Florida State fires Mike Martin Jr., son of legendary baseball coach

TALLAHASSEE — Florida State fired baseball coach Mike Martin Jr. after the Seminoles failed to advance out of the NCAA regions for a second straight year.

Athletic director Michael Alford said Friday that a national search for a replacement would begin immediately.

Martin succeeded his father, Mike Martin Sr., as coach after the 2019 season and went 77-54 overall, 35-31 in the ACC and 2-4 in NCAA region games. His .588 winning percentage is the worst by a coach in FSU baseball history.

“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,” Alford said. “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.”

The Seminoles rank second to Texas in all-time NCAA tournament appearances (59) and hold the longest active streak (44).

Like his father, the 49-year-old Martin played at FSU. The younger Martin was an All-America catcher in the mid-1990s and played pro ball for a short time before returning as an assistant in 1998. He was the Seminoles’ hitting coach and top recruiter, and got the head coaching job over three other finalists upon Mike Sr.’s retirement after the 2019 season.

FSU was 12-5 when Mike Jr.’s first season was cut short because of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Seminoles were 31-24 in 2021 and 34-25 this season. They finished fourth and third, respectively, in the ACC’s Atlantic Division and never made it past two games in the conference tournament.

Mike Jr.’s son Tyler was a sophomore infielder for the Seminoles this season and appeared in 26 games.

“We deeply appreciate all Mike has done for the program as head coach, as an assistant coach and as a Seminole student athlete,” Alford said. “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.”

The elder Martin — he coached the likes of Buster Posey, Deion Sanders and J.D. Drew at FSU — remains the all-time leader in college baseball coaching wins with 2,029. The 78-year-old Hall of Fame coach led the Seminoles to 17 College World Series in his 40 seasons. Unfortunately for Martin and FSU, that’s the most trips to the CWS without winning a national championship.

In 2005, FSU honored him by naming its facility Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.

The Associated Press and the Tallahassee Democrat contributed to this report.

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