Returning for his 28th season as the senior member of Mike Martin's staff, Chip Baker is one of the most popular figures in the Seminole program. Baker is in his 10th year as Florida State's Director of Baseball Operations; a multi-faceted position for the man who spent 18 years as a Seminole assistant. Baker oversees all administrative aspects of Seminole baseball, including the budget, team travel, game operations, equipment, field and facility maintenance and scheduling. He also assists the efforts of the marketing and ticket offices and is the contact point for all communication between the program and the Bullpen Club, Seminoles Boosters and the Alumni Association. As the facilities liaison during stadium construction, Baker continues to serve in that capacity as it relates to future baseball projects. During his tenure with the Seminoles, Baker has participated in 27 NCAA postseason tournaments and 13 College World Series. He was a member of the coaching staff for the 1986 and 1999 teams that reached the CWS championship game. Baker's duties as an assistant included coaching third base, tutoring FSU's catchers, scouting opponents and directing the Seminoles' defensive alignments. A former assistant at Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, Baker is known as one of college baseball's premier catching instructors. During his tenure, Baker coached seven All-American receivers, including Ed Fulton, Barry Blackwell, major-leaguer Marc Ronan, Pedro Grifol, current assistant coach Mike Martin, Jr., Jeremy Salazar and most recently, Tony Richie. Baker also serves as the director of the Mike Martin and Seminole Advanced Baseball Schools. Over 120 former campers have gone on to wear the Garnet and Gold and several have advanced to the major leagues. Past camps have produced 29 first round draft picks including Sean Gilmartin, John-Ford Griffin, Nick Stocks, Jonathan Johnson, J.D. Drew, Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez and brothers Justin and B.J. Upton. The Super Skills Academy is widely regarded as one of the nation's top summer camps. Baker has also been on the staff of national and regional clinics and continues to work with local youth organizations, putting together clinics for the Tallahassee Babe Ruth League, among others. The 54-year-old native of North Carolina has written articles for Scholastic Coach and Collegiate Baseball magazines on the subjects of catching, third base coaching and bunting, and has published a Collegiate Level Strength & Speed book. Seven years ago, Baker put together a record-selling catching video with Championship Videos entitled, `Expanding the Strike Zone.' A popular speaker with no shortage of stories, Baker continues to address Seminole Booster clubs and civic organizations around the state. A 1980 graduate of High Point University in North Carolina, Baker was part of four Carolina Conference championship teams, including the 1979 team that was the NAIA World Series runner-up. After completing his bachelor's degree in physical education, Baker earned a Master of Science degree in motor behavior at Virginia Tech, where he began his collegiate coaching career. Baker is married to the former Julie Larsen, a record-holding pitcher on FSU's 1985-88 softball teams, who was inducted into the Florida State Hall of Fame in 1995. The two were married in 1991 in a most memorable ceremony conducted between a doubleheader at Dick Howser Stadium. The Bakers are the proud parents of a 16 year-old daughter, Katie Nicole, who is a regular at FSU home games and has traveled to the College World Series four times. Baker's older brother, Jim, is the head basketball coach at Catawba College. In 2001, Baker and head coach Mike Martin were presented with the university's prestigious Westcott Award for their bravery in saving the lives of players and staff during the Seminoles' road trip to Stanford. Leaving the San Francisco airport, the two coaches gained control of the team's charter bus after the driver suffered a fatal heart attack, safely guiding the bus to the side of a busy highway. |
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