The senior member of Mike Martin's staff and a Seminole `fan favorite,' Chip Baker enters his 28th season at Florida State. After 18 years as an assistant coach, Baker has served as the Director of Baseball Administration and Facilities for the last ten years. As he has done for two decades, he will fill many roles for the program.
Baker oversees all aspects of Seminole baseball in his administrative role, including the budget, team travel, game operations, equipment, field and facility maintenance and scheduling. Baker also assists the efforts of the marketing and ticket offices in development of new group and season ticket sale plans. He served as the facilities liaison during stadium construction and will continue to hold that role with any new baseball projects in the future. In addition, Baker communicates with the Bullpen Club and Seminole Boosters on a regular basis. During his tenure at Florida State, Baker has participated in 24 NCAA postseason tournaments and 12 College World Series. He coached two teams that played in the National Championship game (1986 & 1999). As an assistant, Baker coached third base and worked with FSU's catchers. He was also responsible for scouting opposing teams and directing the Seminoles defensively.
A former assistant at Virginia Tech and Georgia Tech, Baker is known as one of college baseball's premier catching instructors. During his tenure, Baker coached seven All-Americans, including Ed Fulton, Barry Blackwell, major-leaguer Marc Ronan and first-team All-American Pedro Grifol. Most recently, Tony Richie was a two-time All-American, current FSU assistant coach Mike Martin, Jr., and 1998 All-American Jeremy Salazar was drafted by the Philadelphia Phillies.
Each summer, Baker is the director of the Mike Martin and Seminole Advanced Baseball Schools. These camps have not only proved to be popular, but beneficial. Over 100 former campers have gone on to wear the Garnet and Gold and several have advanced to the major leagues. Past camps have produced 27 first round draft picks including Buster Posey, John-Ford Griffin, Nick Stocks, Jonathan Johnson, J.D. Drew, Chipper Jones, Alex Rodriguez and Justin and B.J. Upton. The nationally known Super Skills Academy has quickly become one of the nation's top summer camps.
Baker is a popular speaker and addresses Seminole Booster clubs and civic organizations around the state. He has also been on the staff of national and regional baseball clinics. Baker works closely with Tallahassee area youth organizations and has put together clinics for the Tallahassee Babe Ruth League and other youth leagues.
The 57-year-old native of North Carolina has written articles for Scholastic Coach and Collegiate Baseball magazines on the subjects of catching, third base coaching and bunting, and has published a Collegiate Level Strength & Speed book. Six years ago, Baker put together a record selling catching video with Championship Videos entitled, `Expanding the Strike Zone.'
A 1980 graduate of High Point University in North Carolina, Baker was part of four Carolina Conference championship teams. He was a member of the High Point team that finished second at the 1979 NAIA World Series.
After completing his bachelor's degree in physical education, Baker earned a Master of Science degree in motor behavior at Virginia Tech, where he began his collegiate coaching career.
Baker is married to the former Julie Larsen, a record-holding pitcher on FSU's 1985-88 softball teams who was inducted into the Florida State Hall of Fame in 1995. The two were married in 1991 in a most memorable ceremony conducted between a doubleheader at Dick Howser Stadium. The Bakers are the proud parents of a 18 year-old daughter, Katie Nicole, who is a freshman softball player at FSU. Baker's older brother, Jim, is the head basketball coach at Catawba College.
Upon FSU's return from a trip to Stanford in 2001, Baker and head coach Mike Martin were presented with the university's prestigious Westcott Award for their bravery in saving the lives of players and staff. Leaving the San Francisco airport, the two coaches gained control of the team's charter bus after the driver suffered a fatal heart attack and safely guided the bus to the side of a busy highway.
