Mike Martin Jr.'s first season as Florida State baseball coach lasted just 17 games.
Now, he's waiting to find out when the Seminoles can meet again, who will be on his roster next season, whether draft-eligible players will even have an option of going pro, and what the 2021 college baseball season will look like.
With college athletics canceled across the ACC and likely the country through the rest of the 2019-20 academic year, Martin Jr. spoke with media via conference call on Wednesday morning about the fallout from the coronavirus health scare and where things might be heading next.
Not surprisingly, there were more questions than answers.
"There's a lot of things that are just up in the air," he said.
When FSU's coaches got the news last Thursday that the NCAA was canceling all postseason tournaments for winter and spring sports, Martin Jr. said sharing that information with his team was the "most difficult" thing he's done in more than 20 years of college coaching.
The Seminoles had won their last three games, including an impressive 2-0 victory at No. 1 Florida, and they were preparing for a huge home series against Georgia Tech.
"Some guys were bawling their eyes out," Martin Jr. said, noting that the seniors initially assumed their college careers were over. "They thought they weren't going to put the uniform on again."
Martin Jr. tried to assure the players that the NCAA would figure out a way to give them back this year of eligibility, and it now appears that will be the case -- at least for the seniors, if not for all spring sports athletes.
But even that situation is fraught with uncertainty.
Because Division-I college baseball teams are allowed to divide only 11.7 scholarships between their entire rosters, there will be a logjam when the next freshman class arrives this summer or fall.
"It's gonna be interesting," Martin Jr. said. "I don't know exactly the formula that they're going to come up with. But obviously we've got to get more scholarship money [approved by the NCAA]. There's no way that you can have a recruiting class of 15 or so come in and stay under 11.7. It's impossible."
That could be compounded by questions surrounding the annual Major League Baseball draft, which is held each summer. FSU expected to lose star pitcher CJ Van Eyk and possibly other underclassmen to the draft this year, but Martin Jr. is skeptical whether that will even take place now.
The first-year head coach said he has spoken with several of his older players about their future plans, but no one can really make firm decisions until more information is available.
"There's just a lot to figure out," he said.
In the meantime, Martin Jr. said he and his coaches are still working on recruiting by means of text messages and phone calls.
The Seminoles' strength coach, Jamie Burleson, has sent each player instructions for how to stay in shape by doing "body weight" workouts while they're away from the team. Since most gyms have closed, many players will not have access to weights and exercise equipment.
Martin Jr. said it will be essential for the players to work out on their own in case college summer leagues are reinstated.
"That's how guys get hurt -- not being prepared," he said. "They've got to keep their bodies going."
When asked to describe the players' moods, Martin Jr. said they seemed to be nervous about the future and also sad because they can't be with their teammates. But he added that everyone understands these restrictions had to be put in place.
"It's a shame," Martin Jr. said. "But the safety and health of everyone is paramount. So they came to that decision, and obviously we support it."
FSU's 2020 season will end with a 12-5 record, but Martin Jr. said he believes the team was starting to really turn the corner before the season was cut short. He said he could sense that the players were beginning to gain confidence both offensively and defensively.
Even after the NCAA made its initial announcement late last week, Martin Jr. said he and other coaches were still hopeful that the conferences would come back and play a shortened season once things settled down.
Then came the announcement from the ACC on Tuesday that all sports were canceled for the rest of the academic year.
"We were holding out hope for [that]," Martin Jr. said. "OK, there's no NCAA Tournament. But if we can get this thing under control, we can start back playing and we can have an ACC championship. It would be good for everybody. But obviously, the thing's spreading a little more than everybody thought, I guess, so here we are."
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