LA JOLLA, Calif.—UC San Diego baseball's
Izaak Martinez was selected on day three of the 2024 MLB Draft, becoming the third Triton taken after
Ryan Forcucci and
Matt Halbach were selected on day two. Martinez was selected in the 18th round (535 overall) by the Cleveland Guardians.
"We're thrilled for Izaak," said UC San Diego head coach
Eric Newman. "He has represented our program and what this university stands for with great distinction and no one is more deserving of this opportunity!"
Martinez was a two-time All-American in 2023 and 2024 with the Tritons, earning NCBWA All-America Second Team and Perfect Game College Baseball All-America Third Team this season. He also earned a spot as a finalist for NCBWA Stopper of the Year, as well as semifinalist for both the Dick Howser Trophy and College Baseball Foundation National Pitcher of the Year and was named to the ABCA All-Region Second Team and All-Big West First Team in his final season in La Jolla.
Martinez finished with a 2.73 ERA in five seasons at UC San Diego, collecting 224 strikeouts to 81 walks in 211.0 innings with a 17-8 record and 21 career saves. Opponents hit .219 against him in 88 appearances (5 starts).
The left-hander had a standout final season with the Tritons, ranking second in the nation in earned run average (1.85). He also ranked top-15 nationally in hits allowed per nine innings (5.68) and WHIP (0.95).
Martinez led the Big West in six different statistical categories, including ERA, hits allowed (40), runs allowed (16), earned runs allowed (13), doubles allowed (5) and home runs allowed (1). He ranked third in opponent batting average (.183), fifth in saves (9) and eighth in batters struck out looking (22).
The Glendora, Calif. native led the Tritons with 24 appearances out of the bullpen, collecting 61 strikeouts in 63.1 innings with a 0.95 WHIP.
The trio of Forcucci, Halbach and Martinez become the first Tritons to be selected in the MLB Draft in the program's Division I era. They join Marc Filia (2022, Cleveland Guardians) and Cameron Leonard (2021, Tampa Bay Rays), who both signed undrafted free agent contracts during the Tritons' D-I transition. The UC San Diego baseball program has had 26 scholar-athletes selected in the MLB Draft since 1974, most recently Shay Whitcomb was selected in the fifth round (160th overall) by the Houston Astros in 2020.
About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West Conference in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 83 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have garnered prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world's preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.
