Our last winner is Thomas Smith; he moves on to face Aidan Nagle in the next round.

Today, we have former Harrisonburg Turk Austin Embler (2018) vs former Covington Lumberjack Mike Martinez (2010).

  • Austin Embler finished 2018 with a .388/.479/.621 slashline. In 116 at-bats, he scored 26 runs, hit seven doubles, four triples, four home runs, drove in 23 runs, and had a solid 21/26 BB/K ratio. He finished third in the league in batting average and on-base percentage, fifth in slugging, and led the league in triples. He was ATVL’s 3rd best hitter. The Turks went 20-22, finished 4th in the South, and lost in the first round of the playoffs. Embler was a three-year starter for UNC-Greensboro; he hit .320/.396/.416 in 700 total at-bats, with 36 doubles, five triples, seven home runs, and a 84/131 BB/K ratio. He was not drafted after his senior season in 2019.
  • Michael Luis Martinez, from Florida International, pummelled the ball to the tune of .336/.384/.600 in 2010, with three doubles, 10 home runs, 36 RBIs, and a 10/22 BB/K ratio over 125 at-bats. The ‘Jacks went 20-24 and lost in the first round of the playoffs that summer. A four-year starter at FIU, Martinez hit a combined .346/.430/.550 in 869 at-bats, with 58 doubles, four triples, 37 home runs, 198 RBIs, and a 105/140 BB/K ratio. He was picked in the 36th round in the 2012 draft by the Houston Astros, and spent two seasons in organized ball before being released.

Vote by going to twitter.com/JohnATVL! (Closes Wednesday morning)

And by the way, if you want to read a ton about either the 2015 or 2019 VBL season, be sure to check out the 2019 Valley League Annual!

Martinez
Embler