Alex Lodise reflects on his personal growth at FSU, under Link Jarrett

Florida State‘s 2025 campaign came to an end at the hands of the Oregon State Beavers in the Corvallis Super Regional on Sunday. The Seminoles dropped the opening game 5-4 in extra innings, but bounced back and evened the series with a 3-1 win. FSU however fell into an early deficit and lost 14-10 in the Super Regional Final, ending its season.

Junior shortstop Alex Lodise, who hit for a .394 average with 18 doubles and 17 home runs this season, reflected on his personal growth at Florida State and under head coach Link Jarrett postgame. Lodise transferred to FSU from North Florida prior to the 2024 season and has evolved into a potential first round pick in the upcoming MLB Draft.

“Link [Jarrett] not only builds you as a baseball player, but when you come to this program it’s almost like you’re expected to become a better man throughout your time here,” Lodise said. “I think that’s something that this program is awesome with. I mean, you can come here for two years and you’re gonna leave as a better person. It’s all to the coaches and coaching staff and they just want to build the best man they can out of you and just make you a great person.”

Lodise was one of six Seminoles to be named All-ACC

Lodise has shined as one of the great players in all of the ACC over the past two seasons. The St. Augustine, FL native was named ACC Player of the Year and ACC Defensive Player of the Year, along with being selected to the First Team All-ACC this past season. He was just one of six Seminoles to receive the All-ACC honor, joined by left-handed pitcher Jamie Arnold (First Team), second baseman Drew Faurot (First Team), outfielder Max Williams (Second Team), left-handed pitcher Joey Volini (Second Team) and outfielder Gage Harrelson (Third Team).

“Really proud of it,” Jarrett responded when asked about his team’s fight. “The schedule, there’s no breather. I felt like we didn’t have breathers all year and the guys were tough but kept going. Even in that game you’re up two going into the bottom half [of the first] and you walk out of there and you’re now down 7-2 but they just kept chipping away.”

The Seminoles jumped out to an immediate 2-0 lead in the Super Regional Finale courtesy of a Max Williams two-run home run, but the Beavers immediately responded with a seven-run half inning in the bottom of the first. Florida State left-hander Wes Mendes had a disastrous start, as he surrendered five hits (two home runs) and seven runs in just 2/3 innings.

Florida State falls just shy of College World Series

“When you talk about the execution of what you’re doing at the plate and you have to deliver good stuff and execute on the mound, and that’s how you get back into something,” Jarrett continued. “That’s how you stay in a close game and that’s how you separate. We just found ourselves in too big of a hole, but it wasn’t for a lack of fight. There were some really good at-bats in there. When you hit four or five home runs… when you hit that ball over the fence it’s tough to overcome it. We gave them traffic to capitalize on it and they did. But the fight of the guys all year stands out and to play the game after Friday night and to play the way they did yesterday and even throughout this one… they’re tough.”

Florida State finishes the 2025 season with a 42-16 record with a second consecutive Super Regional appearance. Oregon State takes the last two games of the Corvallis Super Regional and will now head back to the Men’s College World Series for the first time since 2018, when it was the last team NOT from the SEC to win the National Championship.