PEMBROKE PARK, Fla. – Mike Martin Jr. is among 27 potential candidates who have applied to replace his father as Florida State's next baseball coach.
Florida State on Wednesday provided Local10.com with the list of official applicants who have met the qualifications for the job.
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All 27 applicants are vying to become the first new head coach of the baseball program since Mike Martin replaced Dick Howser in 1980. Martin is retiring at the end of the season.
The most notable prospects on the list to replace him is his son, "Meat," as he's affectionately called by his father, players and college baseball fans.
Martin Jr. is a longtime assistant coach who spent three years as a starting catcher for the Seminoles from 1993-95. After a brief stint in the minor leagues, the younger Martin joined his father's staff in 1998.
He is listed as "Michael Martin" on his job application.
Other applicants are former FSU assistant and current Florida A&M head coach Jamey Shouppe, successful junior college coach Jeff Johnson, former Major League Baseball catcher Chris Bando and former MLB pitcher Mark Worrell.
Shouppe was a pitcher for Martin's 1981 and 1982 teams. He joined Martin's staff in 1990, serving as recruiting coordinator and pitching coach for the Seminoles through the 2011 season. He has been head coach at FAMU since 2014, leading the Rattlers to a 154-164 record and a pair of NCAA tournament berths.
Johnson has been head coach at Chipola College in Marianna since 1997. He led the Indians to consecutive junior college national titles in 2017 and 2018.
Bando spent nine years in the big leagues with the Cleveland Indians, Detroit Tigers and Oakland Athletics. He has also been a manager in the minor leagues.
Worrell pitched for the St. Louis Cardinals in 2008 and Baltimore Orioles in 2011. He was born in Palm Beach Gardens and attended John I. Leonard High School in Greenacres.
Martin has more than 2,000 wins in his career -- the most of any coach in any sport in Division I history.
The Seminoles own the nation's longest consecutive streak of NCAA tournament appearances, having been 42 years in a row. Forty of those have come in the Martin era.
Florida State travels to LSU in a best-of-three super regional this weekend. The winner will advance to the College World Series.