Prep Zone: CL South's Martin, Sycamores sold on each other

E-mail this story

Print this story

Share

Indiana State got one look at Crystal Lake South’s Nick Martin during his high school season.

When the Sycamores’ coaching staff saw Martin again this summer, pitching with the Chicago Cream, it was sold.

Apparently that broke both ways, because Martin visited the NCAA Division I
school last month and committed to the Sycamores on Wednesday. He will sign his NCAA letter of intent in November.

Martin always played for the McHenry County Hurricanes in travel baseball, and he will play with them again next summer. But his one summer away from the Hurricanes proved beneficial. Indiana State’s coaches saw him pitch in a tournament in Indianapolis.

Martin notched a 7-4 record with a 2.76 ERA and 61 strikeouts in 631⁄3 innings last spring with South. He threw a no-hitter against Dundee-Crown, a team that won an IHSA Class 4A regional title.

Martin chose Indiana State this week over Central Michigan and Holy Cross.

“The coaches were really good, and I really liked their campus,” said Martin, a varsity pitcher since his sophomore season. “It seemed like a good fit.”

Martin also played for Team Illinois in the Midwest Baseball Classic this summer. Indiana State’s coaches saw Martin hit 89 mph on a speed gun.

“I couldn’t be happier for Nick and his family,” South coach Brian Bogda said. “I am very proud of how hard Nick has worked to get himself to where he is at today. I look forward to the opportunity to coach Nick this spring and look forward to many more positive outings on the mound from him.”

Martin said he started playing T-ball when he was about 3 years old and realized playing at the D-I level could happen July 1 when coaches started calling.

“It’s an awesome feeling,” Martin said. “It means a lot. If you keep working hard, it’s going to pay off in the end.”

Martin credits his pitching coach, Jared Wacker, who works with the Hurricanes and is an assistant coach at McHenry County College, for his success.

“I’ve worked with him since the eighth grade,” Martin said. “Everything he’s done has definitely helped me. Even though I played with the Cream, I still worked with Jared and I’m going back to the Hurricanes.”

McGran to Western New England: Huntley outside hitter Emily McGran, a 5-foot-10 senior, committed last month to continue her volleyball career at Western New England University, a D-III school in Springfield, Mass.

McGran scoured the Internet looking for schools in the East, close to her extended family.

“I went on visits my junior year to five schools out there [in the East],” McGran said. “When we drove by the campus, it just felt really like that was the place. I started emailing with the coach.”

McGran started travel volleyball with Club Fusion before her freshman season. She played with Fusion’s 17 Blue team.

“I knew by my year in 16s that I wanted to play in college,” McGran said. “My mom [Jennifer Finha] researched a lot of schools for me, but I wound up finding Western New England myself.”

• Joe Stevenson is a senior sports writer for the Northwest Herald. He can be reached by email at joestevenson@shawmedia.com.