Jake Martin fires a pitch during a Pictou County Kinsmen Bantam AAA practice on Friday night. Kevin Adshade – The News
Martin, 14, practiced with the provincial core team over a three week stretch earlier in the spring, before getting the word last week that he’d made the final roster. The Nova Scotia team will compete at nationals in August, a competition that will be held in Vaughan, Ont., a city located north of Toronto.
“It’s unbelievable,” said Martin, who played on Nova Scotia’s provincial hockey team that competed at Atlantics last October. “It was cool to represent Nova Scotia at Atlantics, but this is nationals.”
The New Glasgow product, who started playing T-ball when he was around three years of age, worked primarily at third, shortstop and also pitched during those spring practice sessions with Team Nova Scotia, and while he still doesn’t know what his role on the team will be, preferably, “I'd like to play shortstop or pitch,” he said.
Bantam AAA co-coach Mark MacCallum said that aside from his abilities on the pitching mound, Martin has a strong throwing arm and is a good contact hitter who can hit with power. He added that he’d be comfortable putting the right-handed throwing Martin in pretty much any defensive position on the baseball diamond.
“He’s just loaded with natural skill, but what makes him stand out even more is that he comes to compete,” MacCallum said.
“He pushes himself – whether it’s a practice or a game, he’s ready to go.”
