FSU baseball: Mike Martin Jr. fired thoughts and what’s next

FSU baseball fans learned the program is still a priority Friday as the university announced the firing of Mike Martin Jr.

The news comes less than a week after the Noles got bounced from regional play in three games for the second consecutive year as a three seed and a 34-25 overall record.

FSU Athletic Director Michael Alford spoke on the situation in a press release I received via email.

"“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.”"

I gave some instant thoughts on the Built For Playmakers Podcast below:

The Standard is the Standard

Frankly, FSU baseball has not been good enough under Mike Martin Jr. It sucks his inaugural season got cut short due to COVID, but there was some head scratching moments in that season too. Martin Jr. went 77-54 as head coach, 2-2 in the ACC Tournament, and 2-4 in the NCAA Tournament.

The biggest red flag was he had been on the staff since 1998, and the FSU baseball program continued to have the same issues that have haunted them the last few years. They’ve struggled mightly on defense and even more notably on offense, which is the area where Mike Martin Jr. resided over.

The base-running the past two years have exhibited miscues seen on high school teams, and situational hitting has been poor to say the least. I didn’t see those things improving next year, and it’s apparent Michael Alford, who played baseball in college, didn’t either. It’ll be interesting to see who FSU baseball pursues.

It’s still a national brand and should be attractive to every major candidate. I’d think Notre Dame head coach Link Jarrett should be near the top of that list. It’s likely why you saw this tweet on Twitter shortly after the news broke that Mike Martin Jr. was out:

Jarrett is aware of the expectations in Tallahassee when it comes to FSU baseball and would be a home run hire. Is he still interested in the job? We’ll have to wait and see.