With the COVID-19 outbreak forcing the cancellation of all high school spring sports, local high seniors were forced to deal with the abrupt reality that their prep careers were over. A group of these student-athletes were members of the Cincinnati Reds RBI program, and many were also regulars at the P&G MLB Cincinnati Reds Youth Academy over the years. With our Senior Spotlight Series, the Reds want to recognize these players for their efforts and wish them well in their future endeavors, both on and off the field.

For Elder High School graduate Josh Martini, what was initially the biggest roadblock of his baseball career turned out to be the biggest turning point for his baseball future.

Like many players his age, Martini played for more than just his high school team. He would complete his spring season with Elder, transition into summer league ball and then maintain baseball activities and training during the fall and winter as much as he could. But before his senior year, this routine was put on hold when his summer squad could no longer operate.

“Before I came to Reds RBI, I played for the Cincinnati WestStars,” Martini said. “But last summer, the team started to fall apart due to kids going their separate ways.”

Martini still wanted to play, but suddenly faced the reality that he might not have a team to play for. Luckily, a friend recommended RBI, and Martini's fears were quickly alleviated when he was offered a tryout that turned into a roster spot.

“I knew it was a good fit, because Coach Roosevelt Barnes and Coach Jeremy Hamilton were welcoming and helpful as well as my teammates,” he said. “I also knew that the RBI organization could help me get to the places I wanted to get to.”

It was that last part that really stuck out for Martini when he decided to join RBI. He enjoyed his time with the WestStars and got along with his teammates, but he couldn’t help but notice that baseball seemed to be more important to him than it was to the other players.

“When I played for the WestStars, my teammates liked to play, but I was the type of kid where baseball was the only thing I wanted to do,” he said. “What stuck out to me at RBI was I found kids that were the same way, and enjoyed playing the game of baseball as much as I do. It was different to me because there were people asking me to come work out at the [Reds Youth] Academy to get better, but most importantly, have fun while doing it.”

With Martini finding a new home with RBI, he remained on track to reach his goal of playing college baseball. He had the support of his parents and made a name for himself on the field during his first three years at Elder. He even had a rival high school coach encourage him to keep at it because of the potential he saw in Martini's game. When Martini got to the Academy, it was like the last piece to the puzzle. He had all the resources he needed to put everything together.

“When I got to the RBI organization, I had no idea how to present myself to college coaches,” Martini said. “Coach Barnes helped me develop a plan to showcase my skills and how to present myself to coaches. He showed me how to be confident but not arrogant, and to be matter-of-fact when answering questions. The organization provided me the opportunity to play in tournaments that got me exposure to college coaches. Essentially, they helped me get better not only as a ball player, but also better as a student on and off the field.”

Now, Martini is gearing up for the next step of his baseball career at Brescia University. With Brescia located in Owensboro, Ky., Martini liked the prospect of being on his own but still being close enough to home for his family to come watch him play.

Academically, Martini is majoring in education with plans to become a mathematics teacher. And wanting to keep baseball a part of his life, he one day hopes to implement the lessons he learned at the Academy while coaching a team of his own.