FSU Baseball vs. Jacksonville: Stuetzer Leads Game 1 Win, McKenzie Shines in Game 2
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. — John Stuetzer drove in three runs, and Florida State’s pitching staff delivered a strong collective performance as the Seminoles defeated Jacksonville 5–1 in Friday’s first fall exhibition at Dick Howser Stadium.
The scrimmage lasted six innings, with a second six-inning game between the teams scheduled to follow.
Stuetzer Leads the Offensive Response
Jacksonville struck first with a solo home run in the top of the first inning, giving the Dolphins an early 1–0 lead.
Florida State answered with an RBI single from Stuetzer before Brody DeLamielleure’s RBI groundout pushed the Seminoles ahead 2–1.
Stuetzer then supplied the biggest swing of the game, launching a two-run home run over the center-field wall. The blast provided two insurance runs, extending Florida State’s advantage to 4–1.
Cal Fisher later added to the cushion with an RBI triple off the center-field wall, scoring Genson Veras to make it 5–1.
Pitching Staff Attacks the Strike Zone
Cayden Suchy, Sebastian Lippman and Otto Espinoza each worked two innings. All three consistently attacked the strike zone and mixed their offspeed pitches effectively, giving Florida State an encouraging showing on the mound.
Suchy looked sharp across his two innings, helping keep Jacksonville’s offense in check following the early solo homer.
Lippman looked every bit the part of an elite pitcher during his outing. He paired high-end velocity with an effective offspeed mix, allowing just one hit while striking out three without issuing a walk across two scoreless innings. He needed only 25 pitches.
Espinoza also showcased high-end velocity and effective secondary pitches. He finished with four strikeouts over two scoreless innings, allowing two hits and one walk on 37 pitches.
Together, Lippman and Espinoza struck out seven batters across four scoreless innings, allowing three hits and one walk.
In The Endzone Player of the Game: John Stuetzer
Stuetzer earns In The Endzone’s Player of the Game honors after driving in three of Florida State’s five runs.
His RBI single helped erase Jacksonville’s early advantage, while his two-run blast to center gave the Seminoles breathing room. With timely hitting early and power later, Stuetzer led the offensive response.
An Encouraging First Game
Florida State’s combination of timely offense and consistent strike-throwing offered promising signs in its fall opener. Stuetzer led the way at the plate, Fisher added a run-scoring triple, and the three pitchers combined to limit Jacksonville to one run across six innings.
FSU and Jacksonville were scheduled to return to the field for a second six-inning exhibition following the opener.
Game 2 Recap — Complete
Johnny Abraham pitched two innings with three strikeouts in Game 2, opening his outing with a 1-2-3 first inning that included two strikeouts.
Jackson McKenzie launched a solo home run over the right-field fence in the bottom of the second inning, giving Florida State a 1–0 lead in Game 2.
Jacksonville had no answer for Kevin Mebil in the third and fourth innings. Mebil set down six straight hitters and recorded three strikeouts, keeping FSU’s 1–0 advantage intact. Two of those strikeouts came in a third inning that required just 10 pitches. He worked with four pitches—fastball, cutter, changeup and slider—and finished two of his strikeouts with the slider.
Florida State added another run in the bottom of the fourth after Blaydon Plain reached on a leadoff walk. Two consecutive wild pitches helped bring him home, stretching the Seminoles’ lead to 2–0.
Nick Barron followed with a sacrifice fly that brought Genson Veras home, extending FSU’s advantage over Jacksonville to 3–0 in the fourth.
Kaden Frommelt capped the fourth-inning scoring with a solo homer to left, turning on a pitch high in the zone. His shot was Florida State’s third home run across the two games and sent the Seminoles into the fifth with a 4–0 lead over Jacksonville.
Rhett Vaughn kept Jacksonville scoreless in the top of the fifth, striking out three batters while allowing a walk. He used a changeup to finish the first strikeout and put away the next two hitters with his fastball, which reached 93 mph. Florida State carried a 4–0 lead into the bottom of the inning.
Jackson McKenzie added a strong relief appearance to his productive night, taking over with runners at first and third in the sixth. He retired all three hitters he faced and closed the inning with a strikeout on a breaking ball clocked at 78–81 mph, complementing a 90–91 mph fastball. Jacksonville brought home one run during the frame, but the earned run was charged to Rhett Vaughn. Florida State led 4–1 midway through the sixth.
Game 2 is complete. Both games of Florida State’s fall exhibition against Jacksonville have concluded.