4   Mike Martin, Jr.
	Last College: Florida State '95 Position: Assistant Coach - Third Base/Catchers Experience: 15th Season Email: mmartin2@fsu.edu

Entering his 15th season as an assistant coach, Mike Martin Jr. is widely recognized as one of the bright young coaches in the college game. A former All-American catcher with the Seminoles, he coaches third base, works with the hitters and handles the Florida State catchers. At the start of the 2011-12 season, Martin, Jr. assumed the role of recruiting coordinator after assisting in the process the first 14 seasons in Tallahassee.

Under his 14-year guidance, the Seminoles have batted .314, slugged .496 and averaged 8.22 runs per game. Florida State has played in five College World Series, 11 Super Regionals, 14 consecutive NCAA Tournaments and won 75 percent of its games with Martin, Jr. on staff. As the academic liaison, the Seminoles captured the Gold Torch Award in 2007 and 2008, positing the highest GPA among all men's teams at Florida State.

Martin has coached 10 Major Leaguers, 11 Freshman All-Americans, 15 first team All-Americans and 28 student-athletes who have earned first, second or third team All-American accolades. In all, 50 Seminoles have earned All-ACC honors and 44 hitters have been selected in the Major League Baseball draft during that stretch. Three Seminoles have captured National Player of the Year honors.

Serving as FSU's hitting coach over the last 14 years, the Seminoles have batted .300 or better 11 times. Six of the top 11 hitting teams in FSU history have come under Martin's watch.

The Seminoles' offensive success is rooted in Martin's philosophy, which emphasizes discipline at the plate and using the entire field as a hitting area. He has also instituted the use of wood bats in practice.

The 2007 and 2008 Seminoles established new school records for highest team batting average. In 2007, the Seminoles hit .350 in 62 games, shattering the previous record of .337 set in 63 games back in 1980. That team also broke the ACC record of .347, set by Georgia Tech in 2001. The new standards stood for just one season as the 2008 Seminoles hit .355 over 68 games, leading the nation, as the Seminoles advanced to the College World Series.

The 2008 team was prolific offensively on every front. FSU's 869 hits ranks second in school history and its 12.8 hits per game established a new program standard. The Seminoles' 103 home runs were the most since belting 111 in 1999, while the .565 slugging percentage ranks second in school history. The `Noles also scored 663 runs, recorded 603 RBI and notched 45 sacrifice flies, all of which rank among the top three seasons in program history. Much of the success can be attributed to demonstrating patience at the plate, where the Seminoles drew a nation-leading 435 walks and were the only team in the country with fewer strikeouts than walks. Overall, the 2008 team led the nation in hits, runs and walks and ranked among the top five in doubles (2nd), sacrifice flies (2nd), scoring (3rd), slugging percentage (3rd) and home runs (5th).

In 2009, the Seminoles topped the .320 hitting mark for a third consecutive seasons and finished second in the ACC with a .321 average. FSU led the league in on-base percentage, runs, RBI, doubles, total bases, walks and sacrifice flies. The Seminoles ranked among the top 10 teams in seven offensive categories, leading NCAA Division I programs with 46 sacrifice flies while ranking second in walks and doubles.

Though not prolific, the 2010 Seminoles remained incredibly productive offensively, thanks in large part to their plate discipline and sense of timing. While the `Noles batted .300, they led the nation in base on balls (402), ranked third in sacrifice flies (44) and consequently, finished 14th in runs scored (543). They also finished 22nd in doubles (147) and 23rd in home runs (86). With the propensity to put together big innings and a never-quit attitude which produced four walk-off victories, FSU won an ACC championship and advanced to the College World Series for the second time in three years, authoring a 48-20 final record.

In light of the 2011 bat restrictions, which had a dramatic effect on offensive numbers across the nation, Florida State was still able to rank among the best in the country finishing the year with a .293 team batting average. The Seminoles led the nation in base on balls (381) for the third time in four seasons and in doubles (152). FSU also ranked in the top 10 in runs scored (4th), home runs (8th) and scoring (10th).

The Seminoles' statistical success - collectively and individually - is a tribute to Martin's communication and teaching skills. It's the area of player development which helps set Florida State apart from masses.

In need of a catcher heading into the 2007 season, the coaching staff turned to Freshman All-American shortstop Buster Posey. With Martin serving as his mentor, the athletically gifted Posey blossomed into a two-time All-American. A Johnny Bench Award finalist in 2007, he won the award presented to the nation's top catcher as a junior in 2008. Under Martin's tutelage, the Leesburg, Ga., native was awarded the 2008 Rawlings Gold Glove Award for his outstanding defensive play from behind the plate. Posey posted a .989 career fielding percentage as a catcher, registered 12 pickoffs and held opposing runners at bay throwing out 40.8 percent of attempted base stealers. Four seasons after the move, Posey was named National League Rookie of the Year behind the plate for the World Series Champion San Francisco Giants.

Posey, who set a single-season record by batting .463 in 2008, is the most recent Seminole to claim National Player of the Year honors. In his final season, Posey was the national leader in six offensive categories and just the fourth player in Atlantic Coast Conference history to win the Triple Crown. He followed in the footsteps of Shane Robinson and Tony Thomas, Jr., who were also beneficiaries of Martin's tutelage.

In 2005, Robinson put together a school-record 40-game hitting streak and raised his average 147 points to a team-leading .427. He became the only FSU player to record more than 100 hits and 40 stolen bases in one season. Two years later, Thomas hit a career-high .430 - a 165-point improvement - while leading the nation in doubles per game (0.53). He became the first to record 30 doubles, 100 hits and 30 stolen bases in a single-season. Both players were named Collegiate Baseball's National Player of the Year and were honored as consensus first team All-Americans.

Martin first distinguished himself as the Seminoles' starting catcher from 1993-95, earning NCAA All-Tournament honors in each of his three seasons. He was the Most Valuable Player of the NCAA Atlantic II Regional in 1994, leading the Seminoles to the College World Series and earning second team NCBWA All-America honors. He was selected to the 1995 NCAA Atlantic I Regional All-Tournament Team as the Seminoles returned to Omaha for the second straight year. In 1993, Martin was a member of Team USA. He was drafted out of college by San Diego in the ninth round in 1995.

He began his collegiate career in 1992 at Manatee Community College, where he earned All-Conference honors. The Tallahassee native graduated from Maclay High School, where he captained the 1991 state championship team as a senior and had his No. 10 jersey retired. He was drafted as a shortstop out of high school by Seattle in the 31st round.

Martin Jr. married the former Litzie Andrade on November 27, 1999. They have two sons, Tyler (10) and T.J. (8), who are fixtures in the dugout, with their father and Hall of Fame grandfather, Florida State Head Coach Mike Martin.

MARTIN, JR. BY THE NUMBERS
Team's batting average since 1998 - .314
Team's slugging pct since 1998 - .496
Team's on base percentage since 1998 - .417
Average home runs per game - 1.16
Average runs per game - 8.22
All-Americans (first, second, third team) - 27
Players drafted - 43
All-ACC Selections - 49
Top 30 National Scoring Offenses since 1998 - 9
(numbers reflected through 2011 season)

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