Leeps Talks Clemson

FSU Player Profile: Gary Cismesia

FSU fans have heard "Wide Right" and "Wide Left" far too many times over the years. The past season was somewhat indicative of that problem as Gary Cismesia did not set the world on fire with his kicking. For the 2006 season, he ended up with a seventy percent field goal percentage that placed him sixth in the ACC. That was the same percentage that he had in 2005.The one thing that he does not lack is confidence. Now if he could translate that into increasing his percentage.

He will begin his senior year as the starting kicker for the Noles.Cismesia came to FSU from Lakewood Ranch High School in 2004 as the No. 15 rated kicker in the nation by Rivals.com.He garnered All-America First-Team honors from Kicking.com. Perhaps 2007 will be his year. The one thing that fans can wish for is that he is not put into a game winning situation.

Noles Take On Phillies Tonight

The Florida State baseball program will travel to Clearwater, Fla., tonight, February 28 for a 6:30 pm exhibition game versus the Philadelphia Phillies. Senior right hander Michael Hyde will start against the Phillies and is projected to throw an inning. Fans can follow all the action over the Internet. Gametracker will be available for the contest along with live radio broadcast courtesy of 1270 the TEAM.

"We are excited to have the opportunity to play the Phillies at one of the best spring training facilities in all of baseball," said FSU Head Coach Mike Martin. "The Seminoles have tremendous fan support in the Tampa Bay Area and this will be great thrill for our players to play against the likes of Ryan Howard, the reigning National League Most Valuable Player, who hit 58 home runs last year. "

This will be the first game for Florida State versus a Major League Club since 2001 when the Seminoles played the Florida Marlins. This will be FSU's first-ever game versus the Phillies and the program's ninth all-time meeting with a Major League club. Florida State has faced the Orioles, Yankees, Braves, Royals, Marlins and Devil Rays previously. The Seminoles are 2-6 in those eight exhibitions.

Fourteen and Counting

FSU pounded North Florida today 16-3 and extended FSU's season-opening winning streak to 14 games - one shy of the standard set by Woody Woodward's 1975 team. It also continued FSU's impressive stretch at the plate in scoring double-digit runs in 11 games and collecting 10 or more hits in 13 games, and 12 consecutively.

Rye led the 14-hit onslaught in going 3 for 4 against North Florida (2-9). Rye's effort was reflective of his early season with three of his six RBIs coming with two outs. Of Rye's 23 RBIs, 16 have come with two outs. The junior's six RBIs against North Florida were the most by a Seminole since Eddy Martinez-Esteve accounted for that many against Wake Forest in 2004.

Going For Perfection In February

Florida State welcomes North Florida to town in just the second meeting between the two schools. The Seminoles last met the Ospreys back on March 28, 2006 marking the first-ever meeting. FSU defeated UNF 14-8 in Tallahassee last year. This is the second season as a Division I program for North Florida as the Ospreys are a member of the Atlantic Sun Conference.

Tuesday's contest will be the seventh road game already for UNF in 2007. Florida State will mark the second ACC opponent that North Florida has faced this season. UNF dropped a 10-1 decision to Virginia at the Coastal Carolina Tournament in Conway, S.C. in the second game of the year.

Probable starter for FSU vs. North Florida: Bo O'Dell (1-0, 4.91 ERA)

Jeff Bowden "Sightings"

WWDD?

Do you know this man? Well, it is North Carolina athletic director Dick Baddour wearing some bling and making the rounds at last week's Atlantic Coast Conference women's swimming and diving championships.

Supposedly someone on the swim team gave this to Dick and asked him to wear it for good luck. Or that's his story and he's sticking to it.

Now, would Dave Hart wear the bling? Well, here is a hypothethical pic of Dave if he did.

Noles On The Bubble?

Are the Noles still on the bubble? Do they still have a shot at the NCAA tourney? Or is their defeat of North Carolina State 78-52 too little, too late?

They theoretically should finish off the regular season with a win at Miami. Their current RPI is 48 and Strength of Schedule is 16.

Ranking The ACC Coastal Division Coaches

Here are my purely subjective rankings of the ACC coaches in the Atlantic Division. It is based on won/loss record in the ACC, ACC championships, national championships, and overall coaching ability. So here goes:

1.Frank Beamer(Va Tech)- Year in and year out, Frank Beamer has great teams. Has a tough defensive and special teams philosophy.

2.Chan Gailey(Ga. Tech)- Got to the ACC Championship in 2006. Will be interesting to see how he does without superstar Calvin Johnson.

3.Butch Davis(NC)- New coach Butch Davis had mixed record at Miami and not so good in pros. He had a good recruiting effort so now he will have to produce.

4.Randy Shannon(Miami)- Although he did not have head coaching experience, he was responsible for Canes defense. He should do well.

5.Al Groh(Va)-With a 5-7 record last year, Groh is on the hot seat. This is a test year for him.

6.Ted Roof(Duke)-Duke football is what it is and Roof has very little room for error.

FSU Retro Look Back: Jamie Dukes

The offensive linemen are a hot topic these days with the hiring of Offensive Lines coach Rick Trickett. One of the best offensive linemen to play at FSU was the highly talented and personable Jamie Dukes.

Dukes garnered a ton of awards in his playing days at FSU and was:1982 Football News - Freshman 1st Team All-American;1985 Walter Camp - 1st Team All-American Football Writers Association;and 1st Team All-American Associated Press.

Dukes played four years at FSU from 1982-1985 at center and offensive guard.He played in the Gator Bowl,Peach Bowl,Citrus Bowl,and1985 Gator Bowl.

After playing at FSU, Dukes played in the NFL for ten years and was inducted into the FSU Football Hall of Fame in 1991.He currently is a regular analyst/commentator on the NFL Network.

Noles Win Number 13

On a wet and rain delayed day, the Noles managed to win their thirteenth straight game over Appalachian State 12-8.

The FSU bullpen gave up five combined runs in the last two innings but managed to hang on for the win. FSU (13-0) is just two games shy of tying its best start in school history.

Noles Go For 13

The Noles are going for the sweep against Appalachian State and also going for 13 in a row.The Seminoles and Mountaineers return to the diamond for the series finale on Sunday at 1:00 pm at Mike Martin Field. FSU is expected to send junior right hander Ryan Strauss (2-0) to the mound for his second straight start and third of the season.

2007 Look Ahead: Tight Ends

Ending the 2006 season, one of the bright spots was at the tight end position. Brandon Warren was fifth on the team with 301 yards receiving. Caz Piurowski was the other tight end and looked promising also. All that has changed. Warren is back in Tennessee and Caz is now on the offensive line.

Now Charlie Graham enters next month's spring drills as the only scholarship player working solely at tight end. Piurowski has been told he will have to help some at tight end in the spring. D.J. Norris, who moved to tight end from defensive end, won't be cleared for contact work in the spring. What looked promising is now a work in progress for the 2007 season.

Noles Win Again

FSU is 12-0 for the fourth time in school history and the second time under Mike Martin. The Noles handily defeated Appalachian State 10-2.

Michael Hyde earns the win, improving to 4-0. Jason Rook takes the loss for Appalachian State.

No Place Like Home

Al Thornton opened with a dunk and the Noles never looked back as they romped in their final home game of the year.Al Thornton officially ended his career at FSU with 1:22 left when he drilled a 3-pointer from the side of the key, padding FSU's lead and FSU won by a final score of 78-52 over the NC State Wolfpack.

He came out of the game to a standing ovation and hugs from his teammates. He finished with a game-high 17 points. Uche Echefu scored 13 while guards Ralph Mims and Isaiah Swann each added 12.

FSU, 18-11 and 6-9 in Atlantic Coast Conference play, finishes the regular season next Saturday in Miami. The ACC tournament gets under way March 8 in Tampa.

FSU Takes On Wolfpack In Final Home Game

Florida State, which has a 2-1 record against ACC teams from the state of North Carolina this season, closes out its home schedule as it plays host to NC State on Saturday, Feb. 24 at 1:00 p.m. at the Donald L. Tucker Center. The Seminoles game against NC State is their final home game of the season and is Senior Day. Head Coach Leonard Hamilton and his staff will honor a pair of seniors - Al Thornton and Jerel Allen - in a pre-game ceremony.

Fourteen years since leading the sixth-ranked Seminoles to a 25-10 record and a spot in the 1992-93 NCAA Elite Eight, Bob Sura will finally see his jersey raised to the rafters of the Donald L. Tucker Center in honor of his accomplishments on Feb. 24. Sura, who wore the No. 3 jersey for the Seminoles from 1992 to 1995, managed to set and break almost every school and ACC record during his career. Most notably, Sura leads Florida State's 1,000-point club with the school's all-time scoring record of 2,130 total points.

FSU Notches Win Number 11

Shortstop Mark Hallberg showed off all aspects of the impressive game he brought with him from Illinois-Chicago on Friday, leading Florida State to a 6-3 win over Appalachian State.

“(Hallberg) really displayed the majority of the offense tonight,” FSU head coach Mike Martin said. “He did a great job on the bases, did a great job defensively. It was a great game that Mark Hallberg played.”

Bryan Henry improved to 3-0 as he worked in and out of trouble, allowing one run on eight hits and a walk in 5 1/3 innings. Danny Rosen earned the first save of the season for the Seminoles by pitching the final 1 2/3 innings.

The View of Publius:The "But" Syndrome

It seems that the majority of FSU basketball fans are afflicted with the "But Syndrome". And it has led to and will continue the current mediocrity of the program until the syndrome is eliminated.

Everyone is familiar with the syndrome. We could have won the game "but" the refs were against us. We could be headed to the NCAA tournament "but" our player got hurt. We could win more games "but" our students are not seated where they can cheer the loudest. We will not be good this year "but" wait until next year. The list goes on and on.

The FSU basketball program is headed nowhere but in the same direction that it has been headed. Fans need a new mindset and an athletic director that will take decisive action. We cannot wait another year or two to see the program not getting any better. "But" do we have an alternative?

FSU Set To Take On Appalachian State

Florida State leads the all-time series against Appalachian State 13-0 with every game in the series being played in Tallahassee. The Seminoles have outscored the Mountaineers 121-38 during its 13-game win streak, while holding ASU to two runs or less in seven contests including a shutout back in 2003. The two teams last met in 2005 as Florida State won the first two games before the series finale was cancelled due to inclement weather. Florida State has also managed to score double-digit runs five times on Appalachian State in the series. Florida State is off to its best start since 1999, while the Mountaineers enter the weekend series at 4-1, winners of four straight including a mid-week victory at Wake Forest. Friday's game is the first of 13 straight home games for the Seminoles.

Friday's Pitcher: Bryan Henry earned his second win in three starts as he pitched six innings allowing one run on six hits against Hofstra. It was the second time this season the senior right hander pitched into the sixth inning of a game. In his second start against UNC Asheville, the Tallahassee, Fla., native got a no decision against the Bulldogs as he worked four innings allowing six runs on seven hits. He would finish the game with five strikeouts, while walking just two. In his first start of the 2007 season, Henry showed why he has been named a first team All-ACC honoree the past two seasons working six solid innings of shutout baseball allowing just four hits and no walks while striking out 11 Tennessee batters (one shy of his career-high set last year against Duke). It was the third time in Henry's career that he has reached double digit strikeouts (10 vs. Auburn 2005; 12 vs. Duke 2006). In 2006, the FSU ace was brilliant versus non-conference competition. Henry went 5-2 with a 2.26 ERA versus non-ACC teams. The senior right hander was even more impressive last year in the regular season versus FSU's non-conference opponents. Henry was a perfect 5-0 with a 0.72 ERA in those games striking out 41 and issuing just eight walks. During the 2006 regular season, non-conference opponents hit just .188 versus Henry and he averaged almost 10 K's per nine innings. Last season Henry was tied for the NCAA lead with four combined shutouts and 10 of his 18 starts were quality starts.

NIT Picking?

Has the fat lady sung for the Noles or is she still warming up her vocal cords? The most optimistic of FSU basketball fans are still hopeful that FSU can get to the NCAA tourney. Others say welcome to the NIT hopefully.

The Maryland game was FSU's fifth straight, guaranteed the Seminoles (17-11, 5-9 in the ACC) a sub-.500 conference record one season after finishing 9-7 in the ACC. Florida State has two games left in the regular season, its next being its final home game Saturday against North Carolina State. Neither of the two remaining games are gimmes. Miami who is at the bottom beat Virginia this week. And the Noles play the Hurricanes at Miami.

Stick A Fork In Them

Tied with the Terrapins at the half, the Noles came out in the second half ice cold and Maryland came out smoking. The Noles dropped their fifth in a row to the Terps 73-55.

For the 13th time in the past 14 seasons, FSU (17-11, 5-9 ACC) will finish with a losing record in the league. The chances of a NCAA bid are now slim and none.

FSU A Perfect Ten

Florida State (10-0) went on the road for the first time this season and returned home a winner defeating Florida (4-4) 14-6 on Tuesday evening. FSU pounded out 20 hits for the second time this season as seven Seminole batters in the starting line-up registered at least two hits or more. Freshmen Jason Stidham and D'Vontrey Richardson hit their first collegiate home run, while Tony Thomas, Jr., Jack Rye and Richardson each posted three hits to keep the Seminoles undefeated on the year. The Seminoles are 10-0 for the first time since 1999 and for just the seventh time in team history.

FSU also kept a couple streaks alive on Tuesday evening as the Seminoles have now registered double-digit hits and double-digit runs in eight consecutive ball games. It is just the second time in the 60-year history of Seminole baseball that the Garnet and Gold have scored double-digit runs in eight straight ball games. The last time FSU put together a similar streak was in 2003.

No More Excuses

There are no more excuses for the Noles. It's time to win for the Noles as they take on the Terrapins tonight.

Time is running out on the Seminoles (17-10, 5-8 ACC), who will try to snap their four-game losing streak at Maryland (20-7, 6-6) on Wednesday.

"I think we're confident we're going to make a run toward the end," Echefu said.

So much has changed since FSU's 96-79 victory over Maryland at the Civic Center on Jan. 30. The Seminoles were at full strength and had their offense clicking. They shot 61.7 percent from the field and were just too quick for the Terrapins, who appeared to be sliding into NIT oblivion for the third consecutive season.

But Maryland has won four of its past five games and has an advantageous schedule with three of its final four games at the Comcast Center.

Noles Pound The Gators

The bats were hot again for the Noles as they beat the Gators 14-6 tonight.FSU is 10-0 for the seventh time in school history and the first time since 1999 after Danny Rosen worked a scoreless ninth inning.

Travis Burge earns the win in relief of starter Bo O'Dell for FSU. Florida starter Kevin Chapman takes the loss.

FSU heads back to Tallahassee to host Appalachian State for three games starting at 5 p.m. Friday.

Noles Take On Gators In Hog Town

In this the 203rd meeting between these intra-state rivals, Florida State travels to Florida for its first road game of the 2007 season. The Seminoles lead the all-time series 111-90-1, while the Gators hold a 49-42 advantage on their home turf. This is the first of three games between the two squads as each school will host a game while the third contest will be played at the Baseball Grounds of Jacksonville in Jacksonville, Fla., home of the minor league Jacksonville Suns and the 2007 ACC Baseball Tournament.

Sophomore Bo O'Dell (1-0) will make his second start of the season looking to build off his first start two weeks ago against UNC Asheville. Against the Bulldogs, O'Dell worked four shutout innings allowing just two hits while striking out four. He earned the win as a result of a controlled start declared before the start of the game.

Playing The Guessing Game

So who is going to the NCAA tourney in the ACC:

LOCKS

North Carolina- UNC has been in all along, but are now fighting for a #1 seed.

Probably In:

Duke- The wins over Boston College and Georgia Tech shut down the bleeding and pretty much put Duke in as a near lock.

Virginia- They've turned around their season in a big way and now are ACC co-leaders with North Carolina.

Boston College- Bad week for BC as they lost at home...twice...to Duke and UNC.

Virginia Tech- The win over North Carolina was great....but the 2nd loss to NC State stings.

Maryland- The Terps have quietly won three straight and have the swagger of an NCAA tournament team.

On The Bubble:

Clemson- After their 17-0 start, the Tigers are limping now...going 2-7 since.

Florida State- The Noles are struggling right now....but will the NCAA give them a look since Toney Douglas has been out?

Georgia Tech- The NCAA committee isn't going to select a team that can't win a road game.

NC State- The win over Virginia Tech put some air back into the Wolfpack's lungs.

Done:

Miami- And they really can't even look forward to football season with glee anymore.

Wake Forest- They can look forward to football season.

Is FSU Still In NCAA Picture?

FSU has three games left before the ACC Tournament. It is do or die time. The Maryland game is critical and the Noles need to win this one. They are currenly #39 in the RPI Index. They still have a chance but it is getting less and less likely.

The View of Publius:"Tommy Boy"

In the interest of full disclosure, I am not a Tommy Bowden fan. I think he is arrogant and definitely overrated as a coach. Apparently, Clemson is beginning to feel the same way. The 2007 football season will probably determine whether "Tommy Boy" stays or goes.

It seems that "Tommy Boy" loves putting his foot in his mouth. A couple of examples will illustrate the point. After Steve Spurrier was given a raise at South Carolina in order to stop him from interviewing at Alabama, Spurrier,who was 7-5 in 2007,was given a nearly $500,000 a year raise." Tommy Boy" then proceeded to say the following.""it's amazing how this thing works because I'm at a place where seven [wins] gets you fired. He's at a place where seven gets you a raise."

Spurrier in his typical fashion quipped,"If Tommy Bowden wants a raise, he can just ask his AD and president if he's as good a coach as Mark Richt, and me, and Fulmer and Tuberville and those other guys. That's the only reason I got a raise. They think I'm that good a coach."

So what else has "Tommy Boy" been saying? Seems that he thinks the academic standards at Clemson are too tough and he is losing football recruits. He has caused such an uproar that the Clemson president has promised a review of the academic standards. What a guy "Tommy Boy" is. He is playing into the football factory mentality and doesn't seem to care. Could it be that he is worried about his job being in jeopardy?

And the last example is Markish Jones. How many think that the Clemson alumni and Bowden did not have a role in convincing Markish Jones to stay at Clemson? I am sure the full story of this will never come out. On top of this, "Tommy Boy" took time to blast FSU and his dad, Bobby Bowden. Here is what he said, " Obviously it was pretty good work on (Florida State's) part by trying to undermine the rules and regulations of the NLI, but it did not work.”What a classy guy.

A recent blog post that I read sums up my feelings about "Tommy Boy". "Tommy, son of legendary coach Bobby Bowden, is a consistent underperformer who justifies a salary of over $1 million per year by claiming that winning seven or eight games is enough. This comes on the heels of a beatdown in a bowl game with Kentucky where the Tigers were embarrassed."

This is a guy who has never won an ACC division title, an ACC Conference Championship, nor been to a BCS bowl.Enough said.

Colorado's Hawkins Loses Coach

One day after helping to bring eight new offensive linemen into the Colorado football program,the most in more than 20 years,assistant head coach and offensive line coach Chris Strausser decided to leave.

Strausser is returning to Boise State to serve as tight ends coach and running game coordinator. He spent five seasons at Boise State prior to coming to CU with coach Dan Hawkins a year ago.

Wonder if Strausser leaving has anything to do with Hawkin's recent rave?
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His first recruiting effort may not have been everything he had hoped for, but first-year UAB head coach Neil Callaway still had a reason to smile.

Callaway and his coaching staff received national letters of intent from six offensive linemen, five running backs and four defensive tackles. They also welcomed four defensive backs, one linebacker and a combination punter/place-kicker.

Callaway stopped short of singling out impact recruits. However, he did say "out of 25, I expect half of them to play next year."

Swept!

Mike Martin made history thanks to yet another outstanding display at the plate by his Seminoles.

Florida State earned double-digit hits for a seventh consecutive game and Ryan Strauss mastered Hofstra from the mound in an 11-3 win over the visitors and a sweep of the series.

The victory, Martin’s 1,444th in his 28th season at FSU, ties him with former Virginia Tech coach Chuck Hartman for fifth place in all-time victories in all divisions of college baseball.

Hofstra scored two runs in the ninth with a help of an error -- FSU's third of the game.

FSU Goes For Sweep Against Pride

Saturday's win against Hofstra moved head coach Mike Martin just two wins shy of passing Chuck Hartman for fifth place on the NCAA all-time wins list. Hartman, the former head coach at High Point and Virginia Tech, retired after last year with 1,444 victories. Coach Martin recorded win number 1,443 with today's victory over Hofstra.

The Seminoles and Pride return to the diamond for the series finale on Sunday at 12:30 pm at Mike Martin Field. Please note that the game time has changed to a 12:30 pm start time. FSU is expected to send junior right hander Ryan Strauss to the mound, while the Pride will throw righty Patrick Rogers.

Fax Mean Nothing To ACC

The case of highly recruited wide receiver Markish Jones is troubling on many levels. The first troubling aspect is the ruling by the ACC. The ACC also known as "After Consulting Clemson" ruled that the first letter of intent signed by Markish Jones was the binding one even though it was not faxed to Clemson. This is ludicrous. It goes against what FSU had relied on for years.

According to FSU associate athletic director Brian Battle,"My interpretation the last 10 years is the letter of intent is binding once the institution receives the copy of the letter signed by the player and parent (or guardian) and signed letter grant in-aid with with all the information is filled out."

Jones signed a letter of intent with Clemson during a press conference at Broome High at about 9 a.m. on Feb. 7. An hour later - after speaking with FSU coaches on his cell phone - word was out that Jones instead planned to enroll at FSU. He signed a letter of intent with FSU and faxed to the coaching staff later that day.

What is also troubling is thet FSU and Dave Hart seem content on accepting this ludicrous interpretation without a fight.

Noles Blast Hofstra 16-1

Starting pitcher Michael Hyde threw five scoreless innings to earn the win in FSU's 16-1 victory over Hofstra on Saturday.

The former Lincoln pitcher is now 3-0 with a 1.65 ERA. He's allowed zero runs in two of his three starts this season and has 14 strikeouts and seven walks in 16 1/3 innings.

Noles On Losing End In Basketball

The Noles lose their fourth straight game to Virginia 73-70.

NC State Having Cash Flow Problem

FSU fans don't need to feel sorry for Chuck "The Chest". However, NC State fans may be feeling something else.

Water damage to N.C. State's athletic center early in the 2006 football season and the firing of Wolfpack coach Chuck Amato after the season proved to be costly.
Amato was fired after a 3-9 season with three years remaining on his contract. He was owed three years and one month in salary, plus a $720,000 annuity -- about $1.42 million.

Athletic Director Lee Fowler said the annuity, funded by the Wolfpack Club, has been paid. Amato recently was hired at Florida State at a $200,000 annual salary. Fowler said that total will be deducted from NCSU's annual financial obligation. Amato's annual salary at NCSU was $228,960.

"The water damage and paying off coaches has put a dent in the athletics department budget," Fowler said.

FSU Needs Win Against Cavs

Florida State, which has defeated Virginia three consecutive times, travels to Charlottesville to play the Cavaliers in the only regular season meeting between the two teams on Saturday at 1:00 p.m. The game will be televised regionally on the Lincoln Financial / Raycom network and played in the newly opened John Paul Jones Arena on the University of Virginia campus. The game for the Seminoles is the first of two consecutive on the road - they travel to play at Maryland on Wednesday.
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Probable Starters for FSU:
F #12 Al Thornton (18.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg; 22 pts and 9 rebs vs. Virginia, Jan. 11, 2006)
F #41 Uche Echefu (7.0 ppg, 4.0 rpg; 0 pts and 3 rebs vs. Virginia, Jan. 11, 2006)
G #3 Isaiah Swann (9.3 ppg, 3.2 apg; 17 pts and 3 ast vs. Virginia, Jan. 11, 2006)
G #10 Ralph Mims (5.1 ppg, 2.3 apg; 4 pts and 2 asts vs. Virginia, Feb. 18, 2006)
G #25 Jason Rich (11.1 ppg, 3.3 rpg; 12 pts and 4 rebs vs. Virginia, Jan. 11, 2006)

Noles Handle The Pride

The Seminoles easily handled Hofstra 10-1 behind 19 hits - including three each by freshmen Jason Stidham and D'Vontrey Richardson and Illinois-Chicago transfer Mark Hallberg.

Tony Thomas added two doubles but also made two of FSU's three errors. FSU is averaging 15 hits in its first seven games.

Starter Bryan Henry rebounded from last week's disappointing start and held Hofstra to six hits and one earned run in six innings on Friday. Credit Henry's location for his success.

Markish Jones A Tiger Says ACC

FSU cannot get a break. It looks as if wide receiver Markish Jones who changed his mind on signing day and opted for FSU is now going to Clemson. This is as bizarre as it gets and really is a huge loss for the Noles.

Jones seems to not know what he wants and has not been heard from since signing day.Regardless of which school Jones wishes to attend, the ACC appears to have resolved the issue.Sources are saying that the ACC granted an appeal filed by Clemson on Friday that will enforce Jones' original LOI and invalidate the second one sent to Florida State.

Brrrrr...

Florida State and Hofstra square-off on the diamond for a three-game set at Dick Howser Stadium in the first-ever meeting between the two schools. The Seminoles start 6-0 for the 10th time in 28 seasons under head coach Mike Martin posting a pair of three-game sweeps over Tennessee and UNC Asheville. Hofstra enters the series with an 0-3 mark after being swept at Auburn last weekend. The Pride finished last season with a record of 24-31-1, while posting a mark of 11-19-0 in the Colonial Athletic Association.
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Starting Pitchers for Friday:
Florida State - Bryan Henry, rhp (1-0, 5.40 ERA)
Hofstra - Will DeVito, rhp (0-0, 10.80 ERA)
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Tony Thomas, Jr., was honored by the league office on Monday, February 12 as the season's first Atlantic Coast Conference Baseball Player of the Week.

Thomas went went 8-for-11 (.727), posting an on-base percentage of .800 and a slugging percentage of 1.000 in Florida State's three-game sweep of UNC Asheville. Thomas reached base safely in five of six at-bats in game one going 2-for-4 with a single, a double, two walks and three runs scored. The offensive production continued for Thomas on Saturday as he went 3-for-4 with three singles, a hit-by-pitch and a stolen base. In the series finale against the Bulldogs, Thomas went to the plate in each of the first four innings recording a bunt single in the first, back-to-back doubles in the second and third innings and a walk in the fourth. The junior second baseman also stole a pair of bases to remain perfect on the season in five attempts. Thomas also got a hit in the first inning of each game this past weekend recording a double and two singles. He scored in the first inning in all three games.

FSU Baseball Retro Look Back: J.D. Drew

J.D. Drew is arguably one of the best players to ever play baseball at FSU. At Florida State, he was the winner of the 1997 Golden Spikes Award, the 1997 Dick Howser Trophy, and was named the 1997 Collegiate Baseball Player of the Year, the 1997 Sporting News Player of the Year, and was a consensus All-American (1997). He also was named the 1997 ACC Player of the Year. He was a 1996 member of Team USA. Drew was First Team All-ACC and All-American in 1996, Freshman All-American in 1995 and was named to the College World Series All Tournament Team in 1995. He was the first player in college baseball history to hit 30 home runs and steal 30 bases in the same season. He set a Florida State record by batting .455 in 1997 while managing to become one of only three players in college baseball history to have 100 hits, 100 runs and 100 RBIs. During his college career, Drew broke 17 school and conference records.

J.D. Drew is now a right fielder for the Boston Red Sox. He is a left-handed hitter, and began his major league career in 1998 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Late on November 9, 2006, he opted out of his contract with the Dodgers with three years remaining.The Boston Red Sox deal was finally signed on January 25, 2007, and totaled $70,000,000.

FSU Fan's Brain