The Work Before the Win: Athletic Trainer Tom Martin's Impact Extends Far Beyond the Training Room

By Lily Kocourek

 

Trust isn’t built in a single conversation. 

It’s earned over months of early afternoons, honest conversations and the everyday moments that rarely make it beyond the clubhouse walls. 

For Windy City ThunderBolts athletic trainer Tom Martin, those moments define his job. Whether he’s answering a player’s questions, explaining the reason behind a treatment plan or simply checking in before the first pitch, Martin has become someone players can count on throughout the hustle of a professional baseball season. 

That philosophy has guided Martin throughout his early career.

After playing soccer at Augustana College, Martin earned his bachelor’s degree in kinesiology in 2022 before completing his master’s degree in athletic training in 2024. During graduate school, he spent a summer with the Kansas City Royals’ minor league system, gaining experience in professional baseball before joining the ThunderBolts. 

Although his playing career ended after college, Martin said he still wanted to be a part of a team environment. Athletic training gave him the opportunity to remain in sports while helping athletes perform their best. Working in baseball also introduced Martin to the unique demands of a sport played nearly every day for six months, where preparation often becomes just as important as performance. 

According to Martin, aspiring athletic trainers often underestimate having people skills. “You can be a great athletic trainer, but it does not matter if you can’t make connections and make people trust and believe in you,” he said. 

Those relationships are reinforced through the work Martin does every day. No two players follow the same routine. Each day begins with evaluating how a player’s body is responding to the demands of a nearly everyday baseball schedule before determining the best course of action. 

“It’s about figuring out the injury and what they need to do to get better and back on the field,” Martin explained. “Are they lacking strength or range of motion? Are we working on stability? Every situation is different.” 

Because no two players have the same needs, Martin gives them a variety of recovery options, from soft tissue work and stretching to compression therapy and strength exercises. Pitcher Tyler Wehrle says that flexibility has become one of Martin’s greatest strengths. 

“Every day with him just goes off of how you feel,” Wehrle stated. “He gives a plethora of options and he’ll break down what’s best and what’s not best.” 

More importantly, Wehrle said Martin has increased players’ confidence by explaining the “why” behind every decision, helping them understand how small adjustments today can help keep them on the field throughout the season. 

“When he breaks it down and tells you this is what the cause is and explains everything it just makes sense,” he remarked. “He helps you out to a T.” 

Outfielder Carlos Peña has benefited from that same approach from Martin. 

Like many players over the course of a long season, Peña has leaned on Martin to stay prepared. Whether it's asking questions about his body, talking through the mental side of the game or simply learning more about the recovery process from baseball-related injuries, Peña says Martin has become one of the team’s most trusted resources.

“I’m a guy that likes to ask questions,” Peña stated. “My trainers always give me the right answers, or the not-so-easy answers. It’s crucial to learn these things.” 

Those conversations build trust long before players face adversity. When the challenges of a professional season arise, Martin’s role shifts from preparing players for the field to helping them navigate the road back to it. 

Both Peña and Wehrle agreed that one of the biggest misconceptions surrounding injuries that fans don’t realize is how much work, both mental and physical, goes into returning to the field. 

“Most people don’t realize how long the process truly takes, because it’s usually not as simple as one thing,” Wehrle said. “It’s defeating once you get reinjured again, and it takes a lot of work and tenacity to come back.”   

Peña explained that players are often physically ready before they’re mentally ready. While fans see someone return to the lineup, they may not realize the mental challenge of regaining confidence and returning to the level of play they had before the injury. 

“It’s all mental,” he explained. “The question that enters your head coming back is ‘Are you ready?”   

Martin knows those moments require more than a rehabilitation plan. They require understanding the person behind the player.

Wehrle said Martin has a knack for recognizing when something doesn’t seem right before anyone says a word. 

“He’s very observant,” Werhle noted. “If somebody does something not normal such as running to first weird, or throwing a pitch that is off, he’ll know and come up and ask you right then, ‘Hey, you good?’”

That attentiveness, Martin believes, comes from knowing players as people first– meaning sometimes the best conversations don’t center around baseball. 

Peña laughed while recalling a pregame afternoon spent with Martin discussing Greek mythology and the movie release of The Odyssey. Other days the discussion turns to Peña’s interest in coaching after his playing career ends or simply life outside the ballpark. 

“He’s always said, ‘If you need anything, you can talk to me,’” he voiced. “He’s always been there to answer my questions the best he can.”

When players do return to the field after being out from injury, Martin enjoys watching them succeed. 

“Whenever someone comes back and hits a home run,” Martin said with a laugh, “I always like to tell my wife that was me.” 

The comment drew a laugh, but it reflected something deeper. Martin rarely receives public recognition for his work, and that’s okay with him. Success isn’t measured by statistics or headlines. Instead it's found in seeing players take the field with confidence, knowing they’re prepared for another game. 

Fans may never notice the hours spent behind the scenes before first pitch, but players do. Over the course of a 102-game season, those conversations, preparations, and relationships become a part of the foundation that helps the ThunderBolts compete every night.