FSU Baseball: Is 2018 the Final Season For Mike Martin Sr. With Noles?

FSU baseball is dealing with a season that has been below expectations – and reignited debate on if it’s time for their longtime leader to move on.

It is no secret that, when the records are written about FSU baseball, the program would be nowhere near what it has become without the longtime leadership of head coach Mike Martin. Through his 38 seasons, the team has been one of the best in the college game – and Martin enters this weekend just 51 games away from being the winningest coach in the sport.

It’s also no secret that, at 27-18 overall and 11-12 in the ACC, Florida State has gone well below expectations for a team that at one point was the top ranked team in the country and predicted by some to finally get a national title at the College World Series. Instead, a season that includes a 5-10 record against ranked foes has some wondering if it’s time to move on.

In an interview Monday with the Tallahassee Democrat, athletics director Stan Wilcox made some interesting comments alluding to it being more important to get Martin those last wins he needs in a Seminoles uniform:

"“That would be a great legacy for him, a great legacy for this institution. And I want him to be able to really feel good about it and really feel good about when he’s ready to step away from it, that it makes sense for him and his family and the university.”"

Martin, at the same time, was very passionate about how important the wins record is for him:

"Your dadgum right. I want Florida State to be successful, that’s No. 1. But yeah for me to sit and act like that doesn’t mean anything to me would be a big, fat lie.”"

You see, that’s where the problem comes in for some FSU baseball fans – including this writer. While I appreciate the honesty of good ‘ole No. 11 and think he has earned the last couple seasons based on past accolades, when the idea is to keep him around for a personal record while the TEAM performance on the field is starting to suffer is where the line gets drawn.

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We’re less than a decade from the debacle that was the ouster of legendary football coach Bobby Bowden. While the way it went down was botched by those involved, it was a move that needed to happen – because as much as it hurts some to hear, the move was the best for the program. Would it have been nice for Bowden to get 400 wins at FSU? Of course. Would it be in the best interest of the program for it to come in back-to-back 6-6 seasons? Of course not.

FSU baseball has 11 more games in the regular season – including six conference games against teams with a RPI in the top 15 nationally. Add that to the ACC Tournament and the question comes up about what this team can do in the postseason. Baring a last minute reversal of performance, one wonders if this team has 11 wins left in them so Martin would need just 40 next season – and even then, can this team get 40 wins next year?

Martin has one year left on his contract – and it’s going to come down to Wilcox and friends to decide what is best for FSU baseball. It’s going to be a hard decision to make because of personal loyalty and what Mike Martin Sr. has done for the program – but the best move for the Seminoles may just be to move on with a fresh face (maybe longtime assistant Mike Martin Sr.) whether his dad gets those 51 wins or not.