Nick Martinez Named to U.S. Olympic Baseball Team

Cary, N.C. - (July 6, 2021) – Over the weekend, USA Baseball announced the 24-player roster for the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020.  The final roster, composed of 12 pitchers and 12 position players, has a familiar face to Fordham fans, as former Ram Nick Martinez is among the pitching staff that will begin play on Friday, July 30th against Israel.  Martinez is Fordham's first baseball Olympian since Bobby Kingsbury (Greece) in 2004.
 
"We are thrilled to announce our twenty-four newest Olympians," said USA Baseball Executive Director/CEO Paul Seiler. "We have been looking forward to this moment since baseball returned to the Olympic Programme. Our goal was to construct this team around a core of experienced, veteran baseball players with invaluable experience at the highest level and internationally, and we have done just that. We are confident we have pieced together a team of players that will represent the United States proudly on the world stage."
 
Martinez currently pitches for the Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks in the Japanese League, where he has played since 2018.  He has appeared in 64 games overall between Softbank and the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, compiling 23 wins, a 3.30 ERA, and 259 strikeouts in 354.2 innings.
 
Before his overseas play, Martinez pitched for the Texas Rangers for parts of four seasons from 2014-17.  He pitched in 88 games in the span, recording 17 wins, a 4.77 ERA, and 237 strikeouts in 415.1 innings pitched.
 
Martinez was drafted by the Rangers in the 2011 MLB Draft after three seasons at Fordham, splitting time as the Rams' starting second basemen and relief pitcher.  In that time, he had a career batting average of .295 with 109 runs scored, 26 doubles, 66 RBI, and 22 stolen bases. On the hill, he appeared in a total of 15 games, posting three saves and 22 strikeouts in 26.1 innings pitched. 

 
Baseball is making its return to the Olympic Programme for the first time since 2008. Team USA won a gold medal at the Seoul 1988 Olympic Games as a demonstration sport and then at the Sydney 2000 Olympic Games. The team also won two bronze medals at the Atlanta 1996 and Beijing 2008 Olympic Games.
 
Team USA will train for Tokyo 2020 at the USA Baseball National Training Complex (NTC) in Cary, North Carolina.
 
The U.S. opens the Olympic Games baseball tournament on Friday, July 30, against Israel. First pitch is set for 7 p.m. JST/6 a.m. EDT/3 a.m. PDT. They join the Dominican Republic, Israel, Japan, Korea, and Mexico in the six-team field.
 
To follow Martinez and the rest of Team USA, fans can visit USABaseball.com and @USABaseball on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for all the latest information on the Olympic Team.
 
U.S. Olympic Team Roster
(Name; Position; Club; Current Team)
Nick Allen; INF; Oakland Athletics; Midland (AA)
Eddy Alvarez; INF; Miami Marlins; Jacksonville (AAA)
Tyler Austin; OF; Nippon Professional Baseball; Yokohama DeNA Baybears
Shane Baz; RHP; Tampa Bay Rays; Durham (AAA)
Anthony Carter; RHP; Mexican League; Saraperos de Saltillo
Triston Casas; INF; Boston Red Sox; Portland (AA)
Brandon Dickson; RHP; St. Louis Cardinals; Memphis (AAA)
Tim Federowicz; C; Los Angeles Dodgers; Oklahoma City (AAA)
Eric Filia; OF; Seattle Mariners; Tacoma (AAA)
Todd Frazier; INF; Free Agent
Anthony Gose; LHP; Cleveland Indians; Columbus (AAA)
Edwin Jackson; RHP; Free Agent
Scott Kazmir; LHP; San Francisco Giants; Sacramento (AAA)
Patrick Kivlehan; OF/INF; San Diego Padres; El Paso (AAA)
Mark Kolozsvary; C; Cincinnati Reds; Chattanooga (AA)
Jack Lopez; UTL; Boston Red Sox; Worcester (AAA)
Nick Martinez; RHP; Nippon Professional Baseball; Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks
Scott McGough; RHP; Nippon Professional Baseball; Tokyo Yakult Swallows
David Robertson; RHP; Free Agent
Joe Ryan; RHP; Tampa Bay Rays; Durham (AAA)
Ryder Ryan; RHP; Texas Rangers; Round Rock (AAA)
Bubba Starling; OF; Kansas City Royals; Omaha (AAA)
Jamie Westbrook; INF/OF; Milwaukee Brewers; Nashville (AAA)
Simeon Woods-Richardson; RHP; Toronto Blue Jays; New Hampshire (AA)