{"id":154103,"date":"2026-02-13T06:49:12","date_gmt":"2026-02-13T06:49:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/154103\/"},"modified":"2026-02-13T06:49:12","modified_gmt":"2026-02-13T06:49:12","slug":"no-16-fsu-opens-2026-season-at-home-vs-james-madison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/154103\/","title":{"rendered":"No. 16 FSU Opens 2026 Season at Home vs. James Madison"},"content":{"rendered":"

TALLAHASSEE \u2013 The No. 16 Florida State baseball team begins the 2026 season with a series against James Madison from February 13-15 at Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee, Florida.
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\nOpening Day is on Friday, February 13, with first pitch now set for 6 p.m. ET. Game two is on Saturday, February 14, at 2 p.m., and opening weekend concludes on Sunday, February 15, at 1 p.m.
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\nLimited tickets remain for all three games at Seminoles.com\/Tickets<\/a> or by calling the FSU ticket office at 850-644-1830. Admission is free for all FSU students with their FSUID, with the student entrance at the right field gate at Haggard Plaza. All gates at Dick Howser Stadium will open 60 minutes prior to first pitch for every game in 2026.
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\nFriday’s Opening Day will feature a schedule magnet giveaway for the first 1,000 fans, and it is a double Spear It Rewards game for students. The Marching Chiefs will perform on the field pregame. Each regular-season Saturday home game is Military Saturday Presented by VyStar, with military recognitions and the playing of God Bless America during the seventh inning stretch. Every Sunday regular-season home game is Sunday Funday, where Kids Club members and youth wearing their little league jerseys will be admitted free, and kids 12 and under will be allowed to run the bases postgame. Mardi Gras beads also will be available Sunday while supplies last.
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\nAll three games will be streamed live on ACC Network Extra<\/a> (Friday<\/a> | Saturday<\/a> | Sunday<\/a>), accessible through your television provider or a subscription to ESPN+. Fans can listen to every game via the Seminole Sports Network, with Friday and Sunday’s games on WFLA 100.7 FM and Saturday’s contest on 96.5 FM The Spear. Every game also is available around the world on the Seminoles Unconquered App<\/a> and Seminoles.com<\/a>. Live stats are at FSU.Statbroadcast.com<\/a> (Friday<\/a> | Saturday<\/a> | Sunday<\/a>). Direct links to watch, listen and follow along can be found on the schedule page at Seminoles.com\/Baseball<\/a>. News, notes and behind-the-scenes updates all weekend are available by following and connecting with the team on social media on Twitter\/X<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> (@FSUBaseball) and Instagram<\/a> (@NoleBaseball).
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\nFriday, February 13 \u2013 6 p.m. ET
\nTickets<\/a>
\nWatch: ACC Network Extra<\/a>
\nListen: WFLA 100.7 FM | Seminoles Unconquered App<\/a> | Seminoles.com<\/a>
\nLive Stats<\/a>
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\nSaturday, February 14 \u2013 2 p.m. ET
\nTickets<\/a>
\nWatch: ACC Network Extra<\/a>
\nListen: WTLY 96.5 | Seminoles Unconquered App<\/a> | Seminoles.com<\/a>
\nLive Stats<\/a>
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\nSunday, February 15 \u2013 1 p.m. ET
\nTickets<\/a>
\nWatch: ACC Network Extra<\/a>
\nListen: WFLA 100.7 FM | Seminoles Unconquered App<\/a> | Seminoles.com<\/a>
\nLive Stats<\/a>
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\nJunior left-hander Wes Mendes<\/a> will get the Opening Day start for the Seminoles against junior righty Griffin Polley. Saturday will see junior lefty Trey Beard<\/a> make his FSU debut against redshirt senior left-hander Tyler Muscar. In Sunday’s finale, a pair of right-handers will square off, as junior Bryson Moore<\/a> will make his Florida State debut against senior Patrick Bauer.
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\nThis year’s FSU-JMU matchup is a rematch of the 2025 season-opening series, where the Seminoles swept the Dukes at Dick Howser Stadium. Florida State and James Madison have opened the season against each other in four of the last five years, with JMU also coming to Tallahassee in 2022 and 2023.
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\nFlorida State begins the 2026 season after a second consecutive NCAA Super Regional appearance in 2025, a first for the program since 2015-17 and one of five teams to reach back-to-back Supers. With a 42-16 record and a 17-10 mark in the ACC, the Seminoles finished second in the league, their best finish since 2014. FSU was one of three ACC teams to win at least 66 percent of its league series and every non-conference series, with six of nine ACC series won and four sweeps in non-conference weekend action.
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\nFSU’s 2026 roster features 16 returners and 22 newcomers after a school-record and nation-leading 11 players were selected in the 2025 MLB Draft. This year’s team includes 19 pitchers, four catchers, nine infielders, two first basemen and six outfielders. Eight are freshmen, one is a redshirt freshman, six are sophomores, 13 are juniors, one is a redshirt junior, four are seniors while two are redshirt seniors and one is a sixth-year. This year’s players hail from 13 states, including 22 from Florida.
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\nAs the Seminoles play their 79th season, they do so with a 3,120-1,227-11 overall record. That includes a 679-361 mark in ACC play and a 211-136 record in 61 NCAA Tournament appearances. Florida State’s .717 winning percentage is second-best in NCAA history, while its 3,120 wins are fifth-most despite a history that is almost half as old as most of its competitors in the top 10.
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\nHead coach Link Jarrett<\/a> begins his fourth season at his alma-mater. He is 415-262 in his first 13 seasons as a head coach and 114-64 in three years in Tallahassee. That includes an 8-0 record in opening series with FSU.
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\nNATIONALLY-RANKED SEMINOLES
\nFlorida State is nationally-ranked in each major poll, including No. 16 in D1Baseball Preseason Top-25. Perfect Game has FSU at No. 9, Baseball America and The Athletic tabbed the Seminoles at No. 12 and the National Collegiate Writers Association (NCBWA) and the Coaches Poll both have Florida State beginning the season at No. 14.
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\nPRESEASON ACCOLADES
\nFSU has earned several preseason honors ahead of the 2026 campaign to go along with its national rankings. Beard and sophomore first baseman Myles Bailey<\/a> both are on several preseason All-America teams, by Perfect Game (Beard first team, Bailey third team), the NCBWA (both second team), D1Baseball (Bailey first team) and Baseball America (Bailey second team). Beard is recognized on the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List, and sophomore catcher Hunter Carns<\/a> is on the Buster Posey Award Preseason Watch List. Baseball America has selected Beard to its Pitcher of the Year Watch List and freshman outfielder John Stuetzer<\/a> to its Freshman of the Year Watch List. Additionally, D1Baseball has tabbed 12 players to its list of top players by position and Perfect Game has six on its top-100 players by class list.
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\nSERIES HISTORY VS. JAMES MADISON
\nFlorida State is 9-0 all-time against James Madison, with a trio of season-opening sweeps in Tallahassee, in 2022, 2023 and 2025. The perfect record includes a 6-0 mark in Jarrett’s tenure, since 2023. FSU has scored 10 or more runs in five of the nine games, with two shutouts in the series, both in 2025. A 13-2 win in 2022 is the Seminoles’ largest margin of victory, while a 17-10 triumph is the highest-scoring game. The 2025 finale was a 10-0 win in eight innings for the Garnet and Gold, two games after the first shutout, 6-0 that opened the campaign.
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\nOne year ago, Florida State began the 2025 season with a home sweep of James Madison from February 14-16. The Seminoles out-scored the Dukes 25-2 and out-hit them 32-10.
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\nIn the 6-0 season-opening win left-handed starter Jamie Arnold<\/a> allowed just one hit in 6.0 shutout innings with eight strikeouts and second baseman Drew Faurot<\/a> hit a three-run home run in the third inning. On Saturday, four home runs helped FSU to a 9-2 triumph. Faurot homered again along with right fielder Gage Harrelson<\/a>, center fielder Max Williams<\/a> and shortstop Alex Lodise<\/a>. Sunday was a 10-0 victory in eight innings, as nine players had at least one hit and six notched two or more. FSU stole eight bases, the most since at least 2016, and lefty Wes Mendes<\/a> held JMU to two hits with a career-best eight strikeouts in 5.0 innings.
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\nRecaps and box scores can be found here: Friday<\/a> | Saturday<\/a> | Sunday<\/a>
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\nSCOUTING THE DUKES
\nJames Madison is coming off a 17-38 season in 2025. The Dukes were 13th in the Sun Belt with a 10-20 mark. Eight position players and 11 pitchers are back in 2026 and 21 players departed. The roster features 18 newcomers.
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\nPitcher Max Kuhle has been named to the NCBWA Stopper of the Year Preseason Watch List.
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\nUP NEXT: MIDWEEK IN JACKSONVILLE
\nFlorida State begins a four-game roadtrip with a midweek matchup at in-state foe Jacksonville on Tuesday, February 17. First pitch at John Sessions Stadium is set for 6 p.m. ET. Following a weekend trip to Arlington, Texas, for the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series from February 20-22, FSU returns home on Wednesday, February 25, at 5 p.m., to face North Florida to open a season-long nine-game homestand. Tickets are available at Seminoles.com\/Tickets<\/a>.
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\nFor more information on Florida State baseball, check Seminoles.com for the latest news and scheduling information, and keep up with the team on social media through Twitter\/X<\/a> and Facebook<\/a> (@FSUBaseball) & Instagram<\/a> (@NoleBaseball).
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