By Ethan Jones
It was a beautiful day for baseball at BayCare Ballpark in Clearwater, Florida, as the Florida State Seminoles and South Florida Bulls faced off in a 12-inning preseason matchup. With the 2026–27 college baseball season approaching, both programs had one of their final opportunities to evaluate their rosters, build confidence, and prepare for the challenges ahead. For Florida State and USF, the afternoon offered more than just another game on the schedule. It was an opportunity to sharpen their skills, work through challenging situations, and build momentum heading into the new campaign.
The Seminoles threatened early in the top of the first inning when John Stuetzer lined a single through the middle of the infield. However, Stuetzer was caught trying to advance to second base. Florida State continued to find ways to reach base as Brody DeLamielleure and Marvin Montenegro followed with slow-rolling infield singles to third base. Despite putting together several hits, the Seminoles were unable to turn their early opportunities into runs, leaving two runners stranded to end the inning. Florida State broke through in the top of the second. Genson Veras reached base after being hit by a pitch and advanced to second when a throwing error occurred on a pickoff attempt. A groundout moved Veras to third, setting the stage for Cooper Malamazian to deliver the game’s first run. Malamazian drove a double down the left-field line, bringing Veras home and giving the Seminoles a 1–0 lead.
The Seminoles continued to create opportunities in the top of the third inning. Ty Peeples drew a walk to reach first base before stealing second, advancing safely when the catcher’s throw failed to reach its intended target. Montenegro later joined Peeples on the bases after drawing a walk of his own. Once again, however, Florida State could not capitalize on the opportunity, leaving both runners stranded as the Bulls escaped without allowing another run. Florida State added to its advantage in the top of the fifth inning. Malamazian opened the sequence with a single into the gap in center field, continuing his productive afternoon at the plate. Jace Estes followed with a sacrifice bunt, successfully moving Malamazian into scoring position at second base.
Peeples then came through with a single that brought Malamazian home, extending Florida State’s lead to 2–0. The Seminoles continued to apply pressure offensively, using timely hitting and smart baserunning to create scoring opportunities. While they had left runners stranded earlier in the contest, Malamazian’s double in the second and Peeples’ RBI single in the fifth gave Florida State something to build on as the game progressed. With both teams using the preseason matchup to prepare for the upcoming season, the extended contest provided an opportunity to test their depth, manage different game situations, and compete in a close battle between two Florida programs.
The South Florida Bulls struggled to generate offense as Florida State extended its lead with a solo home run from Coy Clements in the sixth inning. The Bulls scored their first run in the seventh, but the Seminoles responded with a big eighth inning, adding five runs to take an 8–1 lead. Florida State continued to build its advantage, scoring in the ninth and tenth innings to go up 10–1. Despite a late effort from USF, the Bulls could not capitalize on their opportunities, and Florida State held on to win the 12-inning preseason matchup. Here is how the game stacked up by the numbers. For the Seminoles, they had 12 hits and 0 errors, and for the Bulls they had 3 hits and 1 error.
After the game concluded, me and other members of the media headed to Florida State’s Dugout and asked head coach Link Jarrett about his thoughts on the game. When asked about trying to figure out the pitching rotation as the preseason comes to an end this is what coach Jarrett had to say “We have a lot to try to sort out in the next three months really and today just continued to show me that there’s a lot of guys that look like they can lengthen and throw multiple pitches with command if that’s what you are looking for in starter than clearly I think we have it.” Although Florida State came away with a convincing 10–1 victory after 12 innings, both the Seminoles and South Florida Bulls will look to use this preseason matchup as a learning experience before the start of the 2026–27 regular season.
Florida State will continue preparing for the upcoming campaign with its next scheduled game being the annual Garnet & Gold All-Star Game, an intrasquad matchup that will give the Seminoles another opportunity to evaluate their roster and fine-tune their play. Meanwhile, USF will turn its attention to its upcoming matchup against Florida Southern on November 1, where the Bulls will look to build momentum and continue preparing for the season ahead. With the regular season approaching, both programs will aim to learn from their preseason performances, strengthen their lineups, and enter the new campaign ready to compete.
