FSU's Holt excited to be heading back to Omaha as first-year coach
Tyler Holt still remembers his last game in Omaha.
Standing in center field, during an elimination game against TCU, he watched as the Horned Frogs' Matt Curry blasted a Mike McGee pitch high over the center-field fence for a go-ahead grand slam in the 2010 College World Series.
Well. He sort of watched it.
What was always odd about that particular home run was Holt's reaction. He ran back toward the warning track and then turned back around, as if he was camped under the ball and about to catch it.
It landed about 50 feet behind him.
"I didn't ever see it," said Holt, who now is a volunteer assistant coach with the Seminoles and is returning to Omaha in a Florida State uniform for the first time in almost a decade. "I saw it off the bat. Got back to the track and lost it completely. Until I heard the crowd -- that's when I knew it was over [the fence].
"Everyone asks me if I was 'deeking' (misleading the batter), and I honestly never saw it. Twilight was pretty bad out there that year. It was in that perfect time where you saw it off the bat but [could lose it] once it got above the stadium and the lights."
That version of events was relayed this week to veteran FSU assistant coach Mike Martin Jr., who was a little dubious of that explanation.
"He's lying," Martin Jr. said with a laugh. "He was [mad] and just wanted to get under the skin of the other club. That was always kind of his thing. He's one of those guys you love to have on your team and hate him if he isn't."
Well, no matter what the true explanation actually is, Martin Jr. said he's excited for Holt to get another trip to Omaha. He said the former FSU All-American has been a terrific addition to the staff this season.
Holt coaches a whole lot like he used to play: 100 miles per hour. Energy. Excitement. Not afraid to speak his mind or ruffle some feathers.
"He learned to whisper at the state fair," Martin Jr. said. "But he's exactly what we need. He coaches with his hair on fire just like he played with his hair on fire."
Although he's not a full-time paid assistant -- NCAA rules only allow two of those per team, and FSU's spots are filled by Martin Jr. and pitching coach Clyde Keller -- Holt is a big part of the coaching staff.
He works with the outfielders every day in practice, and when Martin, Jr. has been on the road recruiting this season -- which has been a sizable amount of the time -- Holt is working with the FSU hitters as well.
"He knows exactly what I'm looking for," Martin Jr. said. "Plus, he played in the big leagues, so he brings some credibility with it. He was obviously an All-American and a great player here. And the thing about Tyler is, he's not afraid to open his mouth. Too many guys, especially young guys like him, they want to be their friend.
"He knew early on this was the way it had to be in order to get the most out of his guys. And he's definitely got the most out of them."
Just for a refresher: If you forgot how good Holt was in an FSU uniform. He hit .359 with 59 doubles, seven triples, 21 home runs and 117 RBIs in his career. He was a Freshman All-American in 2008 and a second-team All-American in both 2009 and 2010.
He was also the last Seminole to hit .400 in a season, batting .401 in 2009.
Holt got to play in Omaha twice as a college player, including that final game against TCU in 2010. And then he got to play over 800 more games as a professional, including 156 in the major leagues over the course of three seasons.
He's just 30 years old, and he's already joined Martin Jr. and Keller as Seminoles who both played and coached in the College World Series. In his first season on the staff.
Not a bad way to start his coaching career.
"Not a lot of guys get the opportunity with ball clubs to go to Omaha," said Holt, who was 9-for-21 at the plate in his two trips to Omaha as a player. "And it kind of really sank in that I'm almost spoiled in the sense of two-out-of-three as a player and one-out -of-one as a coach. I really do [appreciate it]. Because it might be few and far between going back. Especially 11's (head coach Mike Martin's) last year. … Going to Omaha is definitely going to have to slow my emotions down a little bit more.
"And hopefully things go a little bit better for me as a coach than it was as a player there. But with that being said, I really am going to take in the sights and sounds and truly enjoy the experience."
Holt was part of just one victory in his playing career at the College World Series. But he definitely remembers it.
"At least the one win I did have out there was against the Gators," Holt said with a smile.
More than a decade removed from his first trip to the College World Series, he realizes just what a special experience it is to be on this stage.
"The first time I went out there I think I was overwhelmed," Holt said. "And I think that's something I can bring to this team and these younger guys. Just to say, 'Hey, things go fast. Take a second, take a deep breath, enjoy the moment. But understand that there's a job to do.'"
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