QUINCY, Ill. - Quincy University baseball history added another chapter on Sunday as former Hawk Riley Martin earned a call-up to the Chicago Cubs major league roster.
Martin, who played for Quincy from 2017 through 2021, is expected to be in uniform for the Cubs on Sunday when Chicago takes on the Cleveland Guardians in a doubleheader scheduled for 12:10 PM and 3:40 PM central time from Progressive Field in Cleveland, Ohio.
With the call-up, Martin becomes the fifth Hawk in school history to appear on a Major League Baseball roster, joining El Tappe, Jim Finigan, Josh Kinney, and Josh Rabe.
During his time at Quincy, Martin established himself as one of the most dominant pitchers in program history. He finished his career with a 30-11 record, with his 30 wins standing as the most in school history. Martin also holds Quincy career records for strikeouts with 352 and innings pitched with 308.1. Over 56 appearances and 55 starts, he posted a 3.85 ERA and threw three complete games.
Martin's 2021 season remains one of the best ever by a Quincy pitcher. He struck out 152 batters, setting a Quincy single-season record while also leading the GLVC and setting the conference single-season record. He also finished with nine wins, tying for the GLVC lead and ranking tied for fifth in program history for a single season.
His dominant senior campaign earned him GLVC Pitcher of the Year honors in 2021, along with First Team All-GLVC, All-Region, Midwest Region Player of the Year, and D2CCA All-America Honorable Mention recognition. Martin was also named GLVC Second Team All-Conference in 2019 and was a two-time GLVC Pitcher of the Week during his career.
Away from the field, Martin was equally impressive in the classroom. He earned GLVC Academic All-Conference honors four times, was named the 2021 GLVC Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and received the GLVC Council of Presidents' Academic Excellence Award.
Since leaving Quincy following the 2021 season, Martin has spent the last five seasons climbing through the Chicago Cubs organization from Single-A to Triple-A. Across 174 minor league appearances and three starts, Martin compiled a 24-13 record with three saves, a 3.76 ERA, and a 1.390 WHIP over 282.2 innings pitched. He struck out 410 batters during that span, averaging 13.1 strikeouts per nine innings.
Martin opened the 2026 season with the Iowa Cubs, the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. Earlier this season, he made the third start of his professional career, tossing three innings and allowing just one run.
Now at 28 years old, the Salem, Illinois native has reached the highest level of professional baseball and will represent Quincy University on the major league stage.
