Preview: Florida State Visits Virginia in ACC Series Finale

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (Interstat) — A pivotal Atlantic Coast Conference series concludes Saturday when the Florida State Seminoles face the Virginia Cavaliers at Davenport Field.

First pitch for the rubber match is set for late afternoon under cloudy skies with a temperature near 71 degrees. The series is tied after Virginia took Thursday’s opener 4-3 and Florida State evened it with a 5-2 victory Friday night.

The Seminoles (23-7, 6-5 ACC) will look to build on Friday’s momentum, powered by a combined no-hitter from starter Trey Beard and reliever John Abraham over nine innings. Beard, a player to watch, struck out seven over five innings in that win. He has been dominant this season, including a 14-strikeout, no-hit performance over 6 2/3 innings against Wake Forest on March 14.

Virginia (24-8, 7-4) aims to reclaim the series at home. The Cavaliers’ offense was stifled Friday, managing just two unearned runs. A key for Virginia will be the performance of starter Max Stammel, who took the loss Friday after allowing two runs over 4 1/3 innings. Stammel has shown flashes of brilliance, including a six-inning, one-run outing against North Carolina on March 7, but has struggled with consistency in recent starts.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a high-scoring affair, predicting a 7-6 Virginia victory. Their ELO rating system gives the Cavaliers a 53.2% probability to win.

Following Saturday’s contest, Florida State hosts Jacksonville on Sunday before a midweek rivalry game against Florida. Virginia hosts James Madison on Tuesday before hitting the road for an ACC series at Notre Dame next weekend.