Florida State baseball coach Link Jarrett announced the starting rotation for the opening weekend three-game series against Butler on Wednesday.

Jarrett - who is entering his second year as the FSU head coach - announced right-hander and UCF transfer Cam Leiter gets the nod on opening night at 5 p.m. at Dick Howser Stadium Left-hander Jamie Arnold will start on Saturday at 2 p.m. and Conner Whitaker will earn the start for Sunday's noon game.

"We feel like those guys had a nice progression into this," Jarrett said announcing the rotation Wednesday. "Their stuff has been although different, but really good."

All three games are set to be broadcast on ACC Network Extra.

The Seminoles are coming off a 23-31 season in the first year under Jarrett, missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 41 years.

Friday - Cam Leiter

Leiter, a 6-foot-5 sophomore, and the nephew of longtime MLB pitcher Al Leiter, possess a fastball that touched 97 miles per hour in his freshman season.

Last year, he finished with a 3-2 record to go along with a 4.92 ERA and 80 strikeouts in 56 ⅔ innings of work across 15 appearances with the Knights.

Leiter did post a 2.57 earned run average over his final eight appearances of the season. He struck out career-best 11 batters in back-to-back starts against Tulane (May 7) and Cincinnati (May 13).

"Leiter gives us some energy and some intensity every pitch, you guys will sense that when he rolls out there," Jarrett said. "I think he has four good pitches in play: a good lively fastball, an over the top big break, kind of a [Jackson] Baumeister breaking ball, a hard slider and a feel for a changeup.

"He's into every pitch. It's fun, like there's when he takes the field you'll feel the at energy. And we hope that he continues to develop and do what he's done leading up to us choosing him to throw on Friday."

Saturday - Jamie Arnold

Arnold, a sophomore from Tampa, started in the weekend rotation last season but his struggles saw him pushed out of the rotation.

He ended his freshman season with a 6.34 ERA over 44 innings of work across 24 appearances (eight starts).

In the offseason, he earned a spot on the Cape Cod All-Star in the Cape Cod League after posting a 2.79 ERA.

Arnold's fastball has been in the mid-90s during the preseason and is someone who looks ready to take the leap.

"The lower slot lefty as as you've seen, the velocity has been anywhere from 90 to 96," Jarrett said. "And when it syncs up, it's a really nice climbing type fastball changeup to come along with that little better feel for a slider, the repeatability. We saw glimpses of it last year now you hope after after that season in the Cape, you start to see more consistent flashes of at times what's brilliant on the mound.

"So we need these guys to both get deep."

Sunday - Cam Whittaker

Whittaker posted a 4.33 ERA last season, in a team-leading 79 innings pitched. He finished with 65 strikeouts and 15 walks.

Over the last two seasons with the Seminoles, Whittaker has appeared in 38 games (eight starts), posting a 3.75 ERA across 115 ⅓ innings.

"Whitaker is just a step tough right hander with three pitches in play and command of the running game," Jarrett said. "Engaged with every part of what you have to do as a pitcher. And he's just gotten better the sense of himself and knowing what to do and getting that ball in on the lefties a little bit and clearly running it in on the righties and I think [pitching coach] Micah [Posey] has done a nice job with his slider a little more consistent firmness to the slider, good changeup."

How to watch Florida State baseball vs. Butler

When: Friday, 5 p.m.; Saturday, 2 p.m.; Sunday, noon

Where: Dick Howser Stadium

TV/Radio: ACC Network Extra/100.7 FM

Reach Ehsan Kassim at ekassim@gannett.com or follow him on Twitter at @Ehsan_Kassim. You can also follow our coverage on Facebook (NoleSports), Instagram (tlhnolesports) and YouTube channel (NoleSportsTD).

No one covers the ‘Noles like the Tallahassee Democrat. Subscribe using the link at the top of the page and never miss a moment.

This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Link Jarrett announced Cam Leiter will start opening day for FSU baseball