The beginning of the 40th and final season for FSU baseball coach, Mike Martin felt picture perfect. The No. 11 Seminoles kicked off the 2019 season with their 10th no-hitter in program history; demolishing the Maine Black Bears 11-0 on Opening Day. After the game, Coach Martin said, “Well I never thought I’d be talking to y’all [the reporters] on the first day of the last year about a no-hitter being thrown on opening day.” To the satisfaction of Coach Martin, the Noles didn’t bother to take their foot off the gas all weekend, sweeping Maine and beginning the season 4-0. And this is only the beginning of the season devoted to a legend, number 11.
Mike Martin is one of the few people who represented the garnet and gold as a player and a coach. Martin’s Seminole career on the field ran from 1965-1966. After some time apart, he returned to FSU in 1975 as the assistant coach and was later promoted to head coach in 1979. Since then, Martin has secured his place in FSU history. Martin coached FSU greats like Deion Sanders, Buster Posey and JD Drew just to name a few. As of today, coach Martin has led the Seminoles to 39 straight postseason appearances, and he is also in route to pass 2,000 career wins: further solidifying his place as the all-time winningest coach in NCAA D1 baseball.
Now that his last Opening Day has come and gone with a victory, he will have a lot of goodbyes to say this season. For the final time, the Seminoles baseball team will have Coach Martin lead the into the three-game series against that school in Gainesville, and on Apr. 9 he will have the pleasure of sending the Gators out of Tallahassee for the last time. This will be his last time shooting for the ACC tournament championship and the last time leading the Garnet and Gold into the postseason, extending our incredible streak. However, there is one first that Mike Martin is looking to grab on his way out the door, and that is his first College World Series win. In his career, he has taken the Seminoles to two national championship games but each time he has walked away empty handed. In his 40th and final season, it would be amazing to see Coach Martin change that.
With the great start to the season, his eyes are on the prize and the whispers of a baseball and softball dynamic duo fill the athletic department in Tallahassee. The greatest way to go out is sure to go out on top, ask players like Peyton Manning, Bill Russell and Michael Strahan who all walked away with a championship before retiring. He wants it, FSU wants it and the fans want it. The perfect icing on the cake for his amazing career would be a national championship.
In a press conference before the season, he stated, “I’ve said this so many times, but it is true, I am just so thankful to work for a school like FSU and an athletics administration that has given me every opportunity to be successful.”
For the 2019 season, Florida State athletics devoted the hashtag #OneLastRun to Coach Martin and paired it with a video thanking the GOAT. After watching this video, I can assure you there will not be a dry eye in the house. From Seminole fans all over the world, we want to thank you coach: good luck and go Noles!