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The playoffs bring out the best in FSU's first baseman. He says he doesn't change his approach to playing.
By BRIAN LANDMAN
© St. Petersburg Times, published June 1, 2001
Florida State junior first baseman Ryan Barthelemy insists he doesn't change his routine this time of year.
He doesn't camp out in the batting cage before or after practice any longer than he did back in, say, February. Nor does he concentrate any more intently at the plate. New tape on his favorite bat? Nah.
"I don't do anything differently," said Barthelemy, 21. "I try to take the same approach to every game no matter where we are in the season."
But during the post-season, something different comes over him, and typically overcomes opponents: He gets better. In 26 NCAA Tournament games in his career, including last weekend's region in Tallahassee, he is hitting .354 with 8 home runs, 4 doubles, 2 triples, 24 RBI and 21 runs scored.
"I think it's just a coincidence," he said.
If it is, it's one the Seminoles would like to see continue for another weekend or so. FSU (46-17), ranked No. 7 in the latest Collegiate Baseball poll, opens Super Region play at No. 8-ranked Georgia (45-19) at 7 tonight. The winner of the best-of-three series advances to the College World Series.
Speaking of Omaha, Neb., Barthelemy has been at his best on that grandest of stages. He has hit five homers in the CWS, second most for a player in his career. The first pitch he swung at in a CWS game, against Texas A&M in 1999, left the park.
"You're talking about a veteran guy who's got big-time power," Georgia Tech coach Danny Hall said. "He's the kind of guy you hold your breath every time he comes up because you know if you make a mistake, he's got a chance to hit the ball out of the ballpark."
Especially this time of year. Flashback to May 1999. Barthelemy predominantly backed up John Halliday, a former Clearwater and Pasco-Hernando Community College slugger. But Halliday severely pulled his groin (he eventually needed surgery), elevating Barthelemy into the starting lineup.
Barthelemy did the rest.
"To get thrown into the scene like that as a freshman and knowing that you have to succeed or you're not going to play, that might have had something to do with how I did," he said.
In the Super Region opener against Auburn, he hit two homers and had four RBI in a resounding 10-2 win. At the CWS, he went 4-for-7 with a homer in an extra-inning 14-11 win against perennial power Stanford that propelled FSU into the championship game.
"We never expected Bart to do that well," FSU coach Mike Martin said. "But he really showed up. No doubt. That's when he showed up for us."
Building upon that success last season, Barthelemy, 6 feet 3 and 225 pounds, had 14 homers and led the team with 71 RBI. He had another standout post-season, highlighted by a key homer in the first Super Region game against archrival Miami and a 4-for-4, two-homer, three-RBI performance against Southern California in the CWS opener.
"I've taken it upon myself to succeed," Barthelemy said. "I need to be clutch for my team."
He has been. He's third on the team in hitting (.340) and is second to All-America candidate John-Ford Griffin in doubles (21), homers (14), runs (54) and RBI (69). He earned first-team All-ACC honors for the first time this season, and after going 7-for-15 with five RBI in wins against Bethune-Cookman and Auburn last weekend, was named to the all-region team.
"Bart has improved tremendously," Martin said. "He's been successful for a number of reasons. No. 1, he's a darn good baseball player; he's a darn good hitter. And No. 2, he's been surrounded by good players."
Following Griffin in the batting order has its advantages. If teams choose to pitch around Griffin, they can't try to pitch around Barthelemy, too. That's assuming Barthelemy is swinging well. The key, Martin said, is for Barthelemy to be more disciplined than ever.
He can't just swing for the fences. At times, he must accept a walk or look to advance the runners, as he did in a game against Wake Forest in the ACC tournament. In the first inning, with two on and none out, he bunted for the first time this season. Both runners eventually scored to set the tone in an FSU rout.
"Anything I can do to help my team out, I'll definitely do," he said. "But that's how I try to play all the time."
See. No difference.