Dalton Martinez enters his second season as an assistant coach on the Georgia State staff. He joined Brad Stromdahl at GSU in August 2019 after coaching five seasons with him at Georgia Gwinnett.
Martinez serves as a hitting instructor, works with the GSU infielders and coaches third base.
In his first year at GSU in 2020, he helped the Panthers post a winning record in the abbreviated season as the team ranked in the top four in the Sun Belt Conference in several offensive categories, including scoring, batting average, on-base percentage and stolen bases. Rookie shortstop Will Mize was named a Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball.Â
With Stromdahl at Georgia Gwinnett, Martinez served as the hitting and infield instructor and first base coach, helping the Grizzlies to five straight postseason berths, including back-to-back appearances in the Avista-NAIA World Series in 2018 and 2019. GGC averaged 49 victories over his five seasons (2015-19).
Martinez helped coached prolific offenses at Georgia Gwinnett, which ranked in the top 10 in the nation in batting average and hits per game the last two years. The 2018 Grizzlies were third nationally in hits per game and sixth in runs per game.
One of his pupils, infielder Cam Coursey, was a two-time NAIA All-American who was selected in the 13th round of the 2019 Major League Baseball Draft by the Arizona Diamondbacks. In all, Martinez worked with six All-Americans, five Gold Glove winners and five players who moved on to professional baseball.
Martinez also coached three summers (2015-16, 2018) with the Gwinnett Tide in the Atlanta-based Sunbelt Collegiate Summer League. He served as director of player development and 16-and-under head coach with the Georgia Jackets youth organization from 2017-19.
Martinez participated in the 2014 Avista-NAIA World Series as a senior at Southern Poly, where he was an all-conference third baseman.
He earned his bachelor's degree in developmental psychology from Georgia Gwinnett in 2018.
Martinez is a native of Memphis, Tenn., where he attended Christian Brothers High School. His brother, Drew, is a former professional baseball player who was a 10th round draft pick by the Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim in 2011, and his father, Chito, also played professional baseball with the Baltimore Orioles.
