'The face of Seminole baseball': 2,000 win milestone only the latest for FSU's Mike Martin
At the time, Mike Fuentes recalls Florida State simply needing a victory.
The Seminoles lost the first two games at Miami to open the 1980 baseball season under first-year coach Mike Martin. They were blown out 10-0 in the opener and dropped a 4-3 heartbreaker in the second game - the Hurricanes pushed across the winning run in the bottom of the ninth with two outs.
“Years later is when you realize the game’s significance,” said Fuentes, FSU’s starting center fielder that season who a year later became the program’s first Golden Spikes Award winner, symbolizing college baseball’s best player.
“We didn’t know coach Martin was going to be at FSU forever, the face of Seminole baseball and the program. It was a big series for us. We really didn’t want to start the season 0-3.”
Historic night:Florida State splits doubleheader against Virginia Tech as Mike Martin reaches 2,000 wins
On Feb. 24, 1980, in Coral Gables, FSU handed Martin his first victory 9-8. The Seminoles rallied behind freshman Mike Yastrzemski’s three-run home run in the ninth inning. Mike's father Carl, a member of the Boston Red Sox at the time and a 1989 inductee into the Baseball Hall of Fame, cheered on his son and FSU from the right-field bleachers.
Martin’s inaugural team advanced to the College World Series and won 51 games. The rest, of course, is history - punctuated by the flair for dramatics on Saturday.
Martin, college baseball’s all-time winningest coach who is set to retire at season’s end, reached another historic milestone with his 2,000th career victory.
After being limited to one hit and dropping the first game of Saturday’s doubleheader 6-0 to Virginia Tech, the Seminoles (13-1) answered in the second game.
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They snapped a 2-2 tie in the seventh inning with two runs on Drew Mendoza’s single and Elijah Cabell’s sac fly and went on to beat the Hokies 5-2 at Howser Stadium. Center fielder J.C Flowers banged a solo home run in the eighth and threw two scoreless innings in relief to register his second save.
Martin continues to rewrite the record book, one that will be placed on the top shelf, out of reach forever.
Including his time as a player, assistant coach and head coach, Martin has been associated with FSU for 47 of the program’s 72 years. He is the first coach to reach 2,000 career wins in any college sport. Martin was honored with a brief on-field ceremony following Saturday’s second game.
Time sure does fly.
Fuentes, a Coral Gables native, was one of four players who played under head coaches Woody Woodward, Dick Howser and Martin over a three-year span (1978-80). Fuentes, 60, is among the program’s most celebrated walk-ons. He credits Martin for giving him an opportunity – first in summer league baseball in Tallahassee with the Federals and at FSU. Fuentes looks back on his career with fond memories.
“Coach Martin gave me the chance to play and I owe him everything,” said Fuentes, who set a slew of Seminole records, played briefly in the Major Leagues and was inducted in the FSU Hall of Fame in 1987.
“Woody was serious and stern, the kind of coach who sat back and oversaw everything. Martin was hands-on and did all the coaching. Howser was personable and he interacted with the players; coach Martin is the same way. I wouldn’t have been able to experience the things I did in baseball if had not been for coach Martin.”
Three days after beating Miami, Martin won his first two home games at Seminole Field as FSU swept Troy 5-3 and 11-9 in a Wednesday doubleheader (both games were seven innings).
Rick Hatcher threw six scoreless relief innings to earn the win in the first game and Dick Wiggins’ grand slam in the bottom of the seventh completed the Seminoles’ dramatic rally in the second game.
Hatcher, a junior right-hander from Marianna, finished the season 10-3 with a 2.95 ERA. He was thrilled to hear Martin won his 2,000th career game.
“I threw the ball over the plate like Eleven (Martin) wanted us to let the defense help you,” said Hatcher, 61, who still plays adult league baseball and is the executive director at Treasure Coast Sports Commission.
“Mike always said even the good hitters make seven outs every 10 at-bats. My personal take is Eleven is, if not the best, he's among the top three college baseball coaches all-time. His longevity speaks to his relationship to his players and his commitment to his school.”
Tallahassee’s Don DeLoach, a junior starting shortstop on FSU’s 1980 team from Leon High, believes Martin’s success is a product of his competitiveness. Martin became the all-time winningest coach last May 5, notching his 1,976th win with a 3-2 victory over Clemson to surpass the late Augie Garrido of Texas.
“I have never been around a person that enjoys competition more than he,” said DeLoach, 60, a career .331 hitter at FSU and president of DDGov Consulting.
“He hates to lose whether it be baseball, golf, badminton or anything else that keeps score. He has taught so many young men how to play the game of baseball the 'Seminole Way' and only those men who have played for him know that.”
You can reach Jim Henry at jjhenry@tallahassee.com