New Worcester Braveheart Player Has Deep Connections to QCC

Former Quinsigamond Community College student and baseball standout Nick Martin, now a student at Westfield State University, has been named to the Worcester Bravehearts roster. Mr. Martin was a star player on the Men’s Wyvern baseball team during the 2018 season, playing catcher. His batting average during the regular season was an impressive 412.

“It was .368 or .370 after playoffs…I got robbed,” he laughed.

Today, Mr. Martin starts for the Westfield Owls with a current batting average of .540. He’s on pace to break the school record. While he is excelling both academically and athletically, he said it was QCC that gave him that foundation and direction to get him where he is today.

He said that after high school he had a plan in place; one that he felt would help get him to his future goals. Yet sometimes plans change and through those changes new and better opportunities come. It was that way for Mr. Martin, whose original intent was to attend Suffolk University in Boston, to major in business and play baseball. He attended an orientation and left afterwards knowing the university wasn’t for him.

“It wasn’t the best fit for me, financially and personally. I’m not a city kid,” he said.

He went back home to Shrewsbury, discussed things with his family and decided to attend QCC to “figure out what I wanted to do.”

QCC was already familiar to him. QCC’s Baseball Coach, John McLaughlin had been his coach since he was 12 years old, playing Shrewsbury Legion baseball. His mother had also taken classes there.

“Coach (McLaughlin) and everyone welcomed me to QCC with open arms. He’s really good with his players. He’s such a great guy. He puts everyone in the best situation to succeed and treats everyone the same. It’s a great culture. It was the best decision to come to QCC,” he said. “The athletic department was especially helpful and gave me all the resources I needed. I had access to tutors and everything I needed. I always felt at home here.”

Mr. Martin took classes at QCC that helped him hone in on what he really wanted to study. After a year at QCC, he transferred to Westfield State University, double majoring in economics and political science. He said many of the classes he took transferred, so he was already ahead when he got there.

His dream is to continue his baseball career and take it as far as he can, and feels if he stays focused and respects the game, he has a shot at something special.

“This is my number one dream, but if it doesn’t work out I know I will never have a full-time job I don’t like,” Mr. Martin said.

He looks back on his time at QCC as the footing that got him to where his is today, and to where he is headed in the future.

“The Athletic Department at QCC; Lisa Gurnick (Director of Athletics & Fitness Center), Josh Cole (Assistant Manager of Athletics and Fitness Center and Mac (Coach McLaughlin) did so much for me, making me comfortable.They gave me everything and I will be forever grateful,” he said.