Mike Martin Jr. fired after 3 seasons with Seminoles

For the first time in 42 years, a member of the Martin family will not be coaching Florida State Seminoles baseball.

Mike Martin Jr., who accumulated a 77–54 record with the Seminoles, failed to take the team out of the regional stage in two postseason appearances. His debut season with FSU was cut short due to COVID-19, but did feature the highlight of shutting down the Florida Gators’ Alfred McKethan Stadium with a Florida State win.

Here’s the press release from FSU athletics:

Florida State University Vice President and Director of Athletics Michael Alford announced Friday that Mike Martin, Jr. will not return as FSU’s baseball coach and that a national search will begin immediately to find his replacement.

“Making the change with our baseball coach was not an easy decision, but it is our responsibility to put our student-athletes and our teams in the best position to reach their full potential,” said Alford. “Ultimately, the decision came down to whether our baseball program was performing up to the admittedly high standards that we have established through our historic success and I do not believe we were.”

“We deeply appreciate all Mike has done for the program as head coach, as an assistant coach and as a Seminole student-athlete. His passion for the university and the baseball program is unequaled. I am sure I speak for all Seminole fans when I say we wish him and his family nothing but the best.”

Tomahawk Nation will continue to follow this story, including analysis and a coaching hot board, in the coming days.

Martin Jr.’s full bio, via FSU Sports Info:

Mike Martin, Jr. enters 2022 in his third season as the Florida State head coach and his 25th season on the Seminole coaching staff. Despite dealing with COVID issues that have disrupted his first two years, Martin is 43-29, winning 60 percent of his games and sporting an 8-2 record against rivals Miami, Florida and Clemson. After reaching the Oxford Regional in 2021, FSU’s 43 consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament are one shy of the all-time record and by far the longest active streak in the country.

In 2021, Florida State finished 31-24 while boasting the Atlantic Coast Conference Player and Pitcher of the Year in Matheu Nelson and Parker Messick, respectively.

Nelson led the country with 23 home runs and was top 10 in slugging percentage, RBI and total bases. He was named the Perfect Game/Rawlings National Hitter of the Year and was the Buster Posey & Johnny Bench Award winner as the nation’s best catcher. A unanimous first team All-American, Nelson was drafted with the 35th overall pick in the 2021 MLB Draft by the Cincinnati Reds. He was the second Seminole, and first since Jeff Ledbetter in 1982, to lead the country in home runs.

On the mound, Messick finished 8-2 with a 3.10 earned run average and 126 strikeouts in 90.0 innings. Also the ACC Freshman of the Year, Messick spearheaded a staff that ranked Top 10 nationally in strikeouts per nine innings (4th, 11.4), strikeout-to-walk ratio (7th, 3.19) and ERA (7th, 3.45). Messick was named a third-team All-American while teammate Bryce Hubbart, a third-team All-ACC selection with 94 strikeouts in 71.0 innings in 2021, also returns as the duo leads the FSU rotation in 2022.

Florida State swept the season series against Miami, winning all three games in Coral Gables and a fourth in the ACC Tournament in Charlotte.

Despite the MLB Draft getting reduced to 20 rounds (from a usual 40), the Seminoles had seven players selected, the most in the first 20 rounds for FSU since 1995. Along with Nelson, Robby Martin, Hunter Perdue, Jack Anderson, Elijah Cabell, Conor Grady and Tyler Ahearn were drafted and began their professional careers. After his first season, pitcher CJ Van Eyk was selected in the second round and Shane Drohan in the fifth round as the 2020 draft was reduced to just five rounds.

In his inaugural campaign, Martin and the Seminoles finished 12-5 and capped the year off with a 2-0 win at No. 1 Florida. The win snapped Florida’s 11-game win streak in the series and was the Gators’ only loss of the year.

Florida State has produced 11 consecutive recruiting classes ranked in the Top 10, including all three with Martin Jr. as head coach – No. 3 in 2019, No. 6 in 2020 and No. 7 by D1Baseball in 2021.

Martin helped oversee the growth of a handful of players, including Cabell, who finished in the Top 10 in the country in home runs (eighth) and RBI (fourth) while leading the NCAA with 15 hit by pitches during the 2020 season.

Martin was elevated to head coach on June 21, 2019, after 22 years as a Seminole assistant coach at his alma mater. Focusing on hitting and recruiting, his offenses had a combined .300 batting average in his tenure.

As an assistant coach, Martin and Florida State made the postseason and won at least 40 games every year, with eight College World Series appearances, 17 NCAA super regionals and six Atlantic Coast Conference titles.

Martin has coached five players that were named National Player of the Year – Nelson, James Ramsey, Buster Posey, Tony Thomas and Shane Robinson. Since Martin joined the Seminole staff prior to the 1998 season, Florida State has 23 first team All-Americans, 93 total All-Americans and 34 players have reached the Major Leagues. In all, Seminoles have earned All-ACC honors 119 times and Martin oversaw 67 hitters get drafted between 1998 and 2019, with nine additional Seminoles drafted since becoming head coach.

Prior to joining Florida State’s staff, Martin was FSU’s starting catcher from 1993-95, leading FSU to the College World Series in 1994 and 1995. He was drafted out of college by San Diego in the ninth round in 1995. Before coming to Florida State, Martin played high school ball at the Maclay School in Tallahassee and at Manatee Community College in 1992.

Martin has two sons, Tyler, an infielder for the Seminoles, and T.J.