Niwot spring athletes sign letters of intent

Niwot held their annual spring signing ceremony for athletes committed to playing at the next level on Tuesday, May 22.

Caleb Martinez— University of Sioux Falls (Sioux Falls, SD)

There’s no question that Caleb Martinez has enough talent to succeed as a collegiate pitcher. As Niwot’s staff ace for the past two seasons, he amassed a 2.69 ERA and 81 strikeouts, putting him squarely among the ranks of the Class 4A league leaders. But it isn’t just physical skills that will make him successful at the University of Sioux Falls, according to Niwot pitching coach Mike Newton.

“He has a tremendous willingness to succeed and be good at everything that he does,” Newton said of the right-hander. “There will be a slight transition as far as being away from home and the type of baseball in D2, but he’ll make that adjustment, and his work ethic will get him where he needs to be.”

Martinez decided to accept an offer from the private Christian college after a visit to the Division II school last year. Impressed with both the facilities and the coaching staff, it didn’t take him long to make his decision.

“Their pitching philosophy is something I’ve always subscribed to,” he said. “Their program will definitely have a lot of room for me to grow, and I definitely I have a future there. It’s also a great academic school, which my mom likes.”

Martinez admitted that getting acclimated to South Dakota may be a bit of a challenge, but he is looking forward to at least one aspect of being in the Midwest.

“It’s a lower altitude so it’s easier to pitch,” he said.

When he’s not on the mound, Martinez plans to study business administration. Once his baseball career is over, he hopes to pursue a career in sports analytics or management.

“The data-analytical part of baseball, the statistics, really interests me,” he said. “I going to try to stay in this game as long as I can, and something like that would keep me in there if my body fails me.”

Martinez and his father just headed to Texas for a three-week stint at the Texas Baseball Ranch, where he hopes to hone his craft in the Texas heat with other soon-to-be collegiate pitchers.

Allie Colvin—Fisher College (Boston, MA)

Allie Colvin has known for a long time that her post-high school plans included the Army, so she was pleasantly surprised that they also ended up including soccer.

“I didn’t consider getting college paid for when I first signed up,” she recalled. Colvin officially enlisted in the Army earlier this year, but has had firm plans for a military career since sophomore year. “But then my recruiters said, ‘You can also get college paid for while training,’ and I thought that sounded pretty good.”

In the fall, Colvin is headed to Fisher College in Boston where she will be training with the school’s ROTC program, with plans to enter the Army as a lieutenant after graduating.

She also plans to compete for the starting keeper spot on the women’s soccer team, and should be a stong contender. Colvin engineered seven shutouts at home this season, including a dramatic 1-0 victory over Northridge to claim a share of this year’s Northern League title.

Colvin hopes to study Criminal Justice at Fisher, with an eye on a career in federal law enforcement or intelligence.

Colton Goldfarb —Mesa Community College (Mesa, AZ)

Niwot catcher Colton Goldfarb is headed to Arizona next year to play baseball for the Mesa Community College Thunderbirds.

Goldfarb was recruited to the suburban-Phoenix school by an umpire at one of Niwot’s annual spring break games in Arizona last spring. Goldfarb explained that it was a good example of “you never know who’s watching you.” He also considered offers from schools in Barstow and San Marcos, CA.

Goldfarb transferred to Niwot from Silver Creek as a junior, and assumed his familiar spot behind the plate right away. In his two seasons with the Cougars, Goldfarb hit .330, with 36 hits, 17 of them for extra bases.

Goldfarb plans to study environmental science, and eventually hopes to attend law school.