Nathan Martorella will spend at least part of spring training with the Miami Marlins parent club after being extended an invitation as a non-roster player.

The Salinas High graduate spent last year between the Marlins Double A and Triple A teams, hitting 14 homers with 62 runs batted in over 136 games, walking 65 times.

Drafted by the San Diego Padres in the fifth round in 2022, Martorella was traded in mid-season in 2024 to the Marlins organization, where he jumped to Triple A late last season.

In four minor league seasons at four different levels, the 6-foot-1, left-handed hitting first baseman has 54 homers in 1,500 at-bats, having driven in 226 runs, while walking 212 times, with a .234 career batting average.

The Herald’s Male Athlete of the Year in 2019, Martorella was a four-time member of The Herald’s All-County baseball team, earning all-Pac 12 honors while at Cal.

While Martorella isn’t on the current Marlins 40-man roster, he was one of just five infielders invited to take part in spring training for the second straight year.

The 24-year-old, who will likely be ticketed for Triple A when the season starts, has played first base, and left and right field in the Marlins minor league system.

Monterey Bay FC acquries forward

An offense that has finished near the bottom of the league in scoring the last two years has added a critical piece to the attack, after Monterey Bay FC acquired forward Omari Glasgow on loan from Major League Soccer’s Chicago Fire FC.

The 22-year-old Glasgow is the all-time leading scorer from his native country of Guyana with 21 goals at the club and international levels, having played on the Guyanese National team that competed in the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.

Glasgow made 16 appearances last year for the Chicago Fire, producing a goal. He was also loaned to the Loudoun United, helping them to their first playoff appearance in the United Soccer League Championship.

The Union will open the regular season on March 7, hosting the Oakland Roots at Cardinale Stadium.

Glasgow took part in the Concacaf Nations League matches in 2024, where he became the first Guyanese player and the youngest to win the Concacaf Nations League Top scorer honor, collecting seven goals in five matches as a then 20-year-old.

Memorable debut

Getting an opportunity to pitch and hit as a true freshman, Monterey High grad Ella Myers’ first at-bat resulted in a run-scoring single for the UC Santa Barbara softball team.

Signed primarily to pitch for the Gauchos, the two-time Herald Female Athlete of the Year sent a 2-2 pitch into center field to drive in a run as a pitch hitter.

Myers has made eight appearances in the circle for Santa Barbara, overcoming a rough outing in her debut against nationally-ranked UCLA to cut her earned run average in half.

Owner of over 500 strikeouts at Monterey, Myers tossed eight innings during a tournament in Phoenix this past weekend, allowing just three runs, while striking out three. She has not allowed a run in her last four relief appearances.

The 18-year-old right-hander has eight strikeouts in 18.1 innings. She has not walked a hitter in her last two relief appearances for the Gauchos.

Myers is the all-time home run leader at Monterey and No. 2 in the county. She was also a state meet podium finisher in wrestling last season, winning over 100 matches.

Segura nearly flawless

Soledad High grad Eric Segura tossed three scoreless innings in his season debut against Stanford for the nationally ranked Oregon State baseball team.

The hard-throwing junior right-hander allowed two hits, while striking out four in his first outing of the season for Oregon State, which is ranked No. 11 in the nation.

Segura is 14-3 in his first two seasons for the Beavers, striking out 154 hitters in 130 innings, posting a 4.68 earned run average.

Having made 35 appearances for Oregon State, Segura has started 22 games. Opponents are hitting just .237 off of him.

Segura was the Herald’s Baseball Player of the Year in 2022.

Strong start

Former Alisal High standout Jordan Smith is one of four players at Eastern Kentucky to have started all 10 games this spring.

Smith, who was primarily used for her defense last year as a true freshman, is earning her plate appearances, hitting just under .270 with a .393 on-base percentage.

The 5-foot-8 first baseman has a pair of multiple-hit games, including her first collegiate double, having knocked in four runs and scored four runs for Eastern Kentucky, which is 4-6 overall.

Last season, Smith started 35 games for Eastern Kentucky, sporting a .958 fielding percentage. She’s already surpassed her career marks for hits and runs batted in.

Excelling in four sports at Alisal, Smith hit. 560 over four high school seasons, earning all-state honors in 2024.

Bonace Memorial Scholarship

Cal State Monterey Bay has awarded the inaugural Dr. Bobbi Bonace Memorial Scholarships to softball slugger Ellie Escalante and freshman basketball player Riley Walls.

The pair will be presented their scholarships on Thursday during halftime of the men’s basketball game against Cal State East Bay.

Escalante is a senior on the Otters softball team, while Walls is a freshman for the women’s basketball program, which is having its best season in over a decade.

“Dr. Bonace was a visionary leader whose impact is still felt throughout CSUMB and Otter Athletics today,” CSUMB Director of Athletics Kirby Garry said. “Ellie and Riley represent the values she stood for, and we are proud to honor her legacy by supporting their continued success.”

Bonace, who coached softball and basketball at UC Santa Barbara, joined CSUMB when it was founded and became the school’s first athletic director, as well as the chair of the Kinesiology department.

For more information about the Dr. Bobbi Bonace Memorial Scholarship or how to contribute, please contact Garry at kgarry@csumb.edu.

Gene Roberton Little League

A celebration of 75 years of Little League baseball at Gene Robertson Park in Salinas will unfold on Saturday, March 7.

The historic park has been the home for American Little League in Salinas for nearly eight decades. Alumni are invited to attend the festivities, which will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., as the league begins another season.

Coaches needed

Alisal is looking for a flag football coach in the fall. Contact Jose Gil at jose.gil@salinassuhsd.org or (831) 796-7600.

Palma is looking for a varsity girls volleyball coach for the fall. Go to neff@gopalma.org