Florida State University Athletics
FSU Baseball Begins March To College World Series
5/25/2000 12:00:00 PM | Baseball
May 25, 2000
2000 NCAA Regional – Tallahassee
Friday-Sunday, May 26-28 * Dick Howser Stadium
#7 FLORIDA STATE (45-15)
* The Seminoles, ranked No. 7 in the ESPN/USA Today Coaches’ Poll, return
to Tallahassee after spending the last three weeks on the road at Clemson,
at North Carolina and finishing at the ACC Tournament in Fort Mill, SC.
FSU went 2-2 in the ACC Tournament with wins against NC State and UNC, and
losses to Clemson and Georgia Tech. Marshall McDougall was the lone
Seminole named to the All-Tournament team, hitting .375 with nine RBI over
four games.
* Four Seminoles (McDougall, John-Ford Griffin, Chris Smith and Mike
Ziegler) were named All-ACC 1st team. Smith was also a 2nd team
All-American according to Baseball Weekly while Ryan Barthelemy was the
only FSU player listed on the All-ACC 2nd team.
* FSU has faced one of the most difficult schedules in the country again
this season with a total of 30 games (of 60) against teams currently ranked
in this week’s Collegiate Baseball Poll. The Seminoles took two of three
from #2 Stanford and #4 Arizona State. In addition, the Tribe won 4 of 6
from #11 Miami, won 3 of 4 from #15 UNC, split (2-2) with #1 Georgia Tech
and swept a four-game series against #18 Florida. FSU has faced four of
the other seven national seeds.
* Marshall McDougall and Chris Smith are tied for the team home run lead at
12. Smith is second in batting (.391) to John-Ford Griffin (.407).
McDougall leads the team lead in runs scored (73) with Smith second at 70.
Ryan Barthelemy and McDougall lead the squad with 62 RBI each.
* The FSU pitching staff leads the ACC and ranks third in the country with
an ERA of 3.31. Ziegler leads the ACC with 130 strikeouts.
FSU IN NCAA REGIONAL PLAY
The Seminoles are making their 23rd straight appearance in the NCAA
Tournament and 38th overall. Mike Martin has led FSU to an NCAA Regional
in each of his 21 years as head coach. FSU has hosted a regional in 16 of
the last 18 years and are 52-18 as the host school.
FSU VERSUS THE REGIONAL FIELD
FSU has not faced any of the three other teams in the regional field this
season. The Seminoles are 14-2 all-time vs. UCF, last playing the Golden
Knights in 1997. FSU has never played Evansville or Bethune-Cookman. In
1997, UCF and FSU met in the NCAA East Regional in Tallahassee with the
Tribe winning a 16-2 contest. Auburn defeated FSU 5-2 in the final to
advance to the CWS that year.
RADIO & INTERNET
All Florida State games will be carried live locally on Sports Radio 1270
(WNLS-AM). Lee Bowen and Jim Crosby will begin coverage 15 minutes prior
to game time. Broadcasts are also available via the internet at
www.wnls.com.
POSSIBLE STARTERS
| Pos | No | Player | Yr | B/T | |||
| C | #32 | Blair McCaleb | So. | R/R | .255, 3 HR, 29 RBI | ||
| 1B | #27 | Ryan Barthelemy | So. | L/R | .320, 10 HR, 62 RBI | ||
| 2B | #2 | Bobby Spano | So. | S/R | .179, 25 Runs, 9 RBI | ||
| SS | #1 | Brett Groves | Jr. | R/R | .325, 53 Runs, 30 SB | ||
| 3B/ | #31 | Marshall McDougall | Sr. | R/R 2B | .354, 12 HR, 62 RBI | ||
| 3B/ | #18 | Pichi Balet | Jr. | R/R DH | .298, 6 HR, 36 RBI | ||
| CF | #9 | Karl Jernigan | Jr. | R/R | .341, 5 HR, 44 RBI | ||
| RF | #15 | Chris Smith | So. | L/L | .391, 12 HR, 57 RBI | ||
| LF/ | #39 | John-Ford Griffin | So. | L/L DH | .407, 6 HR, 46 RBI | ||
| OF/ | #8 | Mike Futrell | So. | R/R DH | .285, 4 HR, 39 RBI | ||
| DH | #33 | John Halliday | Sr. | L/L | .152, 3 HR, 12 RBI | ||
| RHP | #21 | Blair Varnes | So. | 9-2, 3.59 ERA, 63K | |
| RHP | #35 | Mike Ziegler | Jr. | 8-4, 3.34 ERA, 130K | |
| RHP | #41 | Jon McDonald | Jr. | 10-4, 4.21 ERA, 75K | |
Head Coach Mike Martin
| Career/FSU Record: | 1,124-379-3 (21st year) |
| ACC Record: | 152-57 (9th year) |
| Conference Championships: | 13 |
| 2 ACC (’95, ’97),11 Metro (’80, ’81, ’83-’91) | |
| NCAA Tournament Appearances | 21 |
| College World Series Appearances | 11 |
| 50+ Win Seasons | 19 |
Seminole Success Under Mike Martin
Mike Martin is in his 21st season as the head coach of the Seminoles,
coming off his 11th College World Series appearance in 1999. Martin, who
is one of four Florida State coaches with 20 or more years of service, has
brought the Seminoles to an NCAA Regional in each of his last 21 years.
Under Martin, FSU has become a national power in collegiate baseball,
finishing in Baseball America’s Top 10 in 10 of the last 11 seasons – the
most Top 10 finishes in the country over that span.
A Look at the Martin Record
* 21 consecutive NCAA Regional appearances
* Has led FSU to the College World Series 11 times in 20 seasons,
including 10 trips in the last 14 years
* Has won 13 conference championships, including two ACC
Championships (’95 & ’97)
* Ranks second nationally among active Division I baseball coaches
with a .747 winning percentage
* Ranks ninth among NCAA All-Time Winningest Division I Coaches
* Has produced 11 first-round draft choices, including nine in
the 1990s
* 1996, 1998 and 1999 ACC Coach of the Year
FSU Baseball by the Numbers
* 52 Winning Seasons
* 17 CWS Appearances
* 39 NCAA Regional or District Appearances
* 23 Consecutive Appearances in NCAA Regionals
* 15 Conference Championships
* 18 50-Win Seasons
* 14 First-Round Draft Picks
Poll After Poll After Poll
The Florida State baseball program has been ranked in Collegiate Baseball
for 189 consecutive weeks, the most of any ACC school. The last time the
Seminoles were not ranked in that publication was May 2, 1988. Here’s
where the Seminoles rank in the three polls (Baseball America, Collegiate
Baseball & ESPN Coaches/ USA Today Baseball Weekly):
| Date | BA | CB | BW | |
| Preseason | 7 | 6 | 5 | |
| Feb. 7 | 4 | — | — | |
| Feb. 14 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Feb. 21 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Feb. 28 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Mar. 6 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Mar. 13 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Mar. 20 | 2 | 3 | 1 | |
| Mar. 27 | 1 | 2 | 1 | |
| Apr. 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Apr. 10 | 1 | 1 | 1 | |
| Apr. 17 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| Apr. 24 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| May 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 | |
| May 8 | 7 | 4 | 4 | |
| May 15 | 8 | 8 | 4 | |
| May 22 | 10 | 10 | 7 |
FSU’s NCAA Regional Dominance
* FSU leads the nation in all-time NCAA Regional wins (96) and all-time
regional games (142).
* FSU is second all-time in consecutive NCAA Regional appearances (22).
* FSU has hosted an NCAA Regional a total of 19 years, more than any other
school.
* FSU has won nine straight NCAA Regional games since losing to Auburn in 1997.
* FSU finished the 1990’s 41-7 in NCAA Regional competition and is 26-2
over the last seven years.
* FSU has scored 10+ runs in seven of its last nine NCAA Regional games and
totaled 139 runs in its last nine games for an average of 15.4 runs per
game.
* FSU has scored in double figures in 11 of its last 19 NCAA Regional games.
Ranked Opponents on the 2000 Schedule
Florida State annually plays one of the toughest schedules in the nation
(the most difficult according to the RPI in 1999) and that is no different
this season. Eight FSU opponents are among Collegiate Baseball’s Top 25
Poll this week with all eight either a one or two seed in their respective
regional. The Seminoles have played a total of 30 games (out of 60) with
an 18-12 record against those teams.
* Georgia Tech (No. 1)
* Stanford (No. 2)
* Arizona St. (No. 4)
* Clemson (No. 8)
* Miami (No.11)
* Wake Forest (No. 14)
* North Carolina (No. 15)
* Florida (No. 18)
Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week
* Mike Ziegler (3/24)
Recorded FSU’s first complete game shutout since 1998, leading the
Seminoles to a 6-0 win over No. 6 Georgia Tech. Ziegler, who retired 16
consecutive batters from the third to the eighth inning, allowed just four
hits and struck out seven. He was named both ACC Pitcher of the Week and
earned National Player of the Week honors from Collegiate Baseball.
ACC Players of the Week
* John-Ford Griffin (2/14)
Hit .667 (10-for-15) as FSU won two-of-three from then-No. 1 Stanford.
Griffin had four doubles, a triple, four runs scored and four RBI against
the Cardinal.
* Mike Ziegler (2/14)
In just his third career FSU start, Ziegler got the win in FSU’s 13-1
Sunday victory over Stanford (2/13). He went seven innings and gave up
just one run while striking out 13 of 29 batters.
* Jon McDonald (2/28)
Had his best outing of the 2000 season against Florida (2/26), working 6.2
scoreless innings in FSU’s 6-2 victory over the Gators. McDonald gave up
six hits and struck out five on the day.
* Marshall McDougall (4/10)
Went 12-for-23 (.522) against Jacksonville and #12 Miami. McDougall
recorded eight RBI, eight runs scored, two doubles, one triple and one
homer.
* Marshall McDougall (5/1)
Hit .538 (7-for-13) against NC State with eight RBI, four runs, two home
runs and five doubles. His fourth double of the game on Sunday knocked in
two runs in the bottom of the 12th to give FSU a 6-5 victory.
* Mike Ziegler (5/15)
Worked 8.2 innings, his second-longest outing of the season, and gave up
two earned runs against UNC. He allowed five hits and had nine strikeouts.
Last Home Runs for FSU
| Player | Opponent | Games Since |
| Barthelemy | North Carolina (5/19) | 1 |
| McDougall | Clemson (5/18) | 2 |
| Smith | NC State (5/17) | 3 |
| Jernigan | UNC (5/13) | 5 |
| Griffin | NC State (4/29) | 11 |
| Futrell | Georgia Tech (4/21) | 15 |
| McCaleb | Georgia Tech (4/21) | 15 |
| Halliday | Jacksonville (4/12) | 19 |
| Balet | Virginia (4/2) | 24 |
| Spano | St. Josephs (3/7) | 39 |
| Boyd | Pittsburgh (3/4) | 41 |
| Groves | Charleston Southern (3/1) | 43 |
| Grand Slams: | Griffin (1/30) |
| Barthelemy (2/19) | |
| Groves (2/19) | |
| Balet (3/11) |
2000 Seminoles Tough to Beat at Home
FSU finished the regular season home schedule 30-3, one of the best home
records in recent years. That is the best mark since the 1991 Seminoles
finished 39-2 at home (including NCAA regional games). At Dick Howser, FSU
is hitting .335 as a team with an ERA of 2.16.
| Season | Home Record | Final Record | |
| 1990 | 35-5 | 57-15 | |
| 1991 | 39-2 | 57-14 | |
| 1992 | 32-9 | 49-21 | |
| 1993 | 32-8 | 46-19 | |
| 1994 | 33-9 | 53-22 | |
| 1995 | 27-6 | 53-16 | |
| 1996 | 32-4 | 52-17 | |
| 1997 | 33-8 | 50-17 | |
| 1998 | 28-4 | 53-20 | |
| 1999 | 36-4 | 57-14 | |
| 2000 | 30-3 |
FSU’s Top Hitters/Pitchers at Dick Howser in 2000
| John-Ford Griffin | .447, 3 HR, 36 Runs, 31 RBI |
| Chris Smith | .408, 6 HR, 41 Runs, 36 RBI |
| Marshall McDougall | .365, 7 HR, 38 Runs, 34 RBI |
| Scott Boyd | .357, 1 HR, 10 Runs, 10 RBI |
| Brett Groves | .346, 1 HR, 37 Runs, 25 RBI |
| Mike Futrell | .344, 3 HR, 22 Runs, 25 RBI |
| Ryan Barthelemy | .331, 5 HR, 31 Runs, 39 RBI |
| Pichi Balet | .313, 4 HR, 12 Runs, 21 RBI |
| Karl Jernigan | .303, 0 HR, 27 Runs, 15 RBI |
| Blair McCaleb | .296, 2 HR, 15 Runs, 16 RBI |
| Mike Ziegler | 7-0, 1.36 ERA, 78K, 10 BB |
| Blair Varnes | 6-1, 2.37 ERA, 47K, 17 BB |
| Jon McDonald | 7-0, 2.91 ERA, 50K, 18 BB |
Hitting Streaks
| Current | Season | Career | |
| Balet | 2 | 4 | 4 |
| Barthelemy | 0 | 9 | 9 |
| Boyd | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Futrell | 0 | 10 | 10 |
| Griffin | 5 | 23 | 23 |
| Groves | 0 | 11 | 15 |
| Halliday | 0 | 2 | 9 |
| Jernigan | 2 | 7 | 12 |
| McCaleb | 0 | 7 | 7 |
| McDougall | 7 | 13 | 33 |
| Smith | 17 | 17 | 17 |
| Spano | 0 | 1 | 3 |
2000 Honor Roll
Ryan Barthelemy
2nd Team All-ACC (1B)
John-Ford Griffin
1st Team All-ACC (DH)
ACC Player of the Week (2/14)
Jon McDonald
ACC Pitcher of the Week (2/28)
Marshall McDougall
1st Team All-ACC (Utility)
ACC All-Tournament Team
ACC Player of the Week (4/10, 5/1)
Chris Smith
2nd Team Baseball Weekly All-American
1st Team All-ACC (OF)
Mike Ziegler
1st Team All-ACC (P)
Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week (3/24)
ACC Pitcher of the Week (2/14, 3/24, 5/15)