Giselle Martinez: A trailblazer on the baseball field
CHICAGO (BVM) — It is pretty unusual to see a girl playing baseball. It is even more unusual to see a girl excel at it.聽
But not for Giselle (Gigi) Martinez.聽
Martinez has been around the game since she was 4 years old. A close family friend gave her a plastic bat and some balls one day, and shortly after that, Martinez enrolled with the local tee-ball team.聽
鈥淚 found a love for the game at a very young age,鈥� Martinez said.聽
Her love grew into a passion for America鈥檚 favorite pastime. After a season of tee-ball, Martinez joined Archer Manor, the local little league team, where she played until she was 13. There, the Chicago native helped her team win the little league district title five times and state once.聽
Martinez then joined B.I.G. Baseball Academy, a local travel team. She was the first girl to join the club. There, she realized what she was getting herself into.聽
鈥淚 realized how much work I needed to do to keep up with the boys,鈥� she said.聽
And her work was cut out for her. Being the first female to enter any male-dominated sport will always bring some kind of pushback. Martinez said there were coaches, players and even her own teams that hated her for playing.聽
鈥淵ou make a mistake, it gets magnified by 100 because I am a girl,鈥� Martinez said. 鈥淚 always had to play with a chip on my shoulder.鈥�
And that chip served her well. Eventually, parents at B.I.G. Baseball Academy started thanking her. More girls started to register for other teams in the organization. Even Martinez鈥檚 two younger sisters started playing baseball at B.I.G. Academy.聽
鈥淚 worked hard and proved to everyone that I deserve to play on that field,鈥� she said. 鈥淜ids that used to hate me now respect me because I proved myself.鈥澛�
Martinez鈥檚 biggest role model and mentor, Coach Guadalupe 鈥淟upe鈥� Lopez Jr. — who recently passed away from COVID-19 — also played a huge role in her success.聽
鈥淗e always pushed me to be my best,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e motivated me to keep playing.鈥澛�
Martinez carried that momentum into her middle school career. From seventh to ninth grade, she attended Lindblom Math and Science Academy where she played both basketball and baseball. As a freshman, she played on both the junior varsity and varsity teams, becoming the first female in the Chicago Public School system to play on a high school baseball team.聽
Martinez is a utility player. She likes playing shortstop, second base or catcher, but she will play anywhere she is needed on the field. During her career at Lindblom, Martinez earned the junior varsity MVP award and helped varsity in its playoff run while playing shortstop, catcher and pitcher.聽
When she wasn鈥檛 playing with Lindblom, Martinez was playing with her travel team. In fact, one of her favorite memories of playing baseball so far is when her B.I.G. Baseball Academy team traveled to Myrtle Beach this past summer. It was one of the last tournaments she ended up playing with that team.聽
Now a transfer sophomore at Whitney Young High School, Martinez is eager to get back on the field. Because of local rules, she will have to wait a season before trying out for the baseball team. In the meantime, Martinez is playing for the Chicago Ravens, a local softball club team. It is her first year playing softball.
As for high school sports, Martinez will take the court and the field for Whitney Young鈥檚 varsity basketball and softball teams. Basketball practices start Nov. 1 to prepare for the first game at the end of the month where Martinez will play point guard for the Dolphins.聽
The high school softball season starts in March and during spring break in April, the team will participate in the ESPN tournament in Florida. Martinez is ready to continue the team鈥檚 winning reputation.聽
For now, she will continue to play for the Chicago Ravens and train seven days a week in preparation for her first high school softball season in March.聽
As for future plans in her baseball career, Martinez wants to take it to the next level. Her dream school for college is UCLA.聽
鈥淚 would love to play baseball in college,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou can do anything you want as long as you put your mind to it.鈥�
When asked why she continues to play the beautiful game, Martinez said, 鈥淏aseball is more than just a game. It鈥檚 a lifestyle. It鈥檚 helping prepare me for life.鈥澛�
And she hopes that her trailblazing kind of life will inspire other girls to follow in her footsteps and become trailblazers of their own.
