Coach Rich Martin enters his 17th season as head coach of the Roadrunner Baseball program. Coach Martin brings a wealth of baseball experience and a long history of baseball tradition with him to the Mahwah campus. He holds an impressive 647-474-5 overall coaching record (.577 winning percentage). At Ramapo he holds a record of 402-265-4 (.602 winning percentage) overall coming into the 2017 season. Martin led the Roadrunners to five NCAA appearances receiving at-large bids to the tournament in 2011, 2012, 2013 & 2015. The Roadrunners won the 2016 NJAC Tournament, while earning four straight ECAC Championships in 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010. He also has participated in eight NJAC Tournaments throughout his tenure at Ramapo (2004, 2007, 2009, 2011-2013, 2015, 2016).
The Roadrunners completed their 14th season under Coach Martin with at least twenty wins.
They finished the 2016 season with a 35-12-1 overall record. The Roadrunners won the NJAC Championship and placed third at the NCAA New York Regional. It was the third NJAC Championship in program history. Ramapo earned the league's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament, their fifth tournament appearance in the last six seasons. Over the last six seasons the team has tallied 30+ wins in five of those years. Former middle infielder Joe Venturino was selected by the Seattle Mariners in the 36th round of the Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft on June 11th, 2016. Venturino, who was the 1,077th pick overall, was one of 20 NCAA Division III players selected. Former catcher Ryan Rinsky and pitcher Jose Garcia were selected to play for the Florence Freedom.
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The team finished the 2015 season with a 33-16 overall record while they saw their second overall NCAA World Series appearance in school history. The team won the NCAA New England Regional and a trip to the NCAA Division III World Series in Appleton, Wisconsin. Martin was named 2015 ABCA/Diamond Mid Atlantic Regional Coach of the Year and NJCBA Division II/III Coach of the Year and D3baseball.com Mid-Atlantic Coach of the Year. He won his 600th career game on April 19th, 2015.
The team finished the 2014 season with a 21-15-1 overall record. Walker Larson was named 2014 NJAC Co-Pitcher of the Year along with being named NJAC First Team All-Conference. Jose Garcia and Joe Venturino were also named NJAC First Team All-Conference. Six Roadrunners were named to the NJCBA Division II/III All-State Team. Walker was named First Team while Chris Werr and Venturino were named Second Team. Scott Peschiani was named to the Third Team and Tyler Curto and Kyle Skoog were named to the All-Rookie Team. Larson also earned ECAC All-Star First Team while Venturino and Garcia were named to the Second Team.
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During the 2013 season, Martin guided the Roadrunners to their third straight NCAA Regional at-large bid. Ramapo finished the year 30-16-1 overall, their 7th season with 30 or more wins in Ramapo history and third straight. Ramapo earned the #5 seed in the NJAC Tournament. After losing their opening game, the team strung together three straight wins, including a dramatic win over #1 Kean University, 6-5, sending the Roadrunners to the Championship game. Ramapo earned their third straight NCAA regional bid and the 6th seed in the Moosic, PA Regional hosted by Misercordia University. Seniors Christian Spurr and Dave Jacob were named to the 2013 ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division III Mid-Atlantic All-Region Second Team and to the 2013 D3baseball.com All Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team. Jacob has also been tabbed the 2013 New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association Division II/III Player of the Year for the second straight season. Spurr and senior Travis Zilg were also named to the NJCBA First and Second Team All-State respectively, while sophomore Chris Werr and rookie Joe Venturino have earned NJCBA Third Team All-State honors. Venturino also earned NJCBA All-Rookie Team. Spurr was also named NJAC First Team All-Conference while Jacob and Venturino were each named NJAC Second Team All-Conference.
During the 2012 season, Martin's team recorded 35 victories tying the record for most wins in a season which was set back in 1981. Ramapo finished the season at 10-8 overall in the conference earning a #5 seed to the post-season championship tournament. Martin recorded his 500th career coaching victory at home when his team defeated Baruch College on April 15th, 22-7. Following the 2011 season (30-14 overall), Martin was named NJCBA Coach of the Year.
Martin has coached 42 players who signed professional baseball contracts. Following the 2013 season, standout pitcher PJ Cerreto was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 40th round. In 2002 Shaun Burstein signed a contract with the St. Louis Cardinals and Jason Valloni signed with the New Jersey Jackals.
For seven years, Coach Martin served as head baseball coach at Division I, Hofstra University where he stands as the winningest coach in the history of the University. In 1993 he led his team to the East Coast Conference Championship and in 1995 recorded a school-best 27 victories and notched his 200th career victory. The following year, his team led the North Atlantic Conference in batting, home runs and runs scored. He graduated 93% of his players at the university.
Prior to his time at Hofstra, Coach Martin spent five years as head coach at Dominican College in Orangeburg, NY. At Dominican, Coach Martin developed the program from its inception to the point where it became NAIA District 31 champions and Region 8 runner-up for four straight years. For his efforts and achievements, Coach Martin was named the NAIA District 31 Coach of the Year in 1986, 1987, 1988 and 1989 and was a finalist for the NAIA National Coach of the Year in 1986, 1988 and 1989. While at Dominican, Martin produced four NAIA All-Americans, 21 NAIA Honorable Mention All-Americans, 36 All-District 31 and All-Region 8 players.
Before his time at Dominican, Martin served as Assistant Varsity Baseball Coach at New Utrecht High School in Brooklyn, NY from 1972-73. He then coached the varsity basketball team at Bishop Loughlin High School, also in Brooklyn, for two seasons, and the junior varsity basketball team for three seasons. In 1977 he also took over the head coaching duties of the varsity baseball team, a position he held until 1984.
Coach Martin also spends his time as the owner and director for the Rich Martin All-Star Baseball Camp, which he started in 1980. Coach Martin's camp is nationally recognized as the standard for teaching the game of baseball to young people. The camp is run annually for boys ages 7-17 while some of the greatest names in baseball attend weekly to act as instructors including, Tommy LaSorda, Al Leiter, Keith Hernandez, Mariano Rivera and El Duque.
Martin, who holds a bachelor's degree (1982) from Brooklyn College, also served as Youth Services Coordinator for the Office of the Mayor for the City of New York from 1980 to 1990.
2016-2017 Season
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