OMAHA, Neb. (NCBWA) – In the midst of the best season in program history, Murray State head coach Dan Skirka has been named the 2025 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Mike Martin National Coach of the Year.
The Racers (44-15) have earned the first trip to the NCAA Division I Baseball World Series in program history. As a No. 4 seed in the Oxford Regional, Murray State twice knocked off the hosts, Ole Miss, including withstanding eight unanswered runs late in a 12-11 victory in the decisive Game 7.
Playing in its first-ever Super Regional, Murray State bounced back from a game one defeat at Duke. The Racers won the middle game, 19-9, and clinched a trip to Omaha with a 5-4 victory in the winner-take-all Game 3.
Murray State is the fourth-ever No. 4 seed to reach the College World Series, joining Oral Roberts (2023), Stony Brook (2012), and Fresno State (2008 – champions), and is the first MVC program to reach Omaha since 2003.
“I am humbled by this award, but it doesn’t happen without great people in my life,” said Skirka, who was the MVC Coach of the Year. “I owe so much to the people that have guided me both as a player and a coach and this award is shared by all of them. Many thanks to my coaching staff and our players, because they are the ones that made this amazing season happen. Many thanks to the NCBWA and their membership for this honor not only for myself, but also for the Murray State Baseball program.”
In their third season in the Missouri Valley Conference since joining in 2023, the Racers clinched a share of the regular season championship for the first time with a 17-8 record in league play. Murray State swept through the MVC Tournament with wins over Belmont, Southern Illinois, UIC, and Missouri State to claim its first title in the conference.
Skirka has a 206-149 record in seven seasons at the helm of the Racers, leading Murray State to its first regular season title since 1991 and first conference tournament crown since 2003.
"Coach Dan Skirka accomplished one of the great feats in college baseball annals this year in guiding Murray State to its first appearance in the NCAA Baseball World Series," said NCBWA Executive Director Bo Carter. "The team played a ton of baseball from the Missouri Valley Conference Championship to the Oxford Regional and Durham Super Regional and won eight of those 10 games against Top 25 teams nationally. His determination has been reflected in his team's grittiness, and he is most deserving of this award."
Murray State boasts one of the top offenses in the country, ranking in the top 30 in scoring, hits, batting average, walks, doubles, triples, and on-base percentage, plus a stout defense with a .978 fielding percentage that ranks among the top 25 nationally.
The Racers open College World Series play against No. 15 seed UCLA on Saturday at 1 p.m. ET. Murray State and UCLA are joined in Bracket 2 by No. 3 seed Arkansas and No. 6 seed LSU.
About the Mike Martin National Coach of the Year Award
The National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Coach of the Year Award, introduced in 2008, is voted on by the NCBWA Board of Directors, and chosen from a list that includes all Division I conference coaches of the year and the coaches of the eight NCAA College World Series teams.
In 2020, the NCBWA board of directors voted unanimously to name the annual award after Mike Martin, the winningest head coach in NCAA Division I baseball history after he retired at Florida State in 2019 with a 2,029-736-4 mark over 40 seasons in leading the FSU program from 1980-2019. Martin passed away in February 2024 at age 79.
“When I heard about it,” he said with a smile at the time, “I was simply flabbergasted. It is such an honor to have my name associated with this award, and it is a tribute to all the players and coaches who worked with me at Florida State.”
"We could not think of any other coach historically to associate a name for this annual award besides coach Mike Martin," said Carter. "He has meant so much to college baseball as it has continued year-by-year to gain additional national popularity."
NCBWA membership includes writers, broadcasters and publicists. Designed to promote and publicize college baseball, it is the sport's only college media-related organization, founded in 1962.
ALL-TIME MIKE MARTIN AWARD WINNERS
2025 – Dan Skirka, Murray State
2024 – Nick Mingione, Kentucky
2023 – Ryan Folmar, Oral Roberts
2022 – Link Jarrett, Notre Dame
2021 – Tony Vitello, Tennessee
2020 – None Selected
2019 – Eric Bakich, Michigan
2018 – Gary Henderson, Mississippi State
2017 – Pat Casey, Oregon State
2016 – Gary Gilmore, Coastal Carolina
2015 – Paul Mainieri, LSU
2014 – Mike Gillespie, UC Irvine
2013 – Tracy Smith, Indiana
2012 – Matt Senk, Stony Brook
2011 – David Esquer, California
2010 – Jim Schlossnagle, TCU
2009 – Brian O’Connor, Virginia
2008 – Mike Batesole, Fresno State