Martellini wins Gatorade POY

Posted 5/29/14

Gian Martellini was eating lunch in the Bishop Hendricken High School cafeteria on Tuesday when his phone buzzed with a congratulatory text message from one of the Hawks’ assistant baseball …

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Martellini wins Gatorade POY

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Gian Martellini was eating lunch in the Bishop Hendricken High School cafeteria on Tuesday when his phone buzzed with a congratulatory text message from one of the Hawks’ assistant baseball coaches.

Gatorade had named its Rhode Island Baseball Player of the Year, and the man himself was just finding out.

“I didn’t know,” Martellini said. “It was a surprise to me. I thought [coach Chris Sheehan] was busting my chops. I checked the official web site and saw it, and I texted my parents. It was exciting.”

Martellini became the second Hawk in as many years to win the Gatorade award, which honors each state’s most outstanding high school talents for their athletic achievement, academic excellence and exemplary character. Former Hendricken pitcher Mike King took the honor last year.

Martellini, a junior catcher from Johnston, verbally committed to Vanderbilt University this past winter and has starred for the Hawks this spring. In leading them to a 17-1 regular-season record, Martellini hit .467 with 14 extra-base hits and 41 RBI. He has driven in nearly a quarter of the runs Hendricken has scored.

“He’s had a big year all-around, especially with the bat,” said Hendricken head coach Ed Holloway. “He’s been a consistent No. 4 hitter for us, driving in runs, getting a lot of key hits. He’s come through.”

The big junior season is the fulfillment of the promise Martellini has been flashing on Rhode Island baseball fields for years. Growing up in Johnston, he starred on Little League all-star teams and AAU squads, and he was a big reason why Johnston’s Junior League all stars made the Junior League World Series in 2011.

At Hendricken, Martellini took the familiar path for Hawks baseball stars, starring for the freshman team and then getting a shot to play senior American Legion baseball that summer.

“You knew right away he was very talented,” Holloway said.

Martellini had bounced around the diamond in the youth ranks, but Hendricken coaches envisioned him as a full-time catcher. He worked on his skills behind-the-plate in the off-season prior to his sophomore campaign, then won the job, and started for a Hendricken team that would go on to win the state championship.

Starting behind the plate for a title-winning club was a pretty good beginning, but Martellini wanted more.

“It was my first official year being a catcher primarily,” he said. “I focused moreso on that than the offensive side of the game. I’m pretty tough on myself. I expect a lot. I thought it was an OK year.”

He spent the off-season refining his skills, and adding weight and muscle. At the Perfect Game World Wood Bat Association Underclass Championships in Florida last October, he earned All-Tournament honors and impressed Vanderbilt’s coaching staff, which had already been in touch.

In February, Martellini and his father, Paul, made the trip to Nashville to visit the campus and get a look at the baseball program. He gave his verbal commitment quickly.

“They came to watch me in Florida and luckily I performed really well,” Martellini said. “My dad and I went to visit over February vacation, and I fell in love with the school. It was a great experience. Coaches were great, players were great. It reminded me a lot of Hendricken. It’s all about family.”

With the decision already made, Martellini went to work this season and has lived up to his own lofty expectations.

“It feels good, not only as an individual but to help the team,” he said. “The main goal is to come together as a team and win a state championship. I feel like I’m doing my part this year.”

Martellini is only the third junior to win the Gatorade Rhode Island award in the past 10 years, joining 2012 winner David Hopkins of East Greenwich and former Portsmouth star Ryan Westmoreland, who won as a junior in 2007 and as a senior in 2008.

“Gian Martellini is basically a college catcher playing high school baseball,” Cumberland High School coach Paul Murphy said in the Gatorade release. “He’s special.”

Hendricken was scheduled to open the postseason on Wednesday, and Martellini had already put the award out of his mind long before game time. The trophy he really wants will be presented in June at McCoy Stadium.

“It’s a great accomplishment,” he said. “It’s an honor. I’m blessed that I got it. But now I’m focused on winning a state championship.”

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