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College World Series 2017: Power ranking the field

By Carly Regehr

Jun 13, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; General view of logo before the 2015 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports
Jun 13, 2015; Omaha, NE, USA; General view of logo before the 2015 College World Series at TD Ameritrade Park. Mandatory Credit: Steven Branscombe-USA TODAY Sports /
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Sep 12, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles mascot Chief Osceola and Renegade cheer on their team during the game against the University of South Florida Bulls at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 12, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles mascot Chief Osceola and Renegade cheer on their team during the game against the University of South Florida Bulls at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports /

5. Florida State Seminoles

Florida State’s been a hit or miss this season; they win when it matters, but there’s some inconvenience in their losses. And one can’t talk about Florida State without mentioning Mike Martin, one of the most legendary head coaches in Division I baseball history. Martin’s extremely level-headed and fares pretty well in the postseason (64-percent winning percentage).

They’ll also have the luxury of 1B Drew Mendoza and SS Taylor Walls, both of whom have exceeded expectations in this year’s tournament. Unfortunately for LSU, they’re not the only two ‘Noles whose numbers need to be limited in Game 2. LSU’s Kramer Robertson and Cole Freeman will have to do some baseball acrobatics around two of Florida State’s top-performing pitchers, Tyler Holton and Drew Parrish.

While Florida State has had the pleasure of taking center stage at the College World Series, bad luck has always followed close behind. In the 1999 College World Series, Florida State duked it out with Cal State-Fullerton and Texas A&M, but took a 6-5 loss to Miami in the championship game. The following year, Florida State would register wins against Texas and Southern Cal, but then bumped into LSU in the semifinals.

At that time, LSU was a No. 2 seed and Florida State was placed a few spots further down the rankings. The result of that LSU-Florida State game in 1999 would be the reason why Florida State missed the rest of the tournament. With that kind of background to the rivalry, this year’s LSU-Florida State match-up could turn out to be as spicy as Louisiana hot sauce.