Martinsen chases career record books

As Amanda Martinsen enters her senior season, she has already made her mark on the Ottawa University softball program.

With the stats from her first three seasons, Martinsen is ranked seventh in slugging percentage (.463), 10th in batting average (.336), tied for sixth in sacrifice hits (5) and is tied for fifth in doubles (23) in the OU career record book. She has the ability to move up in each of these categories with the addition of her senior season statistics.

Records and awards are nothing new to this Lady Brave.

As a junior, Martinsen started 48 ball games and earned Second Team All-Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference as a shortstop.

Martinsen went 41-for-118 batting for a .347 batting average. She scored 21 runs, batted in 33, had 13 doubles, and one homerun. She had a .427 on base percentage, a .427 slugging percentage, and a .950 fielding percentage with 74 putouts and 99 assists.

“I love playing defense, it is my favorite part of the game,” she said. “Nothing feels better than making a diving play.”

She also shined in the classroom, being named a Daktronic and National Fastpitch Coaches Association Scholar Athlete. She is a human services major.

As a sophomore, Martinsen started 37 games as a Lady Brave and was named First Team All-KCAC.

She had 36 hits in 110 at bats giving her a .327 batting average. Martinsen scored 16 runs, had 10 doubles and one homerun with 15 RBI. She also had a slugging percentage of .445, a .327 on base percentage, was 3-for-3 in stolen base attempts and had two or more hits six times.

Her passion for the game of softball came at the age of ten, when she first started playing competitively.

“My parents got me involved in any sport they could as soon as I was old enough,” she said.

Martinsen credits her father for her talents on the softball diamond.

“I would say that my dad has been my biggest influence. He also was a shortstop and he is the best coach I've ever had.”