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Sunday Seminoles Summary: Baseball year in review-8 players drafted, FSU Sports Notebook Summer Edition-Soccer, Softball, Women’s Basketball

Sunday Seminoles Summary: Baseball year in review-8 players drafted, FSU Sports Notebook Summer Edition-Soccer, Softball, Women’s Basketball

Welcome back to Tomahawk Nation’s Triple-S, where we attempt to give you the latest results and news from all the Florida State Seminoles sports that don’t begin with “foot.”

If you missed last week’s Triple S recap of all the Seminole sports, you can find it here.

This week in Florida State sports:

The spring semester at Florida State University is officially over and the summer recruiting/transfer season has commenced. With the end of the semester, it is a good time to assess where a few of your favorite teams currently stand.

Tomahawk Nations own Prince Akeem Joffer previews Women’s Basketball, Soccer, and Softball, and gives his Glass Half Empty, Glass Half Full, Additional Thoughts, and Reasonable Goals analysis for those teams’ upcoming 2024-25 season.

  • Florida State softball is being well represented all across the country, and beyond.
  • The volleyball team will be hosting their Garnet and Gold game on August 16th in Tully.
  • Soccer tickets are live.
  • Some other FSU athletic programs made news or saw action this week, and their stories are posted in our recaps below.

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

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


On Wednesday, Florida State baseball broke a program record with six picks in the first two days of the MLB Draft. Sunday evening, James Tibbs became the Seminoles’ highest pick since 2008, being selected 13th by the San Francisco Giants.

Major League Baseball teams validated what the Tallahassee community and college baseball already knew: the 2024 team will be remembered as the team that started it all.

Back in February, not even Link Jarrett’s family could’ve predicted this team’s run. FSU overhauled its roster by crashing the transfer portal and onboarding 26 new players in total. Jarrett quickly infused personality and camaraderie into a flailing program, but there was no guarantee the moves would work. Many of the new Noles wanted a fresh start after not receiving an opportunity at their former institutions.

Along with the pre-season question marks on the field, the Seminoles needed to navigate heartbreak off it. Mike Martin Sr., affectionately known as “Eleven” for his jersey number, passed away on February 1st at 79 years old. The school put on a beautiful ceremony for No. 11 at Dick Howser Stadium a week before the season started to honor and remember the winningest coach in NCAA baseball history, but an even better person away from the game…..{continued}

The Florida State Seminoles baseball team had a historic turnaround this season, ending the season ranked in the top-5, after a strong showing in the postseason, which included a run in the College World Series.

On a team full of budding stars, James Tibbs stood out among his peers and was rewarded for his efforts today by being drafted 13th overall by the San Francisco Giants.

Tibbs capped a strong career at Florida State with an eye-catching junior season. For much of the year, Tibbs had more home runs than strikeouts and made his presence felt seemingly every game. Tibbs finished with a .363 BA, 91 hits, and 47 extra-base hits, including 28 home runs.

His signature game this season was the Super Regional-clinching win over the UCONN Huskies. In a back-and-forth affair, Tibbs carried the Seminoles by going 5-6 with three homers and six RBI.

Tibbs is the first Seminole drafted in the first round since Mat Nelson was drafted 35th overall in the 2021 draft by the Cincinnati Reds.

Cam Smith, an uber-talented third baseman, who flexed his might in Florida State’s College World Series run, which culminated with a top-5 ranking nationally, was rewarded today in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft. Smith was selected 14th overall by the Chicago Cubs.

Smith led the Florida State Seminoles this year with a .387 batting average. He started all 66 games for the Seminoles and recorded 39 extra-base hits, including 16 home runs. Smith’s plate discipline improved, and he cut his strikeout rate in half from his freshman year. He finished the regular season with the fifth best on-base percentage in the ACC. One of Smith’s highlights this season was a 56-game on-base streak which eventually ended in May.

Smith joins teammate James Tibbs as the second Seminole drafted in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft. It’s the first time the Seminoles have had multiple players drafted in the first round since 1995 (Jonathan Johnson (7th) and David Yocum (20th)) and only the third time in FSU history.

  • Florida State baseball’s run in the MLB Draft ended on Tuesday with pitchers Yoel Tejeda Jr. and Conner Whittaker being selected during the final rounds:

Tejeda, from Davie, Florida, was selected in the 14th round with the 410th overall pick by the Washington Nationals. The sophomore pitched 13 times with two starts in 2024, striking out 15 batters over 19.2 innings. Tejeda set a career high with five strikeouts at Duke in late April and added four over 3.0 innings against Bethune-Cookman.

Whittaker, from Sarasota, Florida, was pick No. 445 in the 15th round by the Cleveland Guardians. Over his three years as a Seminole, Whittaker started 17 games over 55 appearances with a 12-8 record, a 4.27 career ERA and 146 strikeouts over 175.0 innings pitched. In 2024, he went 5-0 and struck out 47 batters over nine starts.

Tejeda is the 13th Seminole drafted by the Nationals franchise and first since Drew Mendoza was selected in the third round in 2019. Whittaker is the 11th Seminole drafted by Cleveland and the first since former teammate Parker Messick was drafted in the second round in 2022. Messick is the Guardians top-rated prospect in the minor league system.

FSU’s eight draft picks were the most in the ACC, top five nationally and FSU’s most since having nine players selected over 40 rounds in 2017.

Florida State players selected in 2024 MLB Draft

James Tibbs III – 1st Round, 13 overall – San Francisco Giants

Cam Smith – 1st Round, 14 overall – Chicago Cubs

Marco Dinges – 4th Round, 123 overall – Milwaukee Brewers

Jaime Ferrer – 4th Round, 126 overall – Minnesota Twins

Carson Dorsey – 7th Round, 219 overall – Baltimore Orioles

Gavin Adams – 8th Round, 234 overall – Pittsburgh Pirates

Yoel Tejeda Jr. – 14th Round, 410 overall – Washington Nationals

Conner Whittaker – 15th Round, 445 overall – Cleveland Guardians

The Florida State Seminoles baseball team fell short of the ultimate turnaround story with a loss in the final four of the College World Series. And although their elimination stings, the season on the whole was a major win. The 26-game improvement from 2023, the ACC tournament runner-up, the CWS run— the Seminoles appear to have righted the ship under the leadership of Link Jarrett.

However, as the Noles enter the 2025 season, they’ll have major holes to fill in their attempt to repeat this season’s success. We’ll track all the comings and goings of the offseason as Florida State looks to reload.

Departures

Expected losses to the Draft:

Potential losses to the Draft:

FSU signees who could potentially turn pro:

Players (seemingly) out of college eligibility:

Transfer Portal

Departures

Additions

Join us all offseason long as we discuss all things Florida State Baseball….{continued}

  • Florida State baseball head coach Link Jarrett announced the Seminoles’ 2024 fall schedule on Wednesday: FSU will play Auburn in Pensacola on October 12 at the Blue Wahoos Stadium, return to Tallahassee to host Alabama on October 26 at 12:00 noon ET at Dick Howser Stadium and will wrap the fall portion of the schedule with the Garnet & Gold Game on November 1.




Jaylan Gainey, Jesse Jones, Isaac Spainhour, Max Thorpe, and Jamir Watkins are among a record-tying five members of the Florida State men’s basketball team who have been named to the 2024 NABC Honors Court. As a team, the Seminoles earned an Academic Excellence Award for the 2024 season. Gainey, Jones, Spainhour, Thorpe, and Watkins all earned the academic distinction from the NABC for their success in the classroom during the 2024 season.

Most recently, the Seminoles had five players named to the NABC Honors Court in 2019 and 2023.

Academically in 2024, the Seminoles had a school record-tying 10 players named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll and two players named to the ACC All-Academic Men’s Basketball Team. Under Head Coach Leonard Hamilton, the Seminoles have earned a perfect APR (Academic Progress Rate) score of 1.000 in four of the last six and six of the last nine years.

The Seminoles earned a 995 APR under Hamilton in 2024 – the highest multi-year APR in school history. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention, and graduation and provides a measure of each teams’ academic performance. The 2024 APR reflects rates from the 2019-20, 2020-21, 2021-22 and 2022-23 academic years.

“I am very proud of our academic success,” said Hamilton. “Having five players named to the NABC Honors Court is special because it allows you to measure yourself among your college basketball peers. As our players earn their way on this list each year, it continues to show just how committed they are to their academic success.”

In just two years at Florida State, Gainey earned two master’s degree…..{continued}


  • Florida State volleyball was awarded the 2024 AVCA Team Academic Award after maintaining a 3.384 GPA during the fall and spring semesters:

While succeeding off the court, the Seminoles also put together one of their best seasons of the last decade on the court. Florida State went 23-9 which was its most wins since 2016 and won its first ACC Championship for the first time since 2012. FSU qualified for its 24th NCAA Tournament and its 14th NCAA Tournament in the last 15 seasons. Head Coach Chris Poole was named the ACC Coach of the Year while Audrey Koenig was named the ACC Co-Player of the Year. The Seminoles also put nine players on the All-ACC Academic Team.

More than 1,400 collegiate and high school volleyball programs maintained a year-long grade-point average of 3.3 on a 4.0 scale (or 4.1 on a 5.0 scale), to earn the award for their classroom excellence during the recently completed academic year.



Florida State soccer player Jordyn Bugg has signed a professional contract through 2026 with three-time NWSL Shield winners Seattle Reign FC. She is the ninth Seminole to be signed by a professional team in the past year.

“Huge congratulations to Jordyn and her family,” head coach Brian Pensky said. “She is a unique talent with her poise and comfort on the ball. There’s no doubt she will have an amazing career, and we look forward to cheering her on from afar.”

Bugg signed for Florida State in April 2024 as the third-highest defender in the 2024 class. She has represented the United States Women’s Youth National Team at nearly level from U-13 to U-20 and has been participating in several U-20 training camps with the FIFA Women’s U-20 World Cup beginning on August 31.

The defender played her club career for San Diego Surf Soccer Club and recently won the 2024 ECNL Girls Southwest Championship, conceding the second fewest goals in the league and held the highest goal differential.

Bugg trained with Seattle Reign FC prior and will be eligible to participate in the 2024 NWSL x Liga MX Femenil Summer Cup beginning July 19.



First-Team All-American Lottie Woad, a sophomore, is joined on the team by graduated senior Alice Hodge, juniors Kaylah Williams and Madison Hewlett, sophomores Mirabel Ting and Katherine Cook, and freshman Bella Bugg along with 289 Florida State student-athletes who earned the conference’s highest academic honor.

The Women’s Golf Team at Florida State earned the honor of having at least five players named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll in 13 consecutive years and in 13 of Amy Bond’s 14 years as its head coach. Woad, a sport management major, earned All-American First-Team honors on the course and ACC Academic Honor Roll honors in the classroom for the second consecutive season. She totaled a school-record low 70.04 stroke average and a personal-best 3.938 grade point average during the Seminoles’ main competitive season during the spring.

Ting, who earned All-American Honorable Mention honors in her first season as a Seminole, was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll for the first time in her career. She earned a 3.563 GPA during the spring semester, earned a 72.50 stroke average, and won the individual championship at the Valspar Augusta Invitational.

The Seminoles finished the 2024 season ranked in the nation’s top-20 in the Golfstat rankings. The Seminoles finished in a tie for 11th at the NCAA Championship Finals, finished in fifth at the NCAA Las Vegas Regional Championship, and won the tournament championship at the Collegiate Invitational at the Guadalajara Country Club in February.

Cook, who is currently studying abroad in in Italy, was named to the ACC Academic Honor Roll for the second time in her career. She has earned President’s List (once) and Dean’s List honors (three times) during the first four semesters of her academic career at Florida State.

  • Florida State men’s golfer Luke Clanton wrapped up a three-week run on the PGA Tour this weekend, taking a break before returning to PGA play at the end of July:

He carded a 1-under par score of 71 for a 13-under total score of 275 as he played in for the third consecutive weekend in his third consecutive PGA Tour event.

Clanton is scheduled to play in the PGA Tour’s 3M Open (TPC Twin Cities, Blaine Minn., July 25-28) and the US Amateur (Hazeltine National Colf Club, Chaska, Minn., Aug. 12-18) in the coming weeks.

Clanton averaged 67.42 strokes in 12 rounds during the Rocket Mortgage Classic, the John Deere Classic, and the ISCO Championship. He played 10 of his 12 rounds below par, 11 of his 12 rounds at par or better, and closed his three-week run with eight consecutive rounds scored below par.

Clanton got off to a great start Thursday with three birdies in his first five holes to finish with a 2-under par 70 — nine strokes behind leader Pierceson Cody and tied for 84th place.

Clanton was in tie for 35th place after the first two rounds of play with a 36-hole total of 135 (70-65). He rebounded nicely from his first round score of 2 under par 70 to post a 7 under par score of in the second round.

Clanton was in a tie for 34th place with a three round total of 204 (70-65-69) after 54 holes. His score 69 on Saturday included three birdies and one eagle.

Clanton, who will return to Florida State’s campus and to the Seminole Legacy Golf Course for start of classes and his junior year in August, played in the ISCO Championship on a sponsor’s exemption. He also has a sponsor’s exemption for the 3M Championship later this month in Minnesota.


  • FSU track and field earned USTFCCCA All-Academic honors, the U.S. Track and Field and Cross Country Association announced this week, with the men’s team logging a grade point average of 3.59, earning All-Academic team honors with seven Seminoles named All-Academic Athletes as the women’s team produced four members while being named an All-Academic team with a GPA of 3.62:

Men

Andre Korbmacher

Jayden Louis-Charles

Neo Mosebi

David Mullarkey

Martin Prodanov

Cooper Schroeder

Women

Suus Altorf

Ava Klein

Agnes McTighe

Alexandra Webster

To qualify for All-Academic distinction, student-athletes must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.25 on a 4.0 scale and finish in the top 96 in any championship, or in the top 48 in any championship relay event during the indoor season. Student-athletes can also qualify for the award for participating in any round of the NCAA Division I Outdoor Championship (Preliminaries or final championship competition).

Mullarkey led the Noles after setting an indoor program record in the 3,000-meters with a time of 7:42.89, finishing the season with second-team All-American honors at the NCAA Championship. He finished fourth at the ACC Outdoor Championships in the 5,000 with a time of 13:41.76, before placing 18th at the NCAA Championships at 14:05.77.

He was named the ACC Cross Country Scholar Athlete of the Year, capturing bronze at the 2023 ACC Championships in the 8k before earning an All-American nod in the 10k at nationals after taking 40th place.

Altorf led the women, qualifying for her first NCAA outdoor Track and Field Championship after finishing 12th in the 1,500 at the NCAA East Prelims behind a lifetime best and sixth-fastest time in school history (4:10.13).

She placed third at the ACC Outdoor Championship in the 1,500 meters (4:13.22).


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