Beach native Carson DeMartini ready to hear his name called in MLB draft

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (WAVY) — After three years of baseball at Virginia Tech, Carson DeMartini is ready to take his game to the next level.

The Virginia Beach native, who hit 46 home runs and had 164 RBIs during his time in Blacksburg, is projected to be a top-100 pick in the Major League Baseball draft, which begins Sunday.

During his time with the Hokies, he was named ACC Player of the Week and also earned National Player of the Week honors.

“Playing in the ACC is the best choice,” DeMartini said. “A lot of people compare it to High-A or Double-A and that’s a good estimate of what you’re going to do in professional baseball.”

DeMartini attended Ocean Lakes High School in Virginia Beach, where he helped the Dolphins win the Region 6A title.

He still trains with his former coach, Pete Zell, who knows firsthand what DeMartini brings to the field.

“He’s incredibly powerful, he’s 6’4″ and 190 pounds, he’s a big infielder,” Zell said. “There are other players who are stronger, bigger and faster, but the strength of his game is work, he works on everything.

“I feel like I make the people around me better,” DeMartini said. “I’m a guy who’s going to focus and work. That’s the way I’ve always been and that’s the way I was raised.”

DeMartini’s father, Tommy, a former college baseball player, knew early on that his son had something special.

“He started batting when he could walk,” Tommy DeMartini said. “He learned it left-handed. Carson does everything right-handed, he throws right-handed, he plays golf right-handed, but he bats left-handed.”

Tommy DeMartini and his son lived a baseball odyssey for most of Carson DeMartini’s life. They traveled across the East Coast to attend baseball events as Carson DeMartini continued to hone his game.

Carson DeMartini considered entering the draft out of high school but opted for a stint with the Hokies, putting himself in position to fulfill a father-son dream.

“You want to see your child succeed, you want to see him achieve his lifelong dream and succeed at the highest level in the world,” Tommy DeMartini said, “and that’s what he’s earned. It’s hard to describe.”

Draft projections can be tricky. The first two rounds of the draft take place on Sunday, and the draft itself lasts three days.

Carson DeMartini hopes to be selected Sunday, but even if it’s later, he’ll still have the chance to pursue his major league prospects, and he knows the journey is just beginning.

“Back at the bottom of the list, you’re a rookie again,” Carson DeMartini said. “You have to prove what you’ve got again, and that’s the fun part and the exciting part. You get that plane ticket, it’s the draft. From there, it’s all up to you.”