Last week, the Florida State baseball team had four wins against their in-state rivals, and no doubt hope to replicate it in their coming games as their ranking continues to climb.
Starting off their week, the Seminoles went up against the Gators in a home game this past Wednesday. Despite the University of Florida’s season record and top-five ranking, they lost in an upset, with a final score of 10-2.
Riding on the high of this win, the Florida State team made the trip to Coral Gables to play in a weekend series against the University of Miami this past weekend. Miami, previously ranked No. 6 also felt the upset of losing to the ‘Noles. Florida State won all three games by a landslide, with final scores of 13-1, 9-1 and 12-0. Following this weekend series, Miami’s ranking has dropped even further, as they currently stand at No. 19 with a season record of 9-7, now ranked below Florida State. Previously not ranked, FSU is now at No. 17 with a season record of 10-6. Their wins against these two major Florida teams have been coined the “Sunshine State Sweep”, and FSU now holds this title for the season. The full list of Division 1 baseball rankings, records and scores can be found on the official NCAA website.
The head coach from Florida State, Mike Martin Jr., attributes the team’s success this past week to their ability to gain early leads. He was quoted saying that the early leads gave the team an immeasurable amount of confidence and a morale boost that shows as the “dugout gets more upbeat and the confidence level is contagious, highly contagious and powerful, and that’s what you’re seeing.” This is only Martin’s second season coaching at Florida State, and he is likely looking to maintain and improve their status following their 12-5 record in his inaugural season that was shortened due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Of course, the team as a whole was playing incredibly this past week, but one player was specifically was recognized for his accomplishments. Robby Martin, a Florida State sophomore, was named the ACC Player of the Week for the second time in his career; he achieved a batting average of .550, a slugging percentage of 1.150 with three home runs, three doubles and a total of 12 runs batted in, rightfully earning him the title.
As we look into Florida State’s near future, the team will be returning to Dick Howser Stadium in Tallahassee for a home game against the University of Central Florida this Wednesday at 6 p.m. Next weekend, the team will be hosting Wake Forest for a weekend series, with games on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, at 6 p.m., 2 p.m. and 1 p.m. respectively. Both UCF and Wake Forest are ranked below Florida State and outside of the Top 25. The team’s full schedule can be viewed here.
If Coach Martin was right, Florida State can hope for early leads, high morale and even more confidence leading into this next week, as the garnet and gold attempt to replicate their skills and gameplay for the next few games and the rest of the season.
Want to see more HCFSU? Be sure to like us on Facebook and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, Youtube and Pinterest!