Carlos Martinez is making the most of his move from the Steel City to the Mill City.
The sweet-swinging sophomore has made an immediate impact on the UMass Lowell baseball team since transferring from the University of Pittsburgh over the offseason.
Martinez entered Friday with 24 doubles, one off the national lead of Virginia Commonwealth’s Brandon Eike, who had played in two more games than Martinez.
Sporting a 21-26 overall record, 10-11 in the America East standings, Martinez and the third-place River Hawks were ready for a Saturday doubleheader against fourth-place NJIT at LeLacheur Park in Lowell.
“We’re locked in,” said Martinez. “We’re ready to go. We definitely know how big this weekend is and how we have to play.”
Martinez has adapted well blending into the heart of the UML lineup.
In his first 47 games, the 6-foot-1, 200-pound outfielder is sporting a .332 batting average (seventh in AE) with 62 hits (second) and a league-leading 24 doubles. He also has five homers, 42 RBI (second in AE) and a stellar on-base slugging percentage of .406.
He kept up his hot hitting by going 3-for-5 with an RBI during a 10-4 loss to NJIT on Friday.
Not bad for the new kid on campus.
“I feel like I’m playing like a 6-year-old again,” said Martinez, 19. “I’m just having fun. We changed my swing after last summer. I changed some details with my hitting coach at home. Once I got here I put it all into practice. I started swinging a little earlier, seeing better pitches and staying calm. I’m taking deep breaths now before each at-bat, just relaxing my mind.”
A native of Coamo, Puerto Rico, Martinez saw limited action freshman year at Pittsburgh. The outfielder made nine appearances for the Panthers, making one start due to a veteran-heavy lineup. He had a double and scored a run in 15 at-bats.
But with a log jam of returning lettermen expected to play in front of him his sophomore year, the young slugger opted to take his talents elsewhere.
“I just wanted more experience and I wanted to play,” said Martinez. “I wanted to feel good about who I was. I felt at Pitt there were a lot of fifth-year seniors who had a lot more experience. Here I was just coming out of high school. If anything, it just taught me how to become a better player. I was going to take what I learned from there and take it somewhere else.”
The River Hawks coaching staff were more than happy to oblige, and the transition has been a smooth one.
“It’s been good,” said Martinez. “Coach has been really open about me coming up. The boys are amazing here. Good vibes. They took me in as one of them from the very beginning, and the school is amazing. I’m majoring in mechanical engineering. It’s a good program and really everything I needed.”
According to UMass Lowell coach Nick Barese, Martinez has been a key offseason addition.
“Carlos has been a fantastic addition to our program, as a player, teammate and student,” said Barese. “He’s one of those guys who you want to be around. He’s always smiling, always playing with that passion and love for the game you want out of your players. His tools are off the charts offensively. He can hit the ball to all fields with legitimate power. He hits for average and he has a great arm in the outfield.”
Barese credits assistant coach Joe Consolmagno with luring the talented slugger to UML’s campus.
“He did a great job identifying him in the transfer portal and getting him on campus,” said Barese. “The first time we met Carlos it was clear he would be a great fit both on and off the field. He brings a sense of calm to the dugout, but he is a great competitor. He is good at finding that space where you can have fun playing the game, but also play it the right way.”
As they head into the weekend, Martinez and his team are ready for anything.
“We’re locked in,” said Martinez. “I have a really good feeling about our team right now.”
