FSU baseball: Has the team improved under Mike Martin Jr?

No. 8 FSU baseball (10-5, 2-1 ACC) is well into Mike Martin Jr’s third year at the helm. His first year was cut short after 17 games due to the COVID pandemic.

However, I remember writing about what we saw in the first 17 games in the Mike Martin Jr. era.

Admittedly, I wasn’t too impressed with what I saw and pointed out things that had needed attention ASAP.

Here are three things I noted in March of 2020:

• Defensive struggles continue
• Offensive struggles continue
• Pitching is good enough to beat anyone

The defense had 34 errors through 17 games in 2020. The team batting average was .259 with an on-base percentage of .417. FSU batters had struck out 212 times in 580 at-bats (37 percent). The pitching staff had an ERA of 2.50, with 208 strikeouts against 68 walks, and allowed a batting average of .188 to hitters.

It’s not apples to apples because of two missed games, but FSU baseball has shown some improvement over the same period compared to 2020.

As of March 2022(15 games)

This year’s defense has 13 errors through 15 games. The team batting average is .285, with an on-base percentage of .374. FSU batters have struck out 155 times in 512 at-bats (30 percent). FSU pitchers have an ERA of 3.17 with 203 strikeouts against 60 walks and allowed a batting average of .198 to hitters.

Overall Thoughts

There is a marked improvement in the defense, no question. They’ve gone from averaging two errors per game to fewer than an error per game. The batting average is better, with the on-base percentage is slightly down. The strikeouts are down a bit(but still much too high).

I’d also add FSU is much more aggressive on the bases compared to then, which is a welcome sign. FSU starting pitchers are arguably the best in college baseball, and it’s the bullpen that needs to be more consistent. There’s still a way to go, especially offensively, but there has been some real improvement in the program since 2020.