Anderson also expects some of the present high school senior baseballers to enroll at USF. Don Martini and Ray Paxton of Saint Ignatius have shown interest in coming to USF. All such diamond stars will have to compete on the Don varsity, as the athletic department does not plan to have a Frosh or Junior Varsity team next year.
In baseball third base is designated as the "hot corner." However, our subject this week, Don Martini, plays the third sack with cool aptness. On the field Martini lives up to his moniker "the Hawk" by displaying an uncanny ability to scoop up anything hit his way. During his career, Martini has seen action at just about every position on the diamond. In his junior year at St. Ignatius High, Don found third base to his liking, and decided to settle down at the position. He has been patrolling the hot corner ever since. Martini listened carefully to advice and learned quickly the art of playing third base. This willingness to learn combined with an over abundance of ability proved potent enough to make Don one of the finest third-basemen in AAA history. In appreciation of his fine play fancy-fielding Don was the unanimous choice for All-City honors in his senior year at SI. In all the seasons that Martini has been doning the grey flannel suit, including American Legion, semi-pro, high school, and collegiate competition, there has never been any doubt concerning his ball hawking ability. Local horsehide experts agree that if anything is lacking in Martini's ball ability, it is his weak stick-work at the plate.
But after taking one look at Don scampering around third base these diamond experts agree that Martini would be an important cog on any team whether he was handy with the bat or not. Despite Martini's inability to hit for a high average, he is far from being a cousin at the plate. Despite his slight build, Don can and does hit the long-ball. He rattled the fences at a .265 clip last season and was among the leaders in the important RBI department. The Don's horsehide mentor, Dutch Anderson, sums up Martini's worth by commenting, "If Don did not get a hit all season he still would be a great asset to the squad. Most people take Don's hitting too lightly. Basically, he is a good hitter, and as soon as he corrects some faults in his swing, he should be tough at the plate. The reason I say that Don would be valuable to the team even if he did not hit is because of his fielding. Defense is as important as offense, and in Martini we have one of the finest fielders in the business."
Martini is blessed with quick reflexes, a shot-gun arm, and a sure pair of hands that makes it easy for him to go to the right or left on ground balls. Possessing a shot-gun arm, few opposing players get the chance to beat out balls hit in Don's territory. Martini sees no reason to despair over this year's Green and Gold team, despite the frequent defeats the Don's have suffered. Says Don, "outside of pitching we have a strong team and as soon as we find ourselves I think we are going to win a lot of games." As for his own playing Don feels that he has "improved" over last season, but hopes "that there is much more improvement be fore he finally hangs up his spikes (TheFoghorn)."
