Growing up around Tallahassee and as a legacy, Drew Faurot is familiar with Florida State baseball.
On Friday, the sophomore transfer from UCF gave a proper introduction to the 4,402 fans at Dick Howser Stadium who did not already know who he was.
Faurot hit a two-run home run behind another strong pitching effort from starter Cam Leiter as the Seminoles cruised to an 8-2 victory over Western Carolina to open the three-game series.
For the former Florida High standout, it was his 16th career home run, but his first with the Seminoles (4-0). Leiter (2-0) picked up the victory for FSU, while Spenser Hamblem (1-1) picked up the loss for the Catamounts (3-2).
Ben Barrett made his first appearance of the season, pitching three scoreless innings, allowing one hit, striking out three and walking one. Noah Short closed out the game for the Seminoles.
“Good game, talented team. Western Carolina knows what they are doing. They have arms, they have balance in the lineup, the experience and the physicality,” FSU head coach Link Jarrett said postgame.
“… We settled into it.”
Here are our takeaways from the Friday weekend series opener.
Drew Faurot’s big night
Faurot has drawn starts at second base in each of the first four games with the Seminoles. The second Friday game as a Seminole at Dick was his big welcome home celebration.
In the bottom of the sixth inning, Faurot took a hanging breaking ball and crushed it to right field, over the large green fence and into the street for his first homer as a Seminole.
The home run came off his bat at 109 miles per hour and went 417 feet. The launch angle was 26.1.
Faurot was treated to a curtain call by the fans following the home run.
He also added a double in the prior inning and a walk in the eighth inning.
“Faurot’s home run opened it up,” Jarrett said. “We had chances. We were offensive pests, we were doing subtle damage here and there. We had chances to extend and really open it up but we didn’t do that.
“… But that makes Faurot’s home run all that more important. It provided us with a little bit of breathing room.”
Through his first four games, Faurot is now hitting .421 with his home run, a double and two RBI, also adding three stolen bases.
Last season he set the UCF freshman home run record with 15 bombs. His father, Adam Faurot, played for the Seminoles from 1995 to 1996 and the younger Faurot was a stand-out at Florida High.
Cam Leiter’s unhittable breaking ball
Following a 13-strikeout performance over five shutout innings, Leiter looked to build upon that in his second start. Though he had some early command issues, the Friday starter delivered another strong outing.
Leiter pitched five innings, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits while striking out eight and walking three. The fastball command wavered for the right-hander, his breaking pitches were working all night.
Of his eight strikeouts, seven came looking on a breaking ball, while another was a swinging strikeout on the breaker. The pitch was nearly un-hittable.
He had just one strikeout (swinging) on his fastball, coming on a high fastball to end the third inning.
Leiter finished his night throwing 90 pitches, with 47 going for strikes. He walked three hitters and hit two more. He threw 89 pitches (58) strikes in his outing last weekend, walking just two hitters in the outing.
“I thought he found his breaking ball,” Jarrett said of Leiter. “Last week, it was more of a fastball-dominant outing. Today, he dropped the big breaking ball. It was good. Some good sliders. The fastball wasn’t as efficient but he battled through it.”
Through two starts, Leiter’s ERA sits at 0.90 and he has 21 strikeouts and five walks in 10 innings.
Defensive miscue leads to first run
It was the Catamounts who struck first with the opening run of the game. It was setup by a costly error when Faurot fielded a ball which first baseman Daniel Cantu also dove for. Faurot fired to first base, despite Leiter being late to run over.
The ball sailed into the FSU dugout and the runner advanced to second base. Two batters later, Jack Spyke gave WCU a 1-0 lead.
“It was frustrating, the first run,” Jarrett said. “It’s an aspect of the game we work on so much. [Leiter] did not get over [to first base], Faurot probably shouldn’t have thrown it. It was just one of those things when you hear me talk about team defense.”
The Catamounts added their second run via an error as well when Cantu did not handle a pickoff throw from Leiter. That run also came around to score and gave WCU a 2-1 lead.
Faurot made up for it later in the game with his home run. But the FSU defense as a whole stepped up. Third baseman Cam Davis made a barehanded play on a bunt to get a key out in the sixth inning with no one out and runners on first and second.
James Tibbs III made a diving catch in the seventh and a running grab in left field in the fifth. Freshman Cal Fisher made a diving catch to end the game at shortstop.
“I thought our outfield defense was good,” Jarrett said. “I thought Tibbs, the jump was outstanding, the extension, the catch. Max Williams in left field, just the jump and anticipation.
“And then Fisher’s ball, you could see the range, the jump and the instincts he had to close on that ball to end the game. It was a really special play. It’s as good of a play you’ll see on a flare like that.”
Up next:
The Seminoles and Catamounts continue their three-game weekend series Saturday with lefty Jamie Arnold (1-0) on the bump for FSU, while Kyle Riesselmann will throw for WCU. First pitch is scheduled for 2 p.m. and the game will be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.
How to watch FSU baseball vs. WCU & pitching matchups
Where: Dick Howser Stadium
Saturday; 2:00 p.m. – ACC Network Extra/100.7 FMFSU: LHP Jamie Arnold (1-0, 0.00 ERA) vs. WCU: LHP Kyle Riesselmann (0-0, 7.20 ERA)Watch | Listen
Sunday; 1:00 p.m. – ACC Network Extra/100.7 FMFSU: TBD vs. WCU: RHP Cannon Pickell (0-0, 13.50 ERA)
Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).
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