BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -  

The renaissance of baseball in Bakersfield has put an award on the mantle in the front office, as Blaze General Manager Elizabeth Martin was voted the 2012 California League Woman of Excellence.

The vote was conducted among league executives, and spanned all ten California League teams.

“I don’t work as hard as I do for awards, but it’s always a great honor to be recognized,” said Martin.

“The community here in Bakersfield deserves a quality product, a nexus where families can relax and have fun. I was elated that we’re starting to bring that back; now, I’m doubly excited, knowing that our friends around the California League see the improvements, too.”

With Martin at the helm over the last two seasons, the Bakersfield Blaze have seen a dramatic attendance jump, showing the franchise’s first year-to-year attendance increase in half a decade in 2011, and another 30 percent hike in 2012.

Prior to her time in Bakersfield, Martin worked as the Assistant General Manager in Visalia for three years. Martin also spent time at the Minor League Baseball headquarters in St. Petersburg, Florida, and interned with the Oakland Raiders of the NFL. Martin is a graduate of St. Joseph’s College in Indiana, and earned her law degree from DePaul University in Chicago.