Original Publish Date: February 20, 2026
The Florida State baseball team is in Arlington, Texas gearing up for their toughest competition yet.
The Noles are one of six teams participating in the Amegy Bank College Baseball Series that will run from Friday, Feb. 20 through Sunday, Feb. 22.
The field, which includes Auburn, Kansas State, Louisville, Michigan and Nebraska is stark contrast from the normal, nonconference opponents FSU faces.
Head coach Link Jarrett says the competition will be unlike no other.
“This is tougher than any regional,” Jarrett said. “This is tougher than any Omaha bracket.”
Florida State arrives in Arlington as one of two undefeated teams in the tournament.
The Noles run-ruled Jacksonville 13-2 in eight innings on Tuesday, Feb. 17. FSU opened the college baseball season with two wins at home against James Madison on Friday, Feb. 13 and Saturday, Feb. 14.
Junior lefthander Wes Mendes will get the start on Friday against the Michigan Wolverines. Mendes threw five scoreless innings on Feb. 13, allowing four hits and a walk while striking out seven. Junior righthander Bryson Moore will start Saturday, with no starter slated for Sunday.
The coaching staff is navigating a snag in the weekend rotation that arose Saturday when junior lefthander Trey Beard was scratched from his start. A stomach illness has kept Beard sidelined this season. Jarrett says Beard is doing much better, focusing on getting his strength back and throwing.
“This is a long season, and when someone is beat up like that, you wanna be smart and wise,” Jarrett said. “Could he throw theoretically? Sure, he could. He could probably throw, but we have to be smart in protecting these guys.”
Jarrett says Beard has thrown this week and will throw Thursday and Friday. Given Beard had his pitch count increased during preseason, Jarrett says the next step will be to assess his capacity.
“He’s definitely trending in a positive direction,” Jarrett said. “We just don’t want to force things. But it wouldn’t be a shock if he was available in some capacity.”
Jarrett says Moore, penciled in for his second start this season against No. 9 Auburn on Saturday, has to be sharper. Moore, the projected Sunday guy, competed with multiple arms for the final spot in the rotation. The transfer from Virginia went 1.2 innings on Feb. 14, allowing three runs on four hits while walking two and striking out three.
Jarrett says that Moore’s mixture of pitches has to be matched with consistency.
“Even with stuff that’s off the charts, like it’s only going to get you so far against physical, experienced teams,” Jarrett said. “And that’s what he’s going to see.”
Jarrett says the lineup is fluid ahead of Friday’s game against the Wolverines and over the weekend at the plate. The amount of guys who have earned opportunities, Jarrett says, provides many options.
“I’m not settled on any batting order, I’m not settled on any lineup,” Jarrett said. “I do recognize that there are guys that are waiting that have earned a chance for maybe a little bit more.”
While Jarrett says more work needs to be done defensively, there has been a presence of athleticism from his position players that allows him and his staff to work with different defensive alignments.
“The more depth you have, the more options you have to get guys into the games,” Jarrett said. “And the more athletic you are, the more positional moves you can make entering a game or throughout the course of a ballgame.”
Michigan is 3-1 after competing in the 2026 College Baseball Series in Surprise, Arizona. The Wolverines knocked off then-ranked No. 12 Oregon State on Friday before beating Stanford and then-ranked No. 24 Arizona and falling to the Beaves on Monday. Jarrett says Michigan’s pitching staff this year is good and will make for a competitive ballgame on Friday.
“I like what I’ve seen out of our guys,” Jarrett. “It’s not good enough right now in some spaces and I get that, so we’re gonna have to turn it up about three clips to manage what’s coming at us.”
Friday’s game against Michigan begins at 11 a.m. central time. The Noles play Auburn at 3 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 21 before closing out the weekend against Nebraska at 2:30 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22.