Webber's Collin Martin overcomes setback; Warriors play in first NAIA World Series
Occasionally, Collin Martin thinks about the most traumatic experience during the greatest baseball season in Webber International history.
Usually, it happens between games. A colleague might bring it up after a big win or just before a pivotal game following a few losses. But Martin, the head coach of the Warriors the past three seasons, has been dealing with it well enough to help Webber advance to its first NAIA World Series berth in program history.
More than a year ago, it didn’t seem as if Martin would even be able to travel to Idaho with his team as the head skipper. In March of 2021, Martin was coaching a game against Wayne State University when he felt a gnawing pain in his side. He said it felt like a slipped rib or a pulled oblique muscle.
“I went to practice for a couple days and it progressively got worse and worse,” Martin said. “My breathing became difficult.”
Martin, 39, was eventually hospitalized but his first diagnosis was that he had kidney stones. Then he was reexamined and was diagnosed with a bacterial infection in his left lung.
The Winter Haven native, who also coached at Florida Southern and Polk State, would go on to be hospitalized for two months, keeping him away from his team. Assistant coach Matt Saliba stepped in and guided Webber to a 28-24 record before losing in the Sun Conference Tournament in 2021.
Meanwhile, Martin had a surgical procedure to gain access into the pleural space of the chest. Doctors prescribed antibiotics. But those antibiotics didn't help and he needed to be hospitalized for two more weeks. Martin’s immune system was weak and he lost 40 pounds and needed help to get from place to place.
Still, that tough time passed and Martin eventually recovered and was cleared to coach again in July.
“I had a ton of support with not only my family, but coaches and players as well, he said. "This year it was just about, for me, having my health again, being back on the field and being around these guys,” Martin said.
“With everybody missing (because of) COVID, this has really been my first full season in the past couple of years. It’s been really special just to one, get a full season in, and have good health, but two, to be able to bounce back and (see) these guys take it to this level. It’s been a joy and I am really proud of them.”
Back to business for Martin
For Martin, there wasn’t a wisp of doubt what kind of heart each one of his players had. Three out of the last five years Webber advanced to the NAIA National Tournament with the benefit of recruiting hungry and team-oriented individuals who care about winning.
In 2020 there wasn't a tournament because of COVID, and last year Webber fell short in the Sun Conference Tournament. That shortcoming, though, sparked the already-driven players to get that much better in 2022.
“We added a good group of recruits that we felt, one they’re very coachable guys, and two, they have a good base level of ability and experience,” Martin said. “We recruit a lot of transfers, so, guys that have had a certain level of success in college already. We felt like the personalities complemented the group of guys we had coming back, and for that they all gelled in the early going.”
Guys like Angel Diaz (first baseman: .295, four home runs, 46 RBI, 57 hits), Luis Acevedo (utility player: .318, 37 RBI and 70 hits), Bryan Eusebio (outfielder: .326, three home runs, 34 RBI and 45 hits ), Dylan Martin (pitcher: 11-3, 101 strikeouts, 3.73 ERA), and Xavier Rodriguez (pitcher: 7-3, 101 strikeouts, 3.97 ERA) have been playing well and all experienced some level of success last year with the Warriors, as well.
Transfers such as outfielder Kenny Rodriguez (University of Little Rock: .372, 16 home runs, 72 RBI, 81 hits), centerfielder Drake Dobyanski (University of South Alabama: .286, three home runs, 19 RBI, 48 hits), catcher Tommy Diaz (Palm Beach State: .310, 23 RBI, 35 hits), Winter Haven native and relief pitcher Dawson Young (4-4, 69 strikeouts, 2.77 ERA) have all helped the team reach the NAIA World Series.
“Guys that we’ve had returning, they’ve all gotten better," Martin said. "They’ve turned themselves into better college baseball players, and with this group we had coming in and their experience, it’s all blended in pretty well,” he said. “It’s kind of the whole is greater than the sum of all the parts ... that kind of thing.”
These players in 2022 spearheaded the program to a 29-5 record. During that span, the Warriors beat then-No. 6 Faulkner, a future World Series participant, in a three-game sweep Feb. 18-19, and the then-No. 5 Georgia Gwinnett, the defending national champions, 1-0, on March 11.
However, then Webber lost seven of eight from March 25 to April 8, including to No. 1 Southeastern.
Still, Webber regrouped and beat No. 15 Warner, 9-3 and 18-4 on April 14 and 16. The Warriors would go on to win 11-9 over University of South Carolina-Beaufort in the Sun Conference Tournament on May 6. In the NAIA National Championship Opening Round, Webber was victorious in three of four games, including two wins over No. 8 St. Thomas University, one in the NAIA Opening Round championship game.
“I would say taking it one at-bat at a time and not letting one at-bat dictate your whole game, and I am very happy to see the whole team have success," Rodriguez said. "It means a lot for this program to have its first World Series."
Acevedo said he got back to the basics.
“Personally, I’ve just been trying to keep things simple and help the team any way I can,” he said. “Our team takes pride in having quality at-bats throughout the entire game. This is a very special moment for us because of all the adversity we overcame and making the World Series was the goal we set when we first got on campus…”
The World Series team is ranked No. 24 — and a record of 41-20 —with its highest ranking at No. 18. Rewarded for helping the team earn a high ranking are Rodriguez and Martin, who are both All-Sun Conference selections.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Webber's Collin Martin overcomes setback; Warriors play in first NAIA World Series
