Seminoles face tough road back to super regional

TALLAHASSEE, FLORIDA - Florida State will try to build on its surprising Atlantic Coast Conference championship when it plays host to its eight consecutive NCAA baseball regional this weekend.<br> <br> The top-seeded host Seminoles (42-20) are very familiar with winning in college baseball&#39;s opening round and know how to run a tournament. They are seeking to wrap up a seventh consecutive regional title.<br> <br> That could be a challenge for coach Mike Martin&#39;s Seminoles, one of three conference champions in the four-team field, battling to advance to next weekend&#39;s super regional.<br> <br> ``Baseball is the most unpredictable game there is,&#39;&#39; said Martin, who coached the Seminoles to the ACC championship last weekend.<br> <br> Florida State&#39;s begins Friday against Bethune-Cookman (27-26), champions of the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference. Big 12 champion Oklahoma State (37-22), the No. 2 seed, meets No. 3 Central Florida (44-16) in the other opening round game.<br> <br> First-year Oklahoma State coach Frank Anderson may have a leg up on the rest of the competition. Anderson was the pitching coach at Texas last season when the Longhorns came to Tallahassee and defeated FSU with a two-game sweep in the super regional.<br> <br> ``It&#39;s been a transition year, but it&#39;s been a fun year,&#39;&#39; said Anderson, whose Cowboys clinched the program&#39;s first postseason berth since 2001. ``The thing we&#39;ve done throughout the season is we&#39;ve competed at a pretty high level.&#39;&#39;<br> <br> So has UCF coach Jay Bergman&#39;s team, which has spent most of the season ranked nationally. The Golden Knights, who won the Atlantic Sun Conference regular season title, will lean heavily on one of the nation&#39;s top pitching staffs.<br> <br> ``(Pitching) is going to be the most important thing in this tournament,&#39;&#39; said Bergman, who will send right-hander Matt Fox (13-2) against Oklahoma State left-hander Spencer Grogan (12-2) in the opener.<br> <br> Though UCF has only two players with NCAA experience, playing in a regional at Florida State is nothing new for Bergman. Six of UCF&#39;s 10 regional appearances have been at Dick Howser Stadium.<br> <br> ``We&#39;ve been here so many times, I&#39;m thinking about changing my voter&#39;s registration,&#39;&#39; Bergman said.<br> <br> Bethune-Cookman coach Mervyl Melendez is just hopeful his fourth-seeded Wildcats don&#39;t take too long to get reacquainted with playing, after wrapping up their sixth consecutive NCAA berth on May 2.<br> <br> ``We&#39;ve been off for five weeks,&#39;&#39; Melendez said. ``Fortunately, we&#39;ve had some guys who have been here before. If we can pitch (after the layoff), we&#39;ll be competitive.&#39;&#39;