TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) - This weekend has the potential to be history in the making for Florida State baseball.
With FSU’s win over Miami Friday evening, that gave head coach Mike Martin his 1,974th win of his career and he now only needs two more wins to become the winningest coach in college baseball history.
He currently only trails the late Augie Garrido (1,975 wins) and has beaten Miami 98 times.
First a player, then a coach, Martin's coaching legacy didn't begin on the baseball diamond, but rather the basketball court.
"I tried out for basketball in 1972. Coach Martin cut me," said former player Mike McLeod.
Call it a coach's instinct, Martin knew just what he was looking for.
"Later that spring, he saw me throwing inside the gym on a rainy day, and he said, 'dang, son, you got a pretty good arm," said McLeod.
Martin was head basketball coach from 1972 to 1974 at Godby High School. In 1975, Florida State baseball came calling.
McLeod would become Martin's first scholarship signee, starting a long list of Martin products, and in 1980, he became the eighth coach in program history.
And as those signees would learn, it's not just baseball you learn from the man who simply goes by "Eleven."
"As a player, he's a guy you look up to. He taught the game. He taught what it's like to be involved with a family," said former player Mike Bell. "You set goals, you set aspirations, and you achieve those goals."
"I think he's built a really good relationship withe each player. He never forgets one of his players names. When you build a relationship with a kid, it doesn't matter if you're 50, 60, 70, 40," said former player Steve Taddeo. "That relationship has carried over the years."
Relationships that have transferred to wins, a near record breaking amount.
"Yeah I want the doggone record, I am not going to sit here and hide that and sit here and say it doesn't mean anything to me. Dadgum! We all want to be the best we can be," said Martin.
That history making mark, within reach, but in typical Eleven fashion, his fist concern? About this team.
"We have to be very conscious of the fact that the game is the most important, not the record, play the game right, play the game hard," said Martin. "Don't put any added pressure on yourself."
Success for a guy that started out on the hardwood, there's a lot of it. 13 Coach of the Year Nods. 18 Conference titles. 38 postseason appearances. Twice National Runners-up.
"It's the definition of consistency. 40+ years of 40 wins, I don't think you can be more consistent than that," said Bryan Henry.
A special thing, even if for right now, it's best left unsaid.
"We heard that something about it being sold out this weekend, so everyone else is aware also," said Drew Mendoza.
FSU and Miami will play again Saturday at 6:00 p.m. on Mike Martin Field at Dick Howser Stadium.
