, which is the third-best long jump in FSU track and field history.

Freshman sprinter Dajaz DeFrand’s time of 22.77 in the women’s 200 meter dash is the best in the ACC so far, the fifth fastest in FSU history and among the Top 10 times in the event so this year.

Allyson Churchill led all Seminoles in the 1,500 meters with a third-place finish in a time of 4:15.38. Her time is an NCAA Regional qualifying mark and is among the Top 4 times in the ACC this season. Finishing just two spots behind her was teammate Yasmine Abbes with a time of 4:19.98.

David Mullarkey’s time of 3:43.56 in the men’s 1,500 meters was good for third place and is among the Top 10 all-time in the Seminole record books. Also finishing third in their event were Curtis Williams in the college long jump with a best leap of 7.60 meters, and Anna Sentner in the women’s 5,000 meters with a time of 17:27.04.

Stella Weinberg’s throw of 48.09 meters in the women’s javelin was fifth-best in the field.

A complete list of FSU’s results on Friday follows and the Seminoles will close out the meet Saturday with a full day of competition.

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  • On Tuesday, the ACC announced the 2023 All-ACC All-ACC Men’s and Women’s Indoor Track and Field Academic Teams, which consist of student-athletes who have achieved a 3.0 GPA for the previous semester and have maintained a 3.0 cumulative average throughout their academic career. To qualify, the student-athletes must have participated in the ACC Indoor Track and Field Championships and/or the NCAA Indoor Championships during the most recent season.

21 Florida State student-athletes made it to the team:

  • Agnes McTighe, Media/Communication Studies/NFA
  • Alexandra Webster, Interdisciplinary Social Science
  • Alyson Churchill, Psychology/International Affairs
  • Amani Heaven, Digital Media Production
  • Ava Klein, Biochemistry
  • Bieke Schipperen, Management, NFA
  • Caitlin Wilkey, Sports Management
  • Caisa-Marie Lindfors, Psychology
  • Coleman Cronk, Marketing, NFA
  • Ella Madison, Clinical Professions
  • Emmy Van Den Berg, Pre-Public Health
  • Faith Banks, Gr.-Project Management
  • James Rivera, Interdisciplinary Social Science
  • Patrick Donnelly, Sports Management
  • Riley Simmons, Pre-Political Science
  • Samuel Field, Sports Management
  • Suus Altorf, Pre-Exercise Physiology
  • Taylor Banks, Public Health
  • Victoria Josse, Pre-Social Science
  • Yasmine Abbes, Psychology
  • Zachary Cloud, Exercise Physiology

Men’s Tennis

  • No. 19 Florida State falls to No. 16 North Carolina

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – The No. 19 Florida State men’s tennis team fell to No. 19 UNC 4-1 on Friday afternoon at the Chapel Hill Tennis Club.

“Tonight’s match was a very hard fought match, between two very good teams ranked in the top 25,” head coach Dwayne Hultquist said. “We got off to a quick break at doubles on court No. 2, and doubles was essential in winning tonight, but North Carolina got the doubles point.”

North Carolina secured the 1-0 lead after winning doubles matches on court No. 1 and court No. 3.

Antoine Cornut-Chauvinc and Joshua Dous-Karpenschif defeated the No. 36-ranked doubles pair of Brian Cernoch and Benjamin Kittay 6-3 on court No. 2. This was the pair’s first ranked doubles win of the season, and their seventh win in their last eight matches.

The Tar Heels opened singles scoring with a 6-2, 6-3 win on court No. 3, and then No. 121 Karl Poling’s win on court No. 3 brought North Carolina to match point.

Cornut-Chauvinc earned the Seminoles a point in singles play with a 6-3, 6-4 straight-set victory on court No. 1. Friday’s win over No. 45 Brian Cernoch earned Cornut-Chauvinc his 10th ranked win of the season.

The match was clinched by the Tar Heels on court No. 2 after No. 45 Ryan Seggerman’s 6-4, 6-3 victory.

“Antoine played well and got another top ranked win on the season,” Hultquist said. “We had other opportunities that did not go our way and hopefully some of those breaks fall our way next time.”

Florida State is now 17-6 on the season and 8-3 in the ACC. The Seminoles round out the regular season when they travel to play No. 13 Duke on Sunday. Live stats and live video will be available on Seminoles.com.

Women’s Tennis

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Swimming & Diving

The Florida State swimming and diving teams placed 30 student-athletes on the 2023 All-ACC Academic teams.

The men’s team produced a league-leading 15 selections, which tied NC State.

“We are so proud of our student-athletes that were recognized,” FSU head coach Neal Studd said. “Florida State is one of the best public schools in the nation and we take pride in holding ourselves to a high academic standard. These 30 Seminoles have represented FSU at the highest level both in our sport and academically and we’re thrilled they’re being recognized for their hard work.”

Tazman Abramowicz, Arijus Pavlidi, Nick Mason, Jesco Helling, Izzy Gregersen, Jenny Halden, Maddie McDonald and Anna Metzler also earned CSC (College Sports Communicators) Academic All-District Honors for NCAA Division I Swimming and Diving prior to the end of the 2022-23 season.

Mason was also honored as one of Florida State’s ACC Postgraduate Scholarship winners.

Academic requirements for selection to the team are a 3.0 grade point average for the previous semester and a 3.0 cumulative average during one’s academic career. In addition, student-athletes must have competed in the ACC Swimming and Diving Championships and/or the NCAA Championships during the most recent season.

Other Cool Stuff

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  • Florida State University’s chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Management (SAM) teams, comprised entirely of students majoring in commercial entrepreneurship and is housed in the Jim Moran College of Entrepreneurship, won Chapter of the Year for the third consecutive year.

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The Tomahawk Nation podcast channel, presented by SB Nation, features insider Seminoles recruiting, football, basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer analysis and commentary, featuring shows hosted by staff writers Tim Alumbaugh, Matt Minnick, Michael Rogner, Brian Pellerin, and Ben Meyerson, featuring contributions by Joshua Pick, David Stout, Jon Marchant, Max Escarpio and the entire Tomahawk Nation staff, produced by managing editor Perry Kostidakis....{continued}

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