Last year was a complicated year for the Florida State Seminoles. Armed with a terrific rotation and a good offense, FSU had legitimate aspirations for Omaha. However, those aspirations crashed during the Regionals last spring. Now, heading into 2027, a new-look Florida State team will look to bounce back.
The Returnees
While the pitching staff does have plenty of newcomers, there are still some notable returnees.
Reliever John Abraham returned for his senior campaign. Overall, it was a good season for Abraham, even though it didn’t end well. The right-hander missed three weeks in May and fought control problems in two postseason outings against St. John’s. Still, he struck out 58 over 47 and posted a sub-2.00 ERA.
Abraham will be joined by several other pitchers who worked as relievers last season for the Seminoles. Among them are Chris Knier and Cade O’Leary, the latter of whom struck out 28 over 20 innings as a sophomore. It’s O’Leary second season in Tallahassee, after he transferred there from Mississippi State in 2025.
The Seminoles did sustain some losses over the summer, as Brayden Dowd went pro and Hunter Carns transferred. Plus, Myles Bailey was drafted by the Cubs in the second round after an injury-shortened campaign.
John Stuetzer returned for his sophomore season, one year after he tied Dowd for the team lead in home runs. It was a good, yet complicated year for Stuetzer, thanks to 69 strikeouts over 56 contests. And in the Cape Cod League this past summer, his Whiff% was one of the highest in the circuit.
Two other notable regulars to return are Brody DeLamielleure and Cal Fisher.
DeLamielleure hit .343 with seven home runs last season, and followed it up by making a good amount of contact in the Cape. As for Fisher, the now-senior hit just five home runs last year. But three of them came during the tournament.
The Newcomers
Florida State worked the transfer portal to replace some of the many players lost this past summer, either from the portal itself or the professional ranks.
One major plot from the summer was that FSU lost most of their impact pitchers from 2026. Wes Mendes, Trey Beard, Cole Stokes, Brodie Purcell, and Bryson Moore all went pro. So, there are, obviously, some new pitchers on the Seminoles’ roster for 2027.
Cayden Suchy comes over from UConn, one year after the left-hander led the Huskies in innings pitched (89.1) and struck out 105. Suchy had a low-90s fastball when he pitched in the Big East, along with a changeup, curveball, and slider.
Sebastian Lippman was a technical two-player with FGCU last year, although he only saw a handful of at-bats last season. Lippman was an impact reliever for what was a good pitching staff for the Eagles last season. He punched out 50 over 40 innings last year.
There’s potential with Isaiah Shayter, a sophomore who came over from Penn State. Shayter was part of the Nittany Lions’ weekend rotation as a freshman, striking out 38 over 48 innings. Mid-90s fastball, along with a changeup and a sweeping breaking ball.
Moving to the offense, the Seminoles grabbed some interesting names, including Ty Peeples, Cooper Malamazian, and Nick Barron.
Peeples was a big-name high school product who was taken in the 20th round by the Blue Jays in 2025, although that was more of a symbolic move than anything else. The outfielder was a Georgia commit and hit well in 2026, albeit in limited time. Peeples didn’t see much time on the 2026 UGA team; he saw just 17 at-bats and started only one game.
This past summer in the Cape, his 60.1% Take% was one of the highest in the league.
Malamazian was one of several notable Indiana hits to leave the school after the 2026 season. Last year as a sophomore, the infielder slashed .301/.389/.444 with 17 extra-base hits over 51 contests.
Florida State grabbed another notable Big 10 player, Nick Barron from Northwestern. A first baseman, Barron hit nine home runs as a freshman for the Huskies.
The Seminoles’ roster also includes eight freshmen, perhaps most notably Brayden Harris. Harris was a two-way star in high school, although he’ll be a pitcher down in Tallahassee. He’s a 6’2” pitcher with a mid-90s fastball.
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