FSU's Martin breaks record
Baseball coach now has the most college wins with 1,976.
And then there
CLEMSON, S.C. — was one.
Or make that one one. Florida State baseball coach Mike Martin, known affectionately to his fans and players as “11,” took sole possession of the all-time college baseball wins record Saturday night with his 1,976th career victory — and it came in dramatic fashion. Outfielder Steven Wells blasted a solo home run in the top of the 13th inning and Florida State got a brilliant relief effort from freshman C.J. Van Eyk to record a 3-2 victory against the Clemson Tigers. After the game, Martin posed
with his team in front of a banner that read: “Mike Martin. Winningest coach in NCAA baseball history. 1,976 wins.”
“The record means that for a while — I don’t know when it
will be broken — but for a while, it’s going to have Florida State’s
name,” Martin said. “The first two words are going to be Florida State. And that’s what means so much to me. Because that’s the university that gave me a chance to coach.”
That chance came in 1980 when Martin took over the program after being a player and an assistant coach. Almost four decades later, he’s still sweating out extra-inning wins over Clemson.
It was a win that came because Van Eyk was dominant in relief (one earned run in 6⅓ innings) and Wells didn’t let his 0-for-6 night turn into an 0-for-7. Wells launched a 1-2 pitch from Clemson closer Ryley Gil- liam into the left-field seats.
“To be a part of the one that puts him into the history books is just a great expe- rience for all of us,” Wells said. “I was just trying to produce for the team and get on base. To be able to be the guy that put us ahead right there for that big a win ... it’s just very humbling.”
Wells caught the final out in the bottom of the 13th inning as well. Just minutes before, the Seminoles survived an errant throw from second baseman Nick Derr — thanks to a heads-up play by catcher Cal Raleigh, who corralled the ball near the Clemson dugout and threw out the lead runner at third.
Two batters later, the ball was settling in Wells’ glove and Mike Martin was doing what he’s done 1,975 times before: shaking hands with his coaches and walking out to meet the team on the field.
After this game, Martin stayed on the field and posed for pictures. With the team. With his wife, Carol. With Athletic Director Stan Wilcox and his wife, Ramona.
He was still holding his own ball (from the last out) that his players had given him for the milestone win.
It was a little more than
‘It’s so great. He’s such a great man, and I’m so proud to be a part of it.’ Cal Raleigh
Florida State catcher
38 years ago that Martin notched his first career win. At Miami.
It’s been a long journey to get to 1,976. He’s coached hundreds and hundreds of players during that span.
“It’s so great,” Raleigh said. “He’s such a great man, and I’m so proud to be a part of it.”
As his players gathered around him following the game, Martin told them how proud he was of the way they battled in a tough environment. For how they kept their composure, even after blowing a late two-run lead.
He’s made simi l ar speeches countless times over the decades. Richie Lewis, Luis Alicea, Eduardo Perez, Paul Wilson, J.D. Drew, Shane Robinson, Buster Posey, James Ramsey, Devon Travis, Jameis Winston, D.J. Stewart, Cal Raleigh — they’ve all heard about poise. They’ve all heard about composure.
They’ve all ga t hered around “11” as he thanked them for racking up another win.
As for Martin, he’s just glad the chase is over.
“I am,” he said. “This makes me think of the first one. Because I was given a baseball by one of our players at the University of Miami in 1980. … It was James Ram- sey’s daddy. And this one was given to me by one of the players.
“And I’ll tell you some- thing else, guys. What the players did, you have no idea what that means to me. For those guys to show appreciation … I’m not in this to be loved, I am in this to teach. And sometimes it is tough love. But to have them there, that was neat. The way they treated me at the end. That was neat.”