Baseball | May 21, 2019

You have to get the two together to really see how alike they are.

David's clearly the older brother, more mature, assertive, self-aware. Sebastian is quieter, more reserved, studying a question before answering. But the facial definition is the same, the smile similar, the vocal tics echoing one another.

David and Sebastian Martinez aren't the first siblings to play together at Austin Peay, from soccer to basketball to golf. But very few have shared a bond as pitcher and catcher, a bond enhanced by their brotherly connection.  

David Martinez, senior catcher: Catching him is something I'm used to. We've always played catch together in the backyard, I caught him in Little League all the way through to now in college. I know what he's thinking when he's throwing bad, throwing up, throwing down. It's fun to have that connection, to be like, "I know what he's thinking here and I know what I've got to do make him throw what I want him to throw, where I want him to throw it."

Sebastian Martinez, freshman pitcher: Sometimes I have to shake him off. Sometimes he shakes off pitches because he knows my best pitch. When he's catching, he knows what I want to throw and he knows what the coach wants to throw. He knows my pitches better than anyone so every time I throw a pitch (to him) I have more confidence in it.

The Martinez's have long felt that they could compete at the next level. After helping Treasure Coast High win its first district title with David as a senior and Sebastian as a freshman, David matriculated for a year at Broward College before arriving at Austin Peay.

Seba, as he's known, was a do-it-all player at Treasure Coast. When Austin Peay became one of the schools inquiring about his services, it made his decision easy.

D: It was always the plan for both of us to play Division I. It was never a thing of, "We have to go to the same place," (but) it's really cool for our parents, because they love watching us play, and that we're together makes it a much bigger deal for them. I didn't think it would come this far but it's definitely been fun.

S: He's a big part of the reason I'm here. I had other offers, but you never get a chance to play with your brother in college and I wanted to be able to do that. It's been worth it. It's been special.

D: He knows me better than anybody. It's all, "Alright dude, you struck out, so what? Go hit this next kid." Coming from your little brother, it offers a different perspective. It's helped the mental side of my game.

S: It kind of does mean more when it's your brother. I grew up respecting him, and on the field freshmen are going to respect the words from leaders, whether he's my brother or not. But it does mean something in the weight room or in training, you feel a little more imposed to do it, whatever it is.

Austin Peay games have been a part of the Martinez household for some time now. Adding Sebastian to the mix has upped the stakes and turned those games into something more meaningful.

S: It's really special for my dad. He's watched us grow up playing together. Every time we're on the field together, he says, "I feel like crying, because I just want that moment to last forever." It's special for him and my mom and sister.

D: They don't even care if we do good or bad, they just love seeing us play in general. I could go 4-for-4 or 0-for-4 and they're just so proud. They go crazy. Back home, they shut the whole house down, nobody is bothering them when our games are on. They're locked in. We do a little extra for them.

Older brother has no problem letting younger brother know when good is not quite good enough. Younger brother is wise enough to know that when a veteran speaks, blood relative or not, it's a good idea to listen.

S: We compete. We pick each other up. If he does something, I want to do more. We always talked in the fall about doing everything 100 percent, not saving anything. Us competing just makes both of us better at the end of the day.

D: If he's tired and we still have two or three more sprints, he doesn't know what it takes because he's never done it, but I know how much he's got. So I'd get on him hard, during and after workouts. I'd tell him, "If you came here to be mediocre, that's not how it rolls around here. Be tired later." He's taken that and made some big strides.

A direct question of, "Which one of you is the better baseball player?" leads both to predictably demure.

D: He has all the talent and all the skill in the world. He just has to keep maturing and learning the game. He's always listening and always wanting to get better. But if I had to pitch to him, I'd strike him out for sure.

S: David's the hardest worker. That's rubbed off on me and made me the player I am today. If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be here and I wouldn't be as good as I am. He wants me to be better and I'm thankful for that.

Even though they'll only share one year at Austin Peay, little brother has been taking notes. David scuffled a little in the early part of his career. Now, after setting career highs across the board en route to a spot on the Buster Posey Award Watchlist, given annually to the nation's best catcher, he can see clearly that it's not how you start a career, it's how you finish that people remember.

S: It shows me that through dedication and hard work, things pay off. If you're consistent with your work and your craft, the results show. It gives me wisdom and makes me want to work even harder.