A South Florida star will take the mound for Game 1 of the World Series for the Tampa Bay Rays.
Since he was a young boy, Nick Martinez loved playing baseball. He played shortstop for the Belen Jesuit Preparatory School Wolverines through middle school and high school.
“He expressed to me that he was thinking about playing baseball at the next level, at college,” said Willie García-Tuñón, the school’s president.
Though Martinez showed dedication, García-Tuñón wasn’t completely certain he would make it big.
“I remember looking at this skinny, scrawny little kid who played shortstop, thinking to myself: ‘Is he going to be able to make it?'” said García-Tuñón.
Little did he know, that scrawny shortstop would grow up to be named the Tampa Bay Rays’ starting pitcher for Game 1 of the 2026 World Series against the Milwaukee Brewers.
He’ll have the opportunity to set the tone for the Rays on the mound as they open the Fall Classic on the road for the first two games.
“It fell on me. My job is to just rack up as many outs as we can and keep us in the ball game,” Martinez said on his mindset going into the series opener.
Martinez won’t be just the first pitcher to play in the World Series that graduated from Belen Jesuit — he’s the first player that’s reached this point.
“Incredibly proud. Proud that he is the first Belen alumnus to be playing in the World Series,” said García-Tuñón.
Martinez’s time at Belen Jesuit peaked when he got to play in a state championship with the Wolverines as a junior.
To many of the teachers at Belen Jesuit, some of whom were his former classmates, Martinez is an incredible success story, but also someone they knew as always being humble and kind.
“He’s someone you can depend on, someone that just made things fun, made things exciting. He was always just a good person and a good friend to have,” said English teacher Matthew Jordan.
“To be the starting pitcher in the World Series game, that has to be fantastic. What a feeling,” said Juan Vazquez, a social studies department chairperson for the school.
Martinez has carried many of the lessons he learned at Belen Jesuit throughout several aspects of his life.
“I believe Belen’s ultimate mission here is to forge men and to be someone that anyone can count on, and that starts with accountability,” Martinez said in an alumni video promoting the school.
Now he hopes to help the Rays win their first World Series.
His journey has already had a huge impact on the next generation of players following in his footsteps.
“As a left-handed pitcher myself, I really do look up to him and I know all the guys on the team really do as well,” said Belen Jesuit pitcher Ernesto Diaz.
“To see someone, not only just from Miami, from our school pitch at the biggest stage in the biggest game, it’s just so inspiring,” said Belen Jesuit pitcher Jon Michael Quijano.
The Rays take on the Brewers, who are also seeking their first World Series title, Friday night at 8 p.m. Coverage for the game begins on WSVN Channel 7 at 7 p.m.
