Martorano 'Ready To Be A Division I Player'

Thomas Martorano LHP / OF / King Philip, MA / 2023

WRENTHAM, Ma. - Thomas Martorano called it “a last-second thing.”

There were Division III offers being considered when the King Philip High School senior went a different direction.

“I was texting with the coach and finally went down to Maine,” reflected the 24th-rated 2023 left-handed pitcher in New England, who also had calls with UMass Lowell and Connecticut. “I saw the campus, watched one of their games and he said they’d love to have me.”

There were a number of reasons that Maine was the right choice.

“I like the field, the campus is really nice and it’s five hours from home,” explained Martorano, whose first call with Maine came junior year when his club team coach Chris Welch “hooked me up with a bunch of schools.”

One more item stood out about the American East Conference regular-season champions the past two seasons.

“They made it to the college tournament this year and had a bunch of wins,” pointed out Martorano about the Golden Bears, which finished 32-21 this past season.

That had an influence in the decision made by the seventh-ranked 2023 southpaw pitcher in Massachusetts.

“It was a hard decision for me,” Martorano admitted. “I was definitely thinking D-III schools but I feel I’m ready to be a Division I player. I didn’t think the others fit me as much and I fell in love with Maine.”

It was on the visit back from the university located in Orono when a decision was made.

“Senior year was almost over when I went there,” Martorano reflected. “They offered and on the ride home I talked it over with my mom. I made the decision and called them.”

It capped off a recruiting process helped out when “one of the top guys at Maine looked at my PBR profile” at the start of senior year.

“I wasn’t sure what I was going to do,” Martorano related. “If something great came up I knew I just had to pull the trigger.”

According to the 6-1 180-pounder, interest from Maine centered around one feature.

“They like that I’m a tall, lanky lefty,” Martorano said.

It wasn’t long ago that the idea of college baseball became realistic.

“I always wanted to play but junior year is when it became really big for me and I started working on academics hard,” noted Martorano. “I’d started to progress as a player sophomore and junior years and throwing harder and my coach told me I was really good. That’s when I decided it was what I wanted to do in college for the next four years.”

Playing with the same club team since the age of nine was beneficial in the eyes of the 18-year-old.

“I’ve had a lot of fun playing with the same group of guys until now,” the 127th-ranked recent graduate from Massachusetts explained. “I really progressed as a pitcher. Lifting got my velo up and I learned a couple kinds of pitches. My slider and curve are really getting better.

“I’ve got to get stronger, that’s the big thing,” Martorano added. “I’m 180 pounds now, but I need to get stronger for sure.”

Martorano pointed to his parents and coaches as the biggest influences, “all helping me through my decision” that has the 287th-rated 2023 player in New England ready to make an impact at the next level.

“I’ll bring a lot of fun, joy and excitement to the team,” Martorano said. “I’m looking forward to meeting new friends, getting close to my teammates and getting ready to pitch. I plan to hype up the guys and throw a lot of fastballs.

“People are going to see what I bring to the table,” Martorano concluded. “I’m going to throw gas and get outs.”