Jay Martel begins his fifth season as an assistant coach on the Aztec baseball staff after having been involved in the sport in the San Diego area for over 20 years. He will work primarily with the outfielders and hitters, and serve as the director of the Aztec baseball camps and clinics.
Prior to his arrival at SDSU, the 40-year-old Martel had been the associate head coach at Southwestern Community College in nearby Chula Vista after working as a volunteer coach there from 1985 to 1987. During his 13-year tenure in a full-time capacity, the Apaches won the Pacific Coast Conference on three occasions and finished as league runner-up five times. Southwestern also made appearances in the state championship regionals nine of his last 11 seasons with the Apaches.
While at Southwestern CC, Martel was an adjunct member of the faculty (1989-2000), teaching a number of classes in the physical education department.
A native of San Diego, he played his prep baseball at Bonita Vista High School in Chula Vista. He won the Gold Glove Award as the team[apos]s Most Valuable Player during the 1981 season and also lettered in football as a running back for the Barons.
Martel went on to attend U.S. International University, where he pitched for four seasons and earned the team[apos]s Most Valuable Pitcher award during his junior year (1982-83). While at USIU, he became one of three San Diego area pitchers selected to compete for the Pan American baseball team.
He graduated from U.S. International in 1985 with a bachelor[apos]s degree in physical education. Following graduation, he went on to play three years of professional baseball in the St. Louis Cardinals organization before turning his attention toward a career in coaching. He received a masters of sports science degree from the United States Sports Academy in 1991.
Martel also has international summer coaching experience, having served as an assistant coach in both the Netherlands and Canada. From 1987-1989, he was an assistant for the Minolta Pioneers in Hoofdorf, Holland. He also spent three summers as head coach of the Southern Alberta American Legion team, winning a league title in 1992. Since 1993, he has coached locally during the summers, winning two titles as an assistant in the San Diego Collegiate League and helping the San Diego Bandits to a pair of top five finishes at the AAU national tournament.
The fourth-year Aztec assistant has also lent his experience to a number of local instructional camps and clinics including the San Diego School of Baseball, the Best Camp of The West at SDSU, and the San Diego State Baseball Academy.
Martel is married (Lynn) and has two daughters: Desiree (17) and Taylor (9).