Kevin Martir
When catcher Kevin Martir stepped into the batter’s box with two outs in the eighth and final inning Sunday with runners on first and third, the Terrapins baseball team trailed Florida 8-4.
Martir stroked the ball up the middle, hitting the Florida pitcher, and then beat out the throw for an infield single, driving in a run in the process. It was Martir’s last at-bat of the series and a fitting end for the sophomore, who went 5-for-13 with four RBIs and one run this weekend.
Although the Terps ultimately lost Sunday’s rubber match and took one of three games at No. 23 Florida this weekend, Martir’s performance at the plate demonstrated the youth and potential the Terps possess at several positions.
“I was just being aggressive, just staying in the middle,” Martir said. “What helped me a lot was they were spinning [the ball] a lot, so I changed my approach, and when they spun it, I just turned on it or just drilled it up the middle or the other way.”
In Friday night’s 0-4 loss, Martir had a double and a single — two of the Terps’ three hits — and he advanced to third both times. The Brooklyn, N.Y., native was stranded both times, however, as the Terps went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and were shut out, wasting a good pitching performance from right-hander Jake Stinnett.
“Either way, we should still perform in the batter’s box to get the pitcher even more comfortable on the mound,” Martir said.
Martir went 3-for-9 in the last two games and the Terps offense improved, exploding for nine runs Saturday and five runs Sunday.
Though Martir started 45 games last season, he had to share the catching duties with redshirt senior Jack Cleary. So throughout the year, coach John Szefc inserted Martir, who ended the season with the fourth-best batting average on the team, into other positions, such as designated hitter.
Martir was one of four experienced sophomore position players who played this weekend. First baseman LaMonte Wade, third baseman Jose Cuas and outfielder Anthony Papio all played at least 45 games for last season’s 30-win team.
Papio failed to drive in Martir twice during Friday’s loss but responded Saturday by smashing a solo home run, the fourth homer of his career and part of a three-run performance, in a 9-7 victory.
A trio of Terps freshmen also made an impact on this weekend’s series. Catcher/infielder Nick Cieri, infielder Mike Rescigno and second baseman Brandon Lowe each had at least one hit and collectively had four RBIs and four runs.
Lowe, a redshirt freshman, also blasted a solo home run, tacking on an insurance run in the ninth inning Saturday.
“We’re lucky,” Szefc said. “We have a lot of depth. We have a lot of good players. We have a lot of guys we’re comfortable putting out there.”
After the Terps dropped two of three games to the Gators, Szefc stressed the weekend’s positives. He lauded the RPI boost from playing a top-25 opponent and the experience the players would gain from competing in front of thousands of hostile fans.
The production from Martir and several other underclassmen also provided encouragement. Now, the young group of players hopes to build upon a promising opening weekend to fulfill its potential.
“We just got to maintain focus,” Martir said. “We’re just going to play hard every game. We all know how good we are.”
