Sat. recap: Martin has big night

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No. 10 Florida 12, No. 21 South Carolina 5

Not to be outdone by teammates Harrison Bader and J.J. Schwarz, whose big offensive performances were previously covered in the Friday recap and Weekend Preview, University of Florida shortstop Richie Martin got into the fold on Saturday night, going 3-for-5 with a home run, double, and career-high six RBI.

Martin has long been considered a bit of an enigma by some area scouts, who while impressed with the speed, athleticism, and overall skill-set he possessed since he stepped into the starting lineup as a true freshman in 2013, have been left wanting more from the offensive side of his game. After a relatively disappointing sophomore campaign in 2014, Martin put together a very impressive stint for the Bourne Braves of the Cape Cod League, and Perfect Game ranked him as the No. 6 overall prospect on the Cape last summer.

So it is fair to say that Martin had quite a bit of buzz entering the 2015 season, and the junior is considered to be a possible first-round selection this June. To this point in the season, Martin's offensive production had been solid, albeit a bit underwhelming when compared to the hefty batting line (.364/.472/.469) he produced in the summer.

However, last night against South Carolina, Martin flashed just why area scouts, cross-checkers, and scouting directors have been filing into Gainesville this spring. At 6-feet and 185-pounds, Martin carries lean muscle mass on a well-proportioned, compact frame and oozes with quick-twitch athleticism. He's light on his feet and moves well to either side while patrolling shortstop, and that range along with his smooth, easy actions enabled him to make a number of good defensive plays throughout the night, including the front end of a 6-4-3 double play that required him to make a backhanded pick on a very well struck one-hop groundball.

Because the athleticism and defensive skills have been known quantities for a while now, it was Martin's performance at the plate that truly stood out. While he had looked a bit lost in the batter's box at times earlier in the season, it was clear that Martin was locked in from the get-go.

Against South Carolina's crafty junior lefthander Jack Wynkoop, Martin remained balanced in his wide base and slight crouch regardless of count and pitch type, and registered his first hit of the game with a two-run single up the middle that gave the Gators an early 4-2 lead in the bottom of the second inning.

Two innings later, Martin again remained firm and balanced and displayed some of the power that evaluators in the Cape Cod League had seen over the summer, depositing a 75 mph Wynkoop changeup into the left field bleachers for his third home run of the season.

In his fourth plate appearance Martin again got the better of Wynkoop, and showed that he has the ability to hit from foul pole to foul pole by smacking a double down the right field line on a 1-2 pitch on the outer half.




Another Martin, South Carolina senior first baseman Kyle Martin (no relation), did something that even Richie was unable to accomplish on his career night – hit for the cycle.

The Gamecocks' lefthanded-hitting firstbaseman did not sign with the Los Angeles Angels after being selected in the 20th round last June, and he has been a tremendous asset for the South Carolina offense this season, hitting a robust .367/.455/.594. The 6-foot-1, 240-pounder is an imposing figure in the box, and after putting on a powerful display in batting practice he blasted a belt-high 94-mph Dane Dunning fastball over the wall in center field to give the Gamecocks a short-lived 2-0 lead. Setting up with a slightly open stance and a lower hand position, Martin generates natural loft in his swing path. He was able to stay balanced and under control in all four of his plate appearances to use his exceptional strength to the best of his ability. He also showed some aptitude and ability to adjust to off-speed pitches, as his double down the right field line came on a breaking ball on the inner-half.