UPDATE: Walls to be reinstated Monday; eligible to play Tuesday vs. FGCU
Florida State All-American shortstop Taylor Walls will be reinstated Monday and will be eligible to play Tuesday against Florida Gulf Coast, the school said in a release Sunday.
The news comes less than 12 hours after Seminoles coach Mike Martin said Walls was indefinitely suspended for disciplinary reasons. Martin made the announcement late Saturday evening after FSU's 5-2 loss in 11 innings to North Carolina at Dick Howser Stadium.
"Due to disciplinary reasons, shortstop Taylor Walls will be suspended for two games," Martin said in a statement released by the university prior to Sunday's game against the Tar Heels. "He will be reinstated Monday, April 3, and available to play beginning Tuesday, April 4. We will have no further comment on the situation.”
Walls started against the Tar Heels and was pulled after one inning. He was hitting in the leadoff spot and on a 2-1 count, grounded out to first base. Walls nonchalantly jogged down the right-field line before going back to the dugout.
A couple of FSU players, who were on the top step of the dugout, looked at Walls as he went back to the bench. It was unclear if Walls said anything upon his arrival. He was not with the team for the remainder of the game.
"Under the rules of the university, Taylor was suspended for disciplinary reasons," said Martin, when he was asked why Walls was removed from the game.
Martin said the suspension was indefinite and then added, "at the present time, I do not know" about Walls' return. A school spokesman told Warchant later that Walls was still a member of the team.
Walls' suspension comes after Martin met with the team for 20 minutes after FSU opened with a 3-1 loss to UNC on Friday. Walls was 0 for 3 with a walk and two strikeouts.
After removing Walls, who was tabbed as a preseason All-American by several publications, the Seminoles moved freshman infielder Nick Derr to second base. Senior Matt Henderson moved from second to short. Later, Martin moved Henderson to second and freshman Tyler Daughtry to short.
Henderson and Daughtry were charged with four of the Seminoles' six errors, whereas Walls has committed three errors all season. Daughtry, however, also had two of FSU's five hits.
Henderson committed an error in the third and an error in the seventh as sophomore pitcher Tyler Holton was aiming for a no-hitter. Martin, to start the eighth inning, moved Henderson back to second and Daughtry to short.
Holton made it to the eighth but was removed after allowing a lead-off walk. He was replaced by closer Drew Carlton, who worked a scoreless inning.
Carlton, with a 2-0 lead, issued a lead-off walk in the ninth, which was compounded when UNC third baseman Kyle Datres reached on Daughtry error. The Tar Heels would score two runs in the ninth and then score three more in the top of the 11th.
As a sophomore in 2016, Walls established himself as one of the best middle infielders in the nation. He batted .355 with six home runs an 59 RBIs and was one of six Atlantic Coast Conference players named All-Americans by Baseball America.
Walls spent the summer playing for USA Baseball's Collegiate National Team and began this year as Baseball America's 25th-best college prospect. He fell to No. 67 in the publication's latest rankings.
Walls is hitting .232 with three home runs and 20 RBIs; he is 3-for-17 in his last six games after going 4-of-5 on March 21 against Jacksonville.
"I think that's one of those toughies to try to answer," Martin said of correlating the errors to Walls' removal. "Because I would never want to have one of the replacements to think that I didn't appreciate their efforts. We all make mistakes in this game. It's just a shame we made so many in the second game."
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