Link Jarrett is normally a man of routine.
His schedules are incredibly detailed and he has a particular time layout for pregame warmups that he says he's stuck to throughout his last 15 years as a coach.
But the Florida State baseball coach changed that Tuesday night.
Knowing the importance of his team hosting the first sporting event back on FSU's campus since the mass shooting in the student union last Thursday, Jarrett made a change.
Instead of the normal pregame warmup routine, he wanted FSU to hold a 30-minute pregame ceremony on the field at Dick Howser Stadium before the Seminoles hosted Stetson.
And he wanted any FSU student, staff or faculty member who had a ticket for the game to be able to come onto the outfield grass to be a part of the ceremony.
"I wanted to open the place up. We are a family, this is the Florida State University family. This campus, the athletic facility is wound tight here. We wanted this moment pregame..." Jarrett said after Tuesday's game. "I wanted any student, staff, faculty, all of them to walk onto that field. I wanted to provide a positive moment for them."
With hundreds of current Seminoles gathered on the field, the Marching Chiefs came together on the field to play the national anthem as well as a few other songs. "You Raise Me Up" played over the stadium loudspeakers. First responders who were on the scene within minutes of reports of shots fired on campus were thanked with a hearty standing ovation.
Tallahassee Memorial Hospital trauma surgeon Dr. Matthew Ramseyer threw out the ceremonial first pitch with a few of his colleagues in attendance after they were on hand to treat the shooting victims Thursday, saving the lives of six of the eight people who were shot.
Messages of gratitude for those who helped during and after Thursday's shooting were shared on the videoboard, as was a two-word graphic message: FSU Strong.
"Tragic things have happened, but we're here to persevere and stay together as a unit, as Florida State University," FSU outfielder Gage Harrelson said.
Stetson, led by head coach Steve Trimper, was willing to adapt its pregame routine slightly to allow FSU to hold this pregame ceremony. The Hatters also added "FSU Strong" patches to their uniforms for Tuesday's game.
"It means a lot..." Jarrett said of Stetson's efforts to show FSU support in this first game back in action. "Steve Trimper, classy. What they did was correct. He told me, 'Link, I'll do anything you want to do. Whatever we need to do today, we'll do it.' "
After Tuesday's win, Jarrett talked publicly about how he managed the immediate aftermath of Thursday's events.
While he said he's not the biggest fan of cell phones, he very much appreciated them on this day as it allowed him and his staff to easily be able to check on all of his players to ensure they are safe.
Two members of the FSU baseball team were in locked-down classrooms, he said, while first responders swept that area of campus to ensure things were all clear. Jarrett stayed in contact with these two until they were able to safely leave lockdown.
The FSU coach didn't feel right about holding a team meeting in person that Thursday night, when the FSU-Virginia series opener was supposed to be happening. Instead, he felt it was the right thing to do to let his players take advantage of an unexpected off weekend by spending Easter weekend with their families.
"As a parent, at that moment, all you want is your child there," Jarrett said. "They got to have Easter weekend with their family. Not everybody was able to get where they live, but it did provide that aspect. You had the family and the fellowship that helps heal."
Jarrett admitted he was a bit nervous about any potential injuries on his team from missing certain aspects of pregame warmups. The team as a whole elected to not take part in infield/outfield fielding work late in pregame warmups because of how the timing worked out.
"The manager side of me, that was my concern. I knew the readiness to play was a factor. I could sense that even (Monday) in practice, just not quite as sharp..." Jarrett said. "But these guys, they're smart. They want what's right and they did not want to take infield/outfield because then they thought they might be a little more rushed to get back in here, quick bite to eat and get out. They knew they wanted time so they chose not to take infield/outfield."
Some sloppiness that could be attributed to that adapted warmup routine or the fact that FSU hadn't played in a week after its weekend series vs. Virginia was canceled showed up in the early innings on Tuesday.
FSU had a few uncharacteristic defensive miscues in the first few innings that put the Seminoles in a 4-0 hole in the fourth inning. But they rallied back with eight runs over the fourth and fifth innings to come away with an 11-6 victory.
That certainly matters in the long run for the Seminoles. It was their fifth straight win and 30th of the season, boosting their resume for a top-eight seed in the NCAA Tournament.
But in the moment, it's safe to say everyone there was focused on bigger things. Baseball just happened to be the unifying thing that brought the fanbase together again for the first time.
"I wanted (to give the community a sense of normalcy) more than anything. Normalcy didn't seem like enough to me today. Togetherness. Come out there on the field. Let's all be in this together," Jarrett said. "I hope that it was a positive experience for all involved. I felt it, and I think the kids on the field, the band, our team and Stetson's team, I think it served that healing purpose to step through that very difficult situation."
Follow The Osceola on Facebook
Follow The Osceola on Twitter
Subscribe to the Osceola's YouTube channel
Subscribe to the Osceola's podcasts on Apple
