Florida State baseball team 'super excited' for start of Link Jarrett Era

James Tibbs described it as a “whirlwind.”

In the span of less than 24 hours last June, the Florida State baseball team lost two games and saw its season end in the NCAA Auburn Regional.

Just a few days later, head coach Mike Martin Jr. was fired after three seasons.

And within what seemed like minutes, rumors started to swirl that the Florida State administration was targeting former FSU All-American Link Jarrett to become the Seminoles’ next head coach.

At the time, Jarrett was leading Notre Dame into the Knoxville Super Regional to face No. 1-ranked Tennessee — a team that was an overwhelming favorite to win the national championship.

“You look at Twitter,” Tibbs said of his emotions at the moment. “You look at all that stuff and you’re like, ‘Man, is that the case? What’s going on. They’re playing Tennessee.’ And obviously I had no idea, as did the rest of us, but we had somewhat of a clue that it could happen. …

“Watching their series against Tennessee and all that take place was super cool. To be like, ‘Man, that could be our coach.’ But it was definitely something I was ready for to happen. I was cheering for them all the way through.”

*** Sign up for premium access to Warchant.com and the On3 Network for only $29.99. ***

Tibbs and Florida State’s players already knew a lot about Jarrett.

They had seen his picture in the team’s Tradition Room. They were well aware of the success he was having as head coach at Notre Dame; the Irish swept Florida State in Tallahassee in April and then won a fourth game against the Seminoles in the ACC Tournament.

But it was what Jarrett’s team did that weekend in Knoxville that really got FSU’s players excited. The Irish stunned the top-ranked Volunteers — and the college baseball world — by winning two of three games to advance to the College World Series.

“They just play hard-nosed. They know what they’re doing,” Tibbs said of Jarrett’s Notre Dame teams. “They’re fundamentally sound. They do the things they need to do to be successful. Just everything. And watching them take down a very good Tennessee team definitely provided a lot of that excitement as well.”

“When Link got the job, I think we were all excited,” Florida State shortstop Jordan Carrion said. “Just looking at his resume — what he did with Notre Dame was all very exciting for us. We knew it was going to be a big change for us, so we were all excited to go through that process. And it’s been great. It’s been everything I can ask for as a player, and I think the locker room would say the same.”

The “whirlwind” last summer was even more intense for Tibbs, who played through a shoulder injury that required postseason surgery.

That was a new challenge for Tibbs, who said he never experienced a serious injury before, but he is quick to add that he is feeling great now and ready for the start of the 2023 season in just over one week. Tibbs started 45 games last season as a freshman outfielder and earned second-team Freshman All-America honors from Perfect Game; he hit .300 with 10 home runs and a team-best .553 slugging percentage.

Tibbs, who could play first base or outfield this season, is one of a handful of returning players who will lead a large group of newcomers into the Link Jarrett Era.

Of the nine position players who started last season’s final game, only four remain — Tibbs, Carrion, outfielder Jaime Ferrer and catcher Colton Vincent. The Seminoles also lost their top two starting pitchers and five of their top seven arms overall, in terms of innings pitched.

With that as a backdrop, it’s not totally surprising that Florida State is not ranked in the major preseason Top 25 polls.

“We’re OK with it,” said junior right-hander Carson Montgomery. “It’s almost better that way, just ’cause there’s people out there doubting us. It kind of lights a fire underneath you a little bit to try and prove people wrong. I think that’s mainly just because of, one, the lack of performance last year in the postseason. But also we just have a super-young team — I think it’s 17 freshmen right now. There’s some really good freshmen — definitely a really good freshman class. But just being young, obviously we’re gonna have to have some young guys step up for us to be good.

“So we’re counting on them, and they’re really looking good right now. Hopefully they can keep it rolling in the season.”

The star of that freshman class is third baseman Cam Smith, a 6-foot-3, 224-pounder who was considered the No. 1 shortstop coming out of high school in Florida. Smith, who starred at Palm Beach Central High, has already impressed teammates with his bat and his defense.

“Oh my gosh … he’s something else,” Tibbs said. “He’s just an amazing dude. Really good baseball player. … He’s fun to watch and fun to play with. Hopefully, he hits before me so I can get some more fastballs this year (laughing).”

“He’s a special player, as everyone can see,” Carrion said of Smith. “The way he goes about his business, the way he handles the game and everything that has come for him at such a young age has been impressive to watch.”

Florida State fans will get their first look at the 2023 Seminoles this Saturday on Fan Day. The gates will open at noon, followed by a scrimmage at 1 p.m., and autograph signings from 3-4 p.m.

The regular season begins one week later against visiting James Madison.

Eight months after the whirlwind started, the Seminoles are beyond ready for their fresh start.

“I can’t say enough about “Meat” (Martin Jr.) and their staff, just the amazing people that they are, and everything they’ve done for me,” Tibbs said. “Was sad to see them go, but super excited for Coach Jarrett and all these guys to come in.”

***Talk with other Seminole fans on the FSU Baseball Forum***