Corey Clark

Democrat senior writer

There will come a day when Mike Martin isn’t the head baseball coach at Florida State University.

And athletics director Stan Wilcox is preparing as best he can for that eventuality.

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During our lengthy sit-down interview with Wilcox last week in his office the subject of Martin and his successor were discussed. While an A.D. is always having to think about potential replacements for his coaches - especially when LSU comes after his football coach every November - the baseball job is a unique one.

Martin IS Florida State baseball. This is his 38th season as head coach. His name is on the field. And he’s 51 victories away from becoming the all-time winningest coach in college baseball history. If you do the math there’s a chance that could be next season.

So how exactly does Wilcox foresee the next few years playing out in regards to FSU baseball and its legendary head coach?

“For me the biggest thing is I want to be able to have him in a position where he can become the all-time winningest coach,” Wilcox said. “That would be a great legacy for him, a great legacy for this institution. And I want him to be able to really feel good about it and really feel good about when he’s ready to step away from it, that it makes sense for him and his family and the university.

“As I told him, when you decide you’re going to step away you’re still a part of this family. You’re not going anywhere.”

I read this quote to Martin on Monday afternoon. And I could tell he was getting emotional on the phone.

“I’m a sentimental son of a gun if you didn’t know it,” Martin said with his voice breaking. “It really makes me feel good. If I didn’t watch my Seminoles (after retirement) I don’t know what I’d do. I want to watch every game that I can. I’m not saying I’m going on the road to Miami and I’m not saying I’m going to Gainesville. But I want to be at every game that I can.

“And for Stan to say that, it just makes me feel so good. It’s that warm, fuzzy feeling. I have devoted more than half of my life to Florida State baseball. They will always be right behind my faith and family. So yeah that makes me feel real good.”

He then added: “I sure am glad I called you back. I needed this today.”

It truly is amazing the impact I have on people’s lives.

Anyway, back to Martin. And that record he’s chasing.

“I’m not going to sit here and play games with people, you’re durn right it means something to me,” Martin said. “Your dadgum right. I want Florida State to be successful, that’s No. 1. But yeah for me to sit and act like that doesn’t mean anything to me would be a big, fat lie.”

Going back to his family, though. That’s where this thing can get a bit tricky.

Because Mike Martin’s son, Mike Martin, Jr., has been an assistant on the FSU staff for 20 years now. Going by any measure - runs scored, draft picks, wins - he is one of the best hitting coaches in the country.

He wants to be the next head coach at Florida State. His dad wants that, too.

I asked Wilcox if Martin would have any input on who his successor would be.

“Sure,” he said. “That is something that I would ask him. Because he’s been in the business for umpteen years so he’s going to have opinions about that. I would want to hear and know what his opinions are about that.

“At the same time, I’m talking to a number of people because you don’t want to make these decisions in a vacuum. One of the most difficult things is finding the right person to follow an icon. And I know that Jimbo has been able to do that ... but you’ve got to find someone similar to a Jimbo that is able to come in and kind of keep that going.”

As we all remember, Jimbo Fisher actually was a head coach in waiting before taking over for Bobby Bowden. That gave the program some stability and allowed Fisher to reassure recruits and their parents about the direction of the program.

Right now, Martin has one year left on his current contract. It’s not easy to recruit like that. And so I asked Wilcox if he given any notion to a head coach in waiting in baseball.

He said he was against that practice generally because “you’re taking the opportunities of so many others out of the mix.” But he added that if it was going to happen, it would make the most sense in baseball.

“Junior is going to definitely be a strong candidate for us,” Wilcox said. “Because when you talk about coaches in waiting, he may be one of the closest that could be that potentially. But you could probably say the same thing about (FSU pitching coach) Mike Bell. And I say that because those two individuals have worked with 11 for a number of years and have helped him build it to where it is.

“And if you wanted to stay the course those are individuals that obviously know and have learned from 11.”

Like his dad, Mike Martin, Jr. has given over half his life to Florida State baseball. He would seem like the natural successor if Wilcox wants to stay the course. And even though the Seminoles are having a down year by their lofty standards they’re about to earn a postseason berth for the 40th straight season.

So the course has been pretty darn successful.

I told Martin what Wilcox said, that he planned to come to him to get input on who should replace him. Martin knows he won’t have the final say. But he’s grateful he’ll at least have a say.

“The decision has to be made by the boss,” Martin said. “I’m not the boss. What flatters me is that I will have an opportunity to present the way I feel about the future of Florida State baseball. It’s flattering to me that Stan would say I want to get Mike’s thoughts. That is very flattering.

“And of course I understand, it’s a decision that is going to be made by someone other than me. I understand that. And that’s the way it should be.”