As the 2007 FSU baseball season looms near, FSU head coach Mike Martin was recently accorded yet another honor.
The legendary baseball coach has been honored in almost every way imaginable in his 27-year career as the FSU baseball head coach. He is a 10-time conference coach of the year. He has led his FSU teams to 27 consecutive NCAA Regionals, coached in 12 College World Series and won 15 conference championships. Hundreds of his players have won all-conference and All-American honors and 13 have been first round draft picks. As proud as he is of all those accomplishments, his induction into the American Baseball Coaches Association Hall of Fame in Orlando may have topped them all.
"It was a very humbling experience," said Martin of his enshrinement. "I was overwhelmed with joy. I got a chance to see people I haven't seen in a long time. It was very exciting. Rod Delmonico from Tennessee was there. I saw Duane Banks from Iowa who is a retired coach. It makes you reflect on so many things. This job has been an unbelievable blessing for me and my family. It has to do with the relationships I have accumulated over the years and it seems all are in the area of baseball."
Martin was enshrined in the ABCA/Louisville Slugger Hall of Fame at the annual convention held this year in Orlando. The Seminole coach was one of nine men enshrined in the hall this year. Martin was joined by his family and friends at the induction ceremony.
As his 28th season gets under way shortly, Martin continues to cement his legacy as one of collegiate baseball's most prolific coaches. In just the last year alone the Seminole coach won his 1,400th game. The Florida State graduate is one of just eight baseball coaches in the history of the NCAA to win 1,400 games and with just 11 more wins he will pass two more coaches and move into the top five for victories in the history of the sport.
Martin has become the face of Florida State baseball having been associated with the Seminoles for 35 of FSU's 60 seasons. He is by far the winningest coach in the history of the program. Of the 3,205 baseball games played in program history, Martin has been involved in 2,316 as a player, assistant coach and head coach. What is even more impressive is that Martin has been at FSU for 1,719 of the 2,330 all-time baseball victories. In one way or another Mike Martin has been a part of almost 74% of Florida State's victories.
Martin has led the Seminoles to 12 College World Series appearances and 27 consecutive NCAA Regional Appearances, one for each year he has been on the bench. He has won 15 conference championships since taking over as head coach in 1980 with 11 from the Metro Conference and four in the ACC. He was a six-time Metro Conference Coach of the Year and has been the ACC Coach of the Year four times as well. Fifty-six Florida State players have earned All-America honors under Martin and 108 players earned first team all-conference recognition. He has coached four players, Mike Fuentes, Mike Loynd, J.D. Drew and Shane Robinson, who were named national players of the year.
For the past 27 seasons, Martin hasn't just produced great players he has developed great teams. Florida State has grown into one of the most prestigious collegiate baseball programs in the NCAA under Martin's guidance. FSU baseball is the second-winningest program all-time but since 2000 no school has won more games than Martin's Seminoles. No other Division I school has finished in the top 10 more times, compiled more 50+ win seasons or gone to more NCAA Regionals since 2000 as well.
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