RELATED LINKS
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Then she waits.
But it isn’t getting physically warmed up that is most important to the right-hander, rather it’s the mental preparation that comes with the uncertainty that is being a relief pitcher.
“I know that it is my job to be ready whenever the coaches call me and I threw in the Howard game a little bit and I’ve been throwing in practice and doing really well,” Martin said. “Coach told me to be ready.”
Down 5-2 in a pivotal conference match-up against George Mason, Martin stepped into the circle for the Tigers. She threw 5.2 innings of shutout relief and the Tigers came back, winning 6-5. Before that game, Martin had only appeared in one other game this season.
“I like going into situations like that, I feel like that is when I am most effective and can help the team,” Martin said.
And then she helped them again on Saturday, when she pitched two shutout innings, earning her second win in two days. Against the Patriots, Martin threw over seven scoreless innings, only giving up six hits, and striking out three batters.
“We really, really, needed to win that series in order to be in competition for post-season play,” the Tallahassee Community College transfer said.
Martin used her off-speed pitches, a change up and an off-speed drop, to throw off the George Mason batters. Her performance may have just saved the Tigers post-season chances.
She attributes it to her mental preparation during warm-ups and the extra motivation that being a senior provides.
During each game she gets “100% warm” and “100% ready to go in.”
“A lot of it is simply blocking out the other team, or blocking out things like parents, fans, and just focusing and working with the catcher,” Martin said of her bullpen sessions. “Before I get in a game I talk to my catcher and we talk about what pitches are working best and I absolutely just take it one pitch at a time.”
The Tigers currently stand in fourth place in the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) standings behind Hofstra, Georgia State, and James Madison. This weekend the Tigers face-off against the Dukes, in a series that could cement Towson’s status in the post-season tournament. If the Tigers take one of three in the series, they are guaranteed a spot in the playoffs.
“There’s all these numbers and we have to have so many wins, and Delaware and Drexel have to do this,” Martin said before trailing off.
“We need to make it an absolute priority to win the series.”
