Using his time wisely
It was so cold, Holden Martin could barely feel his fingers.
The Karns City graduate and Muskingum University senior pitcher warmed up the best he could in the bullpen, snow whipping, wind biting, and then took to the mound March 14 at Denison for one of the most unusual outings of his career.
“It was ... weird,” Martin said, chuckling. “All I kept thinking was this is so weird.”
He and his teammates had just found out the night before that the season was being scuttled because of the coronavirus pandemic.
Muskingum cobbled together a make-shift “Senior Day” for Martin, Bryce Husted, Josh Bigrigg and Mark Rest on the road in blustery Granville, Ohio, in front of about 150 shivering fans.
It wasn't the way Martin thought his collegiate career would end.
Luckily, it ended up not being his final game.
The NCAA granted all players who lost a season to COVID-19 and extra year of eligibility and Martin will take advantage of that next season at Muskingum — a rare fifth campaign at the Division III level.
“It definitely softened (the blow), but it still hurts a lot not finishing up with the guys I stared with there,” Martin said. “I think I'm probably the only one of the seniors who is coming back.”
Martin grew up in Petrolia with a baseball in his hand.
He went on to star at Karns City as a pitcher and second baseman and then moved on to Muskingum, where he blossomed into a reliable two-way player for the Fighting Muskies.
Martin has also stood out for various summer league teams he has played for over his career.
Two years ago, he won a rare double championship — playing for title teams in the Beach Collegiate Baseball League in Myrtle Beach, S.C., and in the New York Collegiate Baseball League in Syracuse, N.Y.
He played in Kentucky last summer and this year he is playing for the Iron Bucks in a familiar place — Michelle Krill Field at Historic Pullman Park.
“It's cool to be playing ball back here at Pullman Park,” said Martin, who played all his home games — and also a few road ones against rival Moniteau — at the legendary field. “I was talking to some of my teammates (with the Iron Bucks), telling them they wouldn't believe how many games we won here.
“It's a lot of fun,” Martin added. “I see a lot of familiar faces coming out and supporting us.”
Martin was just happy to find a league to play in this summer.Many summer developmental collegiate leagues canceled their seasons because of the coronavirus.Martin planned on play in the Eagle County League until the opportunity with the Iron Bucks came up.He said the quality of play is comparable to some of the leagues he has previously played in.Martin is happy with how his right arm feels, even after a nearly four-month layoff.He used that time wisely, though.Martin and Muskingum pitching coach Michael Bucci were in regular contact.Martin would make a video of his throwing sessions and send them to Bucci, who would break them down and send them back with tweaks to Martin's mechanics.“Holden has definitely used the time wisely,” Bucci said. “He sent me (videos) quite frequently.”Martin called he and Bucci “baseball nerds” because of the amount of time they have spent talking and breaking down the game.Martin could immediately tell the difference.The main emphasis was using his legs more to generate velocity with his fastball.“I threw like an infielder,” Martin said. “It was about using my back-half more and using my whole body.”Martin has seen an increase in his velocity from the low to mid-80s to the upper 80s.In his first outing with the Iron Bucks, his teammates commented about how hard he was throwing.Bucci also saw the difference in the videos.Even toward the end of the abbreviated season, Bucci had an inkling Martin was on to something big.“Unfortunately, he was heating up just before we shut down,” Bucci said. “We're very fortunate to have a player like Holden coming back for a fifth year.”Martin said if there was one silver lining to quarantine, it was the ability for him to break down his mechanics in a real way.“It's impossible to do that normally,” Martin said. “There's only so much you can do during the season. You can't really break down and do anything. You can't reinvent the wheel. I was able to really break it apart and it's been working.”Martin, who earned his education degree, will study professional development for coaching.Martin wants to teach and coach some day.“It's a lot of psychology, honestly,” Martin said. “How to tap into and motivate your players.“I just really want to stay involved in the game. It's been such a big part of my life and I can't imagine my life without it.”
