Hitting a baseball has never been a problem for Nick Martini.
The Prairie Ridge product and Kansas State sophomore has always had a knack for the whack. For the second straight season, he is tearing apart Big 12 pitching.
After hitting .336 as a freshman, Martini leads the Wildcats with a.424 batting average through Thursday that is tops in the conference among players with more than 100 at-bats. He also had two home runs, 47 RBIs and 18 stolen bases with six games left in the regular season.
“I still have to work hard, but there are some things with the hand-eye coordination that makes (hitting) a little easier for me than for some people,” said Martini, who hits third for the Wildcats (32-15, 11-9 Big 12). “I just go out with the same attitude and approach every day. I guess it leads to success.”
That’s putting it mildly.
There aren’t many sophomores in the country who have Martini’s career accomplishments. He had one of the best freshman seasons in Kansas State history. His average was 18th in the Big 12, he had more runs and hits than any freshman in school history and he added a team-high 17 doubles to go with four home runs and 50 RBIs.
Martini became better this season.
“He is very mature for his age and has been since he came in here last year as a freshman,” Wildcats coach Brad Hill said. “The thing about him is that he can coach himself if something is not right with his swing. We have to really coach guys his age on their swing and techniques, but he can do that for himself.”
Martini was taught to hit by his father, Scott, a former collegiate golfer at Northeastern Illinois who coached his son into his mid-teens. Martini hit the travel baseball circuit and excelled at Prairie Ridge for coach Dave Haskins.
He went undrafted despite posting impressive career numbers and winning a state title in 2008. If the slight by pro teams drives him, Martini keeps it a secret.
“My ultimate goal is to make it to that level, but right now that’s not even in back of my mind,” he said. “I just want to be successful in this league. I came to the Big 12 because I wanted to play against some great competition to see if I could make it here.”
Nick Martini file
College: Kansas State.
Class: Sophomore.
High school: Prairie Ridge.
Position: Center field.
Height: 5-11.
Stats: (through Thursday) 184 at-bats, .424 batting average, 4 triples, 2 home runs, 47 RBIs, .571 slugging percentage, .511 on-base percentage, 18 stolen bases of 22 attempts.
FYI: Martini, who was named a Louisville Slugger Freshman All-American, is a big fan of Chicago sports and has been photographed several times in action with his tongue hanging out of his mouth — like Michael Jordan. He claims that it’s just coincidence.
