Video Interview

SAUGERTIES, N.Y. – The Saugerties Stallions are pleased and excited to announce the hiring of Collin Martin as the team’s new head coach for the 2018 summer season.

Martin is the son of Charlie Manuel, the former manager of the Philadelphia Phillies who guided the franchise to the 2008 World Series Championship. Martin comes to Saugerties, N.Y., from Webber International University, an NAIA institution located in Babson Park, Fla., where he serves as Associate Head Coach and Recruiting Coordinator of the Warriors.Heading into the 2018 season, the Warriors were ranked No. 25 in the NAIA Baseball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll, this after making their first-ever trip to the NAIA National Championship Tournament in 2017.

Before joining the Warriors, Martin spent four seasons at the helm of junior college powerhouse Polk State College. The Eagles were ranked among the top-10 nationally every year under his tutelage, while winning a combined 162 games and three Suncoast Conference titles in four seasons.

Martin's other coaching experience includes stints as an assistant at NCAA Division II Florida Southern in 2010 and with the Cotuit Kettleers of the Cape Cod League in the summer of 2009. He also served as an assistant coach at Winter Haven High School in Winter Haven, Fla., where he currently resides.

During his playing days, Martin began his collegiate career at Santa Fe Community College, where he was a First-Team All-Conference selection in 2004. He then transferred to Webber, and as a senior in 2006, he was a First-Team All-Sun Conference selection, a First Team All-Southern Region choice and an Honorable Mention NAIA All-American. After graduation, he signed a free agent contract with the Cleveland Indians. Primarily as a first baseman, Martin played in 37 games for the Indians’ Gulf Coast League affiliate in 2006. He continued his pro career the following season with the independent Florence Freedom of the Frontier League.

“We are very excited to have Coach Martin on board to lead our team during the summer of 2018,” said Scott Wickham, the Stallions’ Vice President and General Manager. “We received over 200 applications and we felt Coach Martin exemplifies every aspect we were looking for in a coach during our nationwide search. He comes from a very successful baseball family, has a wealth of experience and is extremely personable. We are looking forward to seeing his proven coaching practices and philosophies put to work with the Saugerties Stallions this summer.”