Grand Valley State senior Katie Martin entered early April knowing that she was one home run away from setting her school’s career record and that she’d likely surpass it.

What she didn’t anticipate was what would come along with the record-setting blast.

In an April 3 game against Northwood, Martin -- a 2009 Pioneer High School graduate and 2009 Ann Arbor News Player of the Year -- hit a seventh-inning solo home run. She rounded the bases knowing that she had just become the school’s career leader.

But what she found out soon after the game left her floored. The swing gave Martin not only the career home runs record (47), but also the GVSU career marks in hits (259) and runs (164).

“I would have never dreamed I could break more than one record with one swing,” Martin said.

Weeks later, the fact that she set three school records with one swing of the bat still leaves her in awe. But in the same sentence, Martin also brings up the result of her record-setting game: the Lakers lost that game, 9-5 to Northwood, snapping a 14-game win streak.

“It was kind of a weird feeling because you lost still, but you broke a record,” Martin said. “Just kind of a weird feeling.”

GVSU head coach Doug Woods said it’s refreshing to see such a high-caliber player still be so concerned with team results.

“She’ll do what is best for the team,” Woods said. “With all the hitting records she has and all that, it’s nice to see she puts the team first.”

The loss to Northwood was one of only four GVSU suffered during the regular season, as it went 36-4 and won a GLIAC title.

Grand Valley State will open NCAA tournament play at 2:30 p.m. Friday against GLIAC foe Ferris State. The Lakers are hosting a four-team, double-elimination regional tournament, with the winner advancing to the super regionals next weekend.

The Lakers are looking to go to their first College World Series since 2004. But regardless of how the next few weeks play out, Martin’s individual legacy is secure.

“She’s rewritten the record books for us,” Woods said.

Last week, Martin was named GLIAC Player of the year, the school’s first since 2004, after leading the league in home runs, doubles, RBIs, total bases, extra base hits, on-base percentage and slugging percentage.

The fact that Martin is leaving Grand Valley with hitting records comes as somewhat of a surprise. Coming out of Pioneer, she expected to primarily be a pitcher in college. She threw 97 innings as a freshman, with a 1.66 ERA and a 10-5 record.

But as a sophomore, her ERA went up to 3.02, as Martin says she “fell out of love with pitching.”

“I just became too much of a head case, and you can’t be a head case when you’re a pitcher,” Martin said. “You have to have a very, very thick skin when you’re a pitcher.”

From there, her focus shifted to hitting, and the results have been impressive.

“I put it all into hitting at that point, and it just took off from there,” Martin said. “My dad’s been my coach my whole life, so I’ve always had someone there to help me with my form.”

Two years later, Martin has her name all over the record books, a degree and a job as a financial adviser waiting for her. But before she leaves, she’s hoping for a World Series appearance.

“I would explain it as bittersweet right now,” Martin said. “It might be different once it’s over, but I have a job lined up and I’m really excited to get going with that, so I have something to look forward to. But it is going to be a big difference.”

Kyle Austin covers sports for AnnArbor.com. He can be reached at kyleaustin@annarbor.com or 734-623-2535. Follow him on Twitter @KAustin_AA.