20 minute read
Quarterly Sports Review
Editor’s note: This story was originally planned as a 2020 preview but has been revised to reflect how the Seminoles performed before the season was halted.
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MIKE MARTIN JR HONORS PAST, LOOKS TO FUTURE
By JIM CROSBY
When the keys to the head baseball coach’s office at Florida State University were handed over to Mike Martin Jr., he accepted a responsibility that no other college coach in the country had ever assumed.
Mike Jr., or Meat as everyone calls him, was taking the reins from the coach who had won more games than any other coach in the history of college sports. Mike Martin Sr. stepped down after the 2019 season (his 40th) having won 2,029 games.
“A bunch of my buddies have said I’m crazy to go into a situation like this because it’s never going to be enough. The expectations are set,” Martin Jr. said while sitting behind the desk that was formerly occupied by his dad. Glancing out the window, in plain view on the huge video board with the words: Mike Martin Field. The enormity of the task was one that Martin Jr. embraced from the start. And he was prepared with 22 years of on-the-jobtraining as an assistant coach. It was a role that included recruiting coordinator, hitting instructor and third base coach. As a former Seminole catcher, he also shared his knowledge with the catchers. And don’t count on his team looking like a carbon copy of the ones before him, even though they were led by his dad, the man who had instilled a wealth of baseball knowledge in his life.
A man who should know about that is FSU baseball’s Director of Operations, Chip Baker, who begins his 37th year with Seminole Baseball. Baker, called the Big Shooter by everyone, watched Meat grow up and used to bang tennis balls around in the backyard with him as a kid. Asked if it will be different around the friendly confines now, without hesitating he answered: “Yes, it will be a lot different. Mike Martin Jr. is his own man. Always has been. Fatherson camaraderie can sometimes be father-son banging heads a little bit.”
Asked what he will do differently Meat had an immediate answer: “I really want to tackle the mental health side. I think there is a lot more to it than some coaches realize and put stock in. We want to have mandatory mental conditioning as far as being able to clear your mind when you are out on the field,” he said.
At his opening press conference, he elaborated: “We want them right mentally, physically, spiritually and socially.”
As far as what he wants to preserve, Meat’s ready answer is: “Just the continuity. The way the guys are treated. People ask why 11 (the popular nickname for Martin Sr.) was able to do it so long and so well. I think it goes to being consistent in your personality. Guys wanting to be around you. We are not going to beat them up mentally. We are a positive coaching staff.”
A group that was a blend of veterans and newcomers had the expected ups and downs but was showing the progress that it was making before games were halted on March 12 due to the threat of COVID-19. FSU (12-5) often struggled in the field, but battled early as the Seminoles suffered one-run losses to a top-5 Texas Tech team at home. The Seminoles also built some momentum with a home victory over previously unbeaten Mercer before knocking off No. 1 Florida 2-0 on March 10.
Confidence is a big deal in athletics and there’s none bigger than taking down a rival and an unbeaten Gators squad on the road. A day later, FSU defeated Illinois State in what was the final game of the season. And on March 17, FSU and the ACC announced that all spring sports had been canceled.
It was a difficult ending for a season that saw so much potential. “It’s a shame but the safety and health of everyone is paramount,” Martin Jr. said.
When baseball resumes, there’s little doubt Martin Jr. will lean on his experience as well as relationships with players and coaches to lead the Seminoles again.
A Detour, An Appreciation For FSU
Mike Martin Jr. didn’t start his college career at FSU or as a catcher either. In 1992, he was a skinny, 145-pound senior at Maclay School. He thought he wasn’t ready for FSU and says, “I wanted to get away from my family and small-town Tallahassee.”
He didn’t go to Manatee Junior College as a catcher. “I went down to junior college as a shortstop,” Martin Jr. recalled.
Then fate changed the course of his career and his life. “Someone flunked out. Someone got hurt. The next thing you know we don’t have a catcher,” said Meat. “Then our coach, the late Tim Hill Sr., asked if anybody had done it. No one raised their hand. So he said, ‘Alright is anybody willing to do it.’ ”
Meat raised his hand and they showed him how to put on all the “tools of ignorance” as they have been called. They turned into tools of wisdom for him as he won All-Conference Honors wearing them.
This also prompted The Big Shooter to tell 11, after FSU played a game against Manatee in the fall, “He can play here.” The next year he was “here” because Meat had some new thoughts of his own: “I got down there about six months and I thought, ‘Man, I sure miss Tallahassee.’ All my buddies like Link Jarrett and Kevin McCray and a whole bunch of guys I basically grew up with were on TV playing (for FSU) and having a blast. I thought maybe I’m not as independent as I was thinking I was. I want to get home and be with my home boys.”
Meat came home, won the starting catcher’s role and helped lead the Noles to the College World Series in his final two playing years (1993-94). Drafted in the 9th round by the San Diego Padres, he spent a few years in their minor league system before returning to FSU and becoming a member of the coaching staff in 1998.
Putting Stress On Pitchers
As he looks at college baseball and ponders the way the game has changed Mike Martin Jr. has come to a major realization. To continue and improve on the successes of the past they need to play faster.
The players like the new emphasis. Sophomore catcher Mat Nelson from Largo has been familiar with Florida State baseball for a long time. He started coming to Mike Martin baseball camps in 7th grade. He says: “It does feel different. Practices are a lot more upbeat, a lot more fast-paced. Meat wants to outplay the opponents by keeping the pace of the game faster. Keep them on their toes. Give us the upper hand that we’ve been practicing for. Upbeat. Fast-paced.”
This extends to everything from taking the extra bases (scoring from first on a double) without (“playing stupid”) to the tempo on the mound. Meat explains: “Speed even applies to getting on and off the field. I think a lot of it is psychological. It takes its toll. Makes them (opponents) feel like the other team is constantly coming at them.”
In putting a coaching staff together Meat said the first thing he did was call “the Colonel” (another name for Chip Baker) and make sure he was staying. Having that part solidified a large piece of the puzzle was then in place.
As Director of Baseball Operations Baker fills an invaluable role that takes a lot of weight off the head coach’s shoulders. He oversees all of the administrative aspects of Seminole baseball. Having been around as long as he has prior to getting the job as head coach Martin Jr. has developed a list of helpful contacts in the business. This resulted in his being able to attract two elite assistant coaches who immediately fit right in to the Seminole system.
Mike Metcalf was hired as recruiting coordinator as well as an on-field coach. Meat says: “Mike Metcalf’s connections in the southeast are second to none.” Metcalf spent 11 years in the San Francisco Giants organization with six of those as an area scout in Florida. He also covered the southeast as a cross checker for five years during the time the Giants won three World Series titles.
Martin also hired Jimmy Belanger, a respected pitching coach from the University of Kentucky. “Jimmy is really good at what he does. The reason I know him is from back in the day when he was at Maryland and they were going to Super Regionals,” said Martin Jr.
As Meat plans for the future of FSU baseball he has this promise for fans. “We are going to play an exciting brand of baseball,” Martin Jr. said. “Going be fun to watch. It’s going to be fast.”
There’s little doubt that the only program in college sports that has never had a single losing season has hired another winner in Mike Martin Jr.
Unconquered MAGAZINE
SHARING THE STORIES OF FLORIDA STATE COACHES AND STUDENT ATHLETES
UnconqueredMagazine.com
Sydney Sherrill, on the financial and fan support from FSU booster members
SHERRILL FINDS A HOME - AND SUCCESS - ON THE DIAMOND WITH FSU
PHOTOS COURTESY FSU SPORTS INFORMATION By BOB FERRANTE
Sydney Sherrill was the top high school softball player in Oklahoma and the scholarship offers poured in from just about everywhere.
When it came time to pick a school, Sherrill fell in love with the concept of going farther from home. Oklahoma had a great softball program, but she began looking at a variety of schools, including Florida State.
Sherrill, while not wanting to be near home for four years, wanted a college that felt like home. FSU provided just that.
“The coaches really made me feel comfortable with going so far away from home and that was really what I was interested in doing,” Sherrill said. “My parents were OK with me going here because they knew how culturedriven this program was and how they were making me a better person first and then player second. That was what they loved and what I love.”
Sherrill has found a home in Tallahassee, a second family with the FSU softball coaches and teammates as well as thousands of fans who cheer her on each home game. Considered the No. 5 player in the nation by Softball America, the junior third baseman is already among the top 10 on FSU’s alltime list for home runs and doubles while also helping the Seminoles win the 2018 Women’s College World Series. Yes, raising the trophy just a few minutes from her hometown of Moore, Okla.
It was there, more than a decade ago, where the swing work took place each afternoon. Sherrill returned home from school and the hitting instruction began. Her dad, Scott, began the lesson, setting up the tee, instructing and helping his daughter develop a smooth left-handed swing.
All of those hours in the yard created a strong bond between father and daughter. And Sherrill gradually became one of Oklahoma’s top prep softball players.
“My dad basically developed me into the player I was,” Sherrill said. “I can just remember always working hard. Now I have the mindset that you will never be uncomfortable if you are prepared for it. I get up in the box and I can never look back and say, ‘Man, I wish I worked harder.’ It’s really awesome to say that now, because I know I’ve worked so hard. And so when I get up in that box, I can just clear my mind.”
Sherrill’s mind is clear and her swing is quick. She also is back at her natural position, third base. Arriving in Tallahassee, Sherrill knew that she would be starting elsewhere with All-American Jesse Warren at third. Sherrill happily settled in at second and embraced it.
When Warren graduated, Sherrill went back to third and realized again how much she loved it.
“It kind of just came back naturally,” Sherrill said. “It’s almost easier for me to play there because it’s all reaction. You don’t have to use your brain really for anything. It’s all reaction - going forward, making quick backhands and things like that. It’s really fun to just let your reflexes play.”
FSU coach Lonni Alameda thinks that Sherrill’s defensive play gets overlooked because of what she has done at the plate - Sherrill hit .370 in 2018 and .405 in 2019, cranking out 29 doubles as a freshman and 16 home runs as a sophomore. She could play second base, right field, catcher or pitch, Alameda said.
“She is a very skilled defensive player and a very smart defensive player,” Alameda said. “She makes some plays look so easy sometimes. She’s really done a good job of anchoring down a prideful position for us and a very impactful position, coming in and filling Jesse’s shoes and doing it Syd’s way. I think it’s been pretty special.”
Playing third base came naturally and, in some ways, so has being a leader. The soft-spoken Sherrill is more of the lead-by-example type and her work ethic has brushed off on younger players. Sherrill also has an innate ability to connect with teammates, building friendships that strengthen throughout a season and career.
Alameda has seen her leadership blossom in the last few years.
“The thing that Syd has, there’s just no cliques,” Alameda said. “She can resonate with everybody: older, younger, competitive, not competitive. She’s just such an easy-going person. When you connect with a lot of people it’s really easy for you to be a leader. Because you could speak to everyone and everyone can speak to you.”
Sherrill’s leadership will help what is a young Seminoles roster, a blend of newcomers and veterans. FSU will have difficult series ahead with the likes of Florida, Louisville, Louisiana, Notre Dame and others.
But in many regards, Sherrill is prepared as the lessons go back to those post-school hitting sessions in Oklahoma. The swing may look natural, but it was grooved through hard work. The fielding may look easy, but it was honed through practice. Being successful is about being prepared.
“He kind of just put that hard-work mentality into my head from day one,” Sherrill said of those backyard softball lessons from her dad. “And it’s been really cool to have it all show off now and I know he’s really proud, too.”
PAK DOMINATING COLLEGE GOLF, LEAVING HIS MARK ON FSU
By PATRICK BURNHAM
In what has been an impressive winter and spring sports season – from success on the basketball court to the baseball and softball diamond to the tennis courts – it’s possible the most impressive feat taking place in FSU athletics this spring is quietly happening on the southwest corner of campus at the newly renovated Seminole Legacy Golf Club. That’s where junior John Pak is quickly making his way to becoming the most decorated golfer at a program that is steeped in tradition.
In late February, Pak secured his second straight individual title in as many tournaments by shooting 11-under in his three rounds to win the FSU’s Seminole Intercollegiate tournament by five strokes. It was the seventh individual title of his career and that places him second in FSU men’s golf history, trailing only Nolan Henke who won eight individual titles from 1985-1987.
Pak was the ninth ranked collegiate golfer in Division I History, according to GolfStats.com, prior to his win in the Seminole Intercollegiate, this weekend.
“John is extremely dedicated,” said head coach Trey Jones. “He is focused on what he does. I would say he doesn’t waste any days when he is here, so that’s an amazing thing.”
Despite all his success, accolades and what looks to be a very bright future as a professional golfer, Pak seems very grounded and doesn’t have plans to leave the Seminoles anytime soon despite the fame and fortune that will come with a career on the PGA Tour.
Pak spoke with Unconquered about how he ended up a Seminole, his success at FSU on and off the course and his plans for the future.
“I wanted to go to a bigger school and a school with a dominant athletic program, and you can definitely see that in the football program and the basketball program,” said Pak. “All the other programs here are so strong and that really drove me to come here.”
He also gives Jones credit for landing in Tallahassee while being heavily recruited as a junior golfer,
where he ranked 15th in the nation and was a Rolex Junior All-American. While listed as a native of New Jersey, Pak finished his Junior Golf career and last three years of high school here in the Sunshine State.
“I was actually in Orlando my last three years of high school,” said Pak. “So, my coach told me to visit four schools in Florida and four schools out of state and I really liked Coach Jones. He was always looking out for the best for me even when I was a recruit. That’s definitely what drove me to come here.”
The two-time All-American is aware of a group of predecessors that includes former All-Americans Brooks Koepka, Jonas Blixt, Daniel Berger, Nolan Henke and Hubert Green, all of whom moved on to have outstanding professional careers.
“It definitely feels special,” answered Pak about where he fits into FSU’s rich golf heritage. “To carry on their legacies here, that’s always been my main focus. It’s definitely something very special to me.”
He says that he feels the influence of Blixt, Koepka, Berger and other golfers, who have played for Jones.
“Not from them personally but from what coach has told me,” said Pak when asked if Blixt or Koepka have helped him with his game. “Like what they thought, their thought process on the golf course. That has definitely been helpful to me.”
“He is the most accurate golfer that I have ever seen, not coached, but seen,” said Jones of his latest star pupil, who include Koepka, Blixt and Berger to name a few. “I would put him up there with Jeff Sluman or someone of that nature. It’s just unbelievable how straight he hits a golf ball.”
Pak has had a chance to interact with Blixt and Koepka, though.
“I did a radio show with Jonas one time, which was really cool,” said Pak. “I’ve met Brooks in person. Both really cool and great guys. I enjoyed meeting and talking to them.”
While his favorite place to be oncampus may be the golf course, Pak is enjoying the FSU experience as a student as well as an athlete.
“I like being on-campus, I like meeting new people,” said Pak, “You know, there are 45,000 students here and there are a lot of great people you get to meet here.”
Pak also credits being a studentathlete for his maturation on and off the course.
“Just growing up,” said Pak of the influence attending FSU has had on his personal growth. “I pay my rent. I do my own laundry, cook my own food. You don’t really do that back in high school. I have definitely found a new level of maturity in college.”
“He is the most accurate golfer that I have ever seen, not coached, but seen. I would put him up there with Jeff Sluman or someone of that nature. It’s just unbelievable how straight he hits a golf ball.” Coach Jones of his latest star pupil
He says that the biggest influences since arriving to campus have been that of his teammates both past and present.
“All of my teammates are a great influence on me, especially the guys that graduated last,” continued Pak. “They have definitely been a great influence on me, on how to manage my time and how to become a better golfer and a better person.”
Despite the emphasis put on individual performance in golf, Pak says it’s a team accomplishment that stands out as his favorite achievement on the course at FSU.
“I think it’s definitely the (2018) ACC Championship,” said Pak. “That final round, we were a couple of shots down, but that’s definitely the one.”
Off the course Pak is proudest of the relationships he is building across campus with his fellow students. “I guess I am proud of the relationships I’ve made in school,” said Pak, whose favorite place to spend time away from campus with his teammates is Gordo’s Cuban Cuisine on Pensacola Street. “I’ve met a lot of really great people that I know can help me in the future.”
Pak is also a fan of the changes FSU has made in its renovations to the Seminole Legacy golf course, having had several opportunities to play it before its official re-opening to the public in March.
“It’s a really, really good golf course,” said Pak. “They made it longer, challenging. I think the toughness of the golf course is what I like. It offers a different challenge every single day.” Pak said his favorite hole on the redesigned course is the Par-3 5th hole, where he has made a hole-inone. But he does think there are three holes golfers should be prepared for when they come out to play the new course.
“Ten, 12 and 18 are really tough holes,” said Pak.
The good news for Seminole fans that haven’t had a chance to see Pak in action is that he isn’t going anywhere anytime soon. He wants to enjoy all four years of the college experience and he has no plans of turning pro before his college eligibility is up.
“I am coming back for my senior year,” said Pak quickly when asked if he is considering turning pro given his dominance at the college level. “I haven’t discussed that with anybody. I’ve always just wanted to stay here for four years. It’s never really been in my head, leaving early. I love it here.”
With Pak’s decision to return for his senior season next year he is on pace to leave as the most decorated men’s golfer in Seminole history while enjoying and appreciating what his FSU experience is teaching him off the course as well.
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