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Where does FSU baseball's pitching stand ahead of Tallahassee Regional final?

Florida State baseball's season isn't done yet.

The No. 10-seeded Seminoles dragged themselves off the mat and rallied late to beat Northern Illinois 7-4, thanks in part to a three-run top of the 10th inning that was punctuated by a Ben Barrett two-run home run.

Barrett, who went 3-for-5 in the win and made a key sliding stop in the home half of the 10th inning to steal a hit, kept FSU's season alive and booked the Seminoles a date with St. John's in the Tallahassee Regional final.

Cooper Whited started and threw 76 pitches. Both Chris Knier, who threw 64 pitches and struck out five in the win, and Brodie Purcell (51 pitches, seven strikeouts) dazzled out of the bullpen. While the win extends the season, it leaves FSU with a pitching conundrum to solve.

And just over 12 hours to do it, with the Tallahassee Regional final against St. John's at noon on Monday, June 1.

"We were trying to steal some outs," head coach Link Jarrett said after the win over Northern Illinois. "We trust those guys. We tried to get Cooper a little further. We tried to get Knier a little further. Because we know what we are staring at tomorrow."

Where does FSU baseball's pitching staff stand ahead of the Tallahassee Regional final?

FSU's top three starters, lefties Wes Mendes and Trey Beard, and righty Bryson Moore have all pitched this weekend, and top bullpen arms have been leaned on to help push the team into the regional final.

Moore threw 88 pitches in five innings against St. John's on Friday and is unlikely to see the field again at Howser.

Due to the oddity of the Seminoles first losers bracket game against Coastal Carolina, a game that took 22 hours from first pitch to completion due to weather delays, both Mendes, 51 pitches and eight strikeouts, and Beard, 67 pitches and nine strikeouts, pitched in the same game.

As for the arms in the bullpen, Knier has thrown twice in the regional weekend, with 102 pitches over two games. Purcell tossed 15 pitches in between delays against Coastal Carolina before shutting down the Hukies with seven strikeouts over 3.1 innings of relief in 58 pitches on Sunday.

Bullpen ace John Abraham returned to the mound for the first time in three weeks in Friday's loss, and he threw 38 pitches. He hasn't pitched twice in a weekend this season, and fresh off an injury, his availability is in question, especially after a shaky outing.

So who is fresh, and who could start against St. John's?

Of the Seminoles arms that get consistent usage, Cole Stokes, who threw five pitches against the Red Storm on Friday, Kevin Mebil, Payton Manca, Cade O'Leary, and Gabe Nard are available and fresh.

Manca was built up to be the Seminoles' midweek starter this season, so he is a consideration to start against St. John's. The lefty has dealt with injury this season and has made seven appearances, with four in the last month, and he's only thrown 9.2 innings.

So a start for Manca would likely be capped by a pitch count, which would require a solid plan from Jarrett to navigate the regional final.

It's a problem Jarrett and pitching coach Micah Posey will happily try to solve, given the alternative is exit meetings and a stunning regional loss at Dick Howser Stadium. Beard at 67 pitches and less than a day's rest is almost certainly unavailable, as for Mendes, things could get interesting.

Mendes looked on pace for a long outing against Coastal Carolina before the rain delay, 51 pitches in four innings, striking out eight with two hits allowed. It's the fewest amount of pitches he's thrown in an outing for the Seminoles this season, and Jarrett didn't shut down questions about his availability, but he did suggest the coaching staff has a responsibility to "protect" their arms.

"We've got options, and we always want to be smart with these guys. We're excited about the regional, the postseason, the extend. There is some baseball that is ahead for a lot of these guys, the bulk. And we are respectful of that," Jarrett said.

"We have to take the pulse of some things and figure it out."