Posted: Jun 15, 2022

Martinez named NJCAA All-American

Hazel Martinez, an NJCAA First-Team All-American in his second season with the Spartans, transferred to Indiana University Southeast.

Cayuga Community College Baseball's Hazel Martinez became the first player in program history to be named an All-American by the National Junior College Athletic Association this week.

The NJCAA named Martinez a First-Team All-American after a season in which he led all Division III hitters in batting average and slugging percentage, and finished second nationally in on-base percentage.

Cayuga Coach John Rizzo said he was proud of Martinez for his determination and his success on and off the field.

"He does things you can't teach, the intangibles. Those were evident when he first got here. We knew he was going to be good. We challenged him to be better than good on and off the field and he exceeded those expectations," said Rizzo. "He grew a lot as a person here. We are still in frequent touch and I'm excited to follow his career."

Martinez's .543 batting average and 1.000 slugging percentage were the best in NJCAA Division III, and his .589 on-base percentage was second nationally. He also led the Spartans in home runs (10), runs (52), hits (70), RBI (60), doubles (15) and triples (7).

Earlier this spring Martinez was named Region III Player of the Year, First-Team All-Region and All-East Division. He was also named Conference Player of the Year and was named to the All-Conference Team.

The Spartans captured the Mid-State Athletic Conference title in the 2022 season and finished second in Region III's East Division with a record of 27-12.