COLLEGE VOLLEYBALL / SOFTBALL: ATHENS GRAD MARTIN SIGNS LETTERS-OF-INTENT TO PLAY TWO SPORTS AT ELMIRA COLLEGE (2019-06-13)
By TIM BIRNEYValley Sports ReportATHENS "” Recent Athens grad Amelia Martin wanted three things from a college, and Elmira College fit the bill perfectly.
"I wanted a school that was close to home, and is small," said Martin.
"I also wanted to play two sports - softball and volleyball," added Martin. "Elmira College is the school that had all that."
Martin signed National Letters-of-Intent to play volleyball and softball at Elmira College beginning this fall in a brief ceremony here this afternoon at the Spalding Public Library.
Martin acknowledges playing two sports, especially during her freshman year, will be a challenge in college.
"I think mixing school and sports will be challenging," she said. "Time management will be the key.
"It was easy in high school, but I'm sure it will be more difficult in high school," added Martin.
Martin is excited to play two sports in college, and said she's working on preparing for both.
"I need to lift, and work on getting bigger, faster, and stronger," she said.
Bri Black, who coached Martin for two years with the Southern Tier Volleyball Club, a team comprised mainly of Horseheads girls, said she expects a smooth transition and success at the next level for the Athens grad.
"I think Amelia has a lot of talent," she said. "If she keeps working hard on all of her skills, she'll be an excellent player at the next level.
"She's already worked with a lot of the girls, so the transition should be fairly easy," noted Black.
"She just needs to keep working on general skill building, swinging, and getting the ball down hard, and she'll be very successful," Black added.
John Barnes, who coached Martin for eight years on the softball diamond with Eyota Nation travel softball program, said Martin's success will come from within.
"She just needs to be more aggressive, and believe in her abilities. She needs to believe in herself more," he said. "She has all the ability to play at any level as long as she believes in herself."
Current Athens High School softball coach Mickey Farrell believes Martin's work ethic will be the key to her success.
"I think she'll succeed at the next level because of her work ethic, and the love of the game," he said. "She is an all-around great kid."
Farrell said Martin will need to keep working on her swing, and may face a position switch once she gets to Elmira.
"She needs to keep working on her hitting," noted Farrell. "She has a tendency to pop things up when she swings too hard, but when she's locked in, she hits line drives and she hits with a lot of power."
"I would think Elmira College will use her in the outfield," he added. "We had no other choice than to use her in the infield, but she's a very good outfielder; it's probably her best position."
Martin will be majoring in Math with an eye toward Actuary Science.
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IN PHOTO 1: Athens senior Amelia Martin. IN PHOTO 2: Amelia Martin is flanked by her parents Ken and Beth Martin. Standing are her siblings Grace and Josh Martin. IN PHOTO 3: Front row, from left: Ken Martin, Amelia Martin, and Beth Martin. Back row, from left, are: Athens softball coach Mickey Farrell, Grace Martin, Eyota Nation travel softball coach John Barnes, Josh Martin, and Southern Tier Volleyball Club Bri Black. ... PHOTOS BY TIM BIRNEY.
