College baseball notebook: FSU's series win over Clemson moves it into 1st in tightly bunched ACC

The Atlantic Coast Conference promises high drama over the final two weeks of the regular season with just 1 1/2 games separating first-place Florida State and the teams tied for seventh, Clemson and Duke.

The next two weekends will determine which four teams earn double byes for the ACC Tournament in Durham, North Carolina, on May 20-25.

Florida State (33-10, 14-7) won two of three at home against Clemson to move past North Carolina State (30-15, 15-8) for the conference lead. The Wolfpack lost two at Miami and the third game of their series was rained out.

The Seminoles completed the series win against Clemson with a 20-9 walk-off, run-rule victory Sunday. They went deep three times in the eighth inning and finished with six homers in a game for the third time this season. Drew Faurot and Alex Lodise connected twice apiece.

FSU leads the ACC in batting (.322), slugging (.548) and homers (81). Lodise's .430 batting average and .804 slugging percentage are first in the conference, and the junior shortstop has played his way into being a projected second-round draft pick.

Left-hander Jamie Arnold is the team's top draft prospect. Arnold (5-1, 2.29 ERA) ranks among the national leaders in strikeouts per nine innings (11.95) and walks and hits per inning (0.96) and is projected to be among the first five picks.

Third-place North Carolina (35-10, 15-9) has the ACC's toughest closing stretch. The Tar Heels host rival N.C. State this week and then visit FSU.

There was disagreement at the top of the polls Monday. Texas (38-8) remained No. 1 by D1Baseball.com after it was swept at Arkansas. The Razorbacks (40-9) were the top choice in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. Georgia (39-11) was No. 1 in the Baseball America rankings after it swept Missouri on the road and extended its win streak to six games.

DIBaseball promoted Florida State from No. 5 to No. 2 and dropped LSU (38-11) from No. 2 to No. 3 after it lost two of three at Texas A&M.

Baseball America dropped Texas from No. 1 to No. 2 and gave Arkansas a hefty promotion from No. 10 to No. 3. The NCBWA poll had Texas No. 2 and LSU No. 3.

One month ago, Florida was 1-11 in Southeastern Conference play. Since then the Gators have won 10 of 12 conference games to move into position for an NCAA Tournament bid.

Florida (33-16, 11-13) swept South Carolina on the road, with Kevin O'Sullivan picking up his 750th career win with Sunday's 8-0 victory in the second game of a doubleheader. The sweep was the Gators' first in Columbia since 1996 and first on the road against any team since 2022.

Caleb Shpur became the first UConn player since 1979 to have a seven-hit game when he went 7 for 7 with six singles and a home run in a 29-10 win at Villanova on Saturday.

The previous player to collect seven hits was Payton Brennan of UCLA, against UC Santa Barbara on March 26, 2024.

Arizona State used a five-run seventh inning to beat Baylor 8-6 on Sunday and win the series. The Sun Devils have had 112 innings in which they've scored at least two runs, 60 innings with at least three, 28 innings with at least four and 18 innings with at least five. They're second in the Big 12 Conference with 8.5 runs per game.

Northeastern's 10-0 win over Delaware on Sunday was the Huskies' nation-leading 16th in a row and 14th shutout, the most since Oregon State blanked 14 opponents in 2017. ... The Big East looks like a three-team race with first-place Creighton (31-13, 12-3) having won nine straight conference games and UConn (30-18, 14-4) having won 12 in a row in league play. The Bluejays are percentage points ahead of the Huskies. Third-place Xavier (29-21, 13-5) plays three games at Creighton this weekend. ... TCU's Colton Griffin tied a single-game school record with three doubles in a 13-6 win over Arizona on Sunday. ... Brandon Bak threw Illinois-Chicago's first no-hitter since 2004 in Saturday's 10-0 seven-inning win at Valparaiso.

AP college sports: https://apnews.com/hub/college-sports

FILE - Florida State infielder Alex Lodise (1) bats during an NCAA baseball game against Florida in Jacksonville, Fla., March 25, 2025. (AP Photo/Gary McCullough, File)

CINCINNATI (AP) — After opening the season as the starting quarterback for the Cleveland Browns facing the Cincinnati Bengals, Joe Flacco will close the season as the backup for the Bengals as they face the Browns on Sunday.

Flacco was dealt to the Bengals in October and made six starts for the Bengals while Joe Burrow was out with a toe injury.

“I don’t really think about putting a label on it,” Flacco said. “It’s crazy. Seasons always go by quick once they’ve started. But the way that this one went, it seems like it flew by.”

During the summer, in Cleveland Browns training camp, Flacco won a competition for the starting quarterback job and made four starts for Cleveland. In Week 1 against the Bengals, Flacco threw for 290 yards.

He said that over the past 17 weeks, he has seen improvement from the Bengals defense. Now, he refers to the Bengals defense as his team’s defense.

“We’re stopping the run,” Flacco said. “We’re getting more pressure on the quarterback. When you combine those two things, it’s going to help you out.”

While Flacco went 1-5 as a starter in Cincinnati, the 40-year-old played well. He threw for at least 200 yards in four of his six starts, and the Bengals offense averaged more than 27 points per game.

Flacco said that he developed a lot of respect for Bengals coach Zac Taylor.

“He has a lot of strengths,” Flacco said. “He’s really good at what he does. His demeanor, his overall personality and the way he leads men is really good. The way he puts game plans together. Also, he’s willing to allow it to be collaborative. That’s a strength. His game day play-calling is also something he does really well.”

Burrow took over as the starter when he returned on Thanksgiving, and Flacco has been the backup over the past month.

Flacco will be a free agent again at the end of the season. As he evaluates his options, he’s hoping to find another chance to play and to start.

“That’s always a priority,” Flacco said. “I’m somebody who wants to play football. You’ve got to assess and see whatever is thrown your way. You have to go from there and see what you can do about it.”

He said that he’d be open to returning to the Bengals, but he’ll weigh several factors.

“I haven’t really thought about it,” Flacco said. “I don’t hope to do anything. I have an idea of maybe of what some goals would be. I’ll go from there and see what happens.”

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco throws during pregame warmups before an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Flacco (16) calls a play during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 21, 2025, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)