Mike Martin will retire as Florida State's baseball coach without ever knowing what it's like to miss the NCAA tournament.
Despite enduring perhaps the rockiest season of his 40-year tenure, Martin has guided his young Florida State baseball team back to the postseason yet again. The Seminoles (36-21) will be the No. 3 seed in the Athens, Ga., Regional.
The No. 1 seed will be the host Georgia Bulldogs, and the other two teams are No. 2 seed Florida Atlantic and No. 4 seed Mercer. FSU will open the Regional against FAU at noon on Friday.
Florida State was one of the "last four in" to the tournament field, according to the NCAA selection committee.
"It's very much of a relief," Martin said on Monday during the Selection Shown on ESPNU. "It reminds me of the time I was lining up a 15-footer to keep from four-putting (laughing)."
Georgia is 44-15 and went 21-9 in the Southeastern Conference. FAU is 40-19 and went 22-8 in Conference USA, and Mercer was 35-27 but won the Southern Conference tournament championship.
The winner of the Athens Regional will face the winner of the Baton Rouge, La., Regional. The teams in that bracket are LSU, Arizona State, Southern Miss and Stony Brook.
The Seminoles, who at one point were 19-13 and seemed to be in danger of missing the tournament, helped their cause by winning series against Clemson, Wake Forest and Virginia in the second half of the season.
Martin, who passed the 2,000 career victory plateau earlier this season, has won more games than any coach in NCAA history.
Stay connected with Warchant.com for more coverage of this story, including reactions from Martin and his players.
