STRIKE NIGHT

FSU opened the 1956 baseball season in sensational fashion. Facing Furman, junior pitcher Tony Avitable stepped on the mound in front of a crowd of 600 fans. Avitable struck out an astounding 24 batters on the night, en route to a 9-1 win over the Paladins. The consistent punchouts set a program record for most strikeouts in a single game. The pitching effort also set an NCAA record that would stand for nearly two decades, broken in 1973. This baseball was saved from that record-setting night. Avitable, not forgotten by the Seminole faithful, was inducted into FSU Athletics Hall of Fame in 1991.