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| Casey Martin heads toward home plate after hitting a home run against Grand Canyon in March. (Photo courtesy of Mike Harris) |
By Mark Buffalo
Staff Writer
@markbuffalo
LONOKE — Former Lonoke Jackrabbits and Arkansas Razorbacks baseball star Casey Martin is realizing his lifelong dream.
Martin, who played three years for the Razorbacks, was the 87th overall pick in the third round of the Major League Baseball Draft, which was held last week. Martin’s college season was derailed by the Covid-19 pandemic in March.
“I was a little kid from a little town with a big dream,” Martin said. “A lot of kids are in my shoes. They want to go do big things. Just because they are from a small town, it doesn’t mean it can’t happen. I just like to represent them and show people there is talent coming out of a small town.
“I believe Lonoke is the best town in Arkansas.”
Martin was the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette player of the year following his senior season in 2017. As a freshman playing for the Razorbacks, he started at third base and helped the Hogs to the finals of the College World Series. As a sophomore, he started at shortstop and helped Arkansas reach another College World Series. The Razorbacks were 11-5 and well on their way to another postseason opportunity.
Martin had 184 hits with 40 doubles, four triples and 30 home runs during his two-plus seasons on the hill. He also had 116 RBIs, 130 runs scored and 24 stolen bases in 27 attempts.
Martin was an All-SEC performer as well as a Freshman All-American.
“This is something I’ve always worked for,” Martin said of his getting the opportunity to play professional baseball. “I feel like I’ve overcome the odds in a lot of aspects. It’s been an amazing ride, and I’m just grateful for the opportunity.”
Going into the draft, Martin was rated in the top 30 prospects by several draft experts. He had to watch the first round Wednesday night and not hear his name called. He was drafted during the third round Thursday night.
“The swing and misses really hurt me this year from the analytics standpoint,” Martin said. “It was super stressful watching the first round. I don’t think I’d ever want to go through that again.
“You never went where you thought you would. Eventually, the third round came and I was just super excited to say ‘yes.’”
One of the bright spots of being picked by the Phillies was getting a FaceTime call from Philadelphia superstar slugger Bryce Harper.
“Their scouting director said ‘I have someone who is going to call you and wish you congratulations. I’m not going to tell you who it is but just make sure you pick up the phone when they call,’” Martin said. “I thought it might be the owner of the team. Sure enough, I answer it and it was Bryce Harper. I feel like I’m pretty good at talking to people after three years of interviews. I was starstruck. I didn’t know what to say. I’m actually talking to one of the best baseball players in the world. It was super exciting to do that.”
Martin is the son of Keith and Jennifer Martin. His brother Cody is a graduate student at the University of Arkansas at Monticello.
“It’s a dream-come-true for us,” Jennifer Martin said of Casey’s draft pick. “We’re still in a daze. It hasn’t quite sunk in yet that we’re actually doing this.”
