Ma attended Cheongju Technical High School. In , he was selected for the South Korean junior national team and competed in the
World Junior Baseball Championship held in
Moncton, Canada. Ma was drafted by the
Hanwha Eagles in in the 2nd round and as the 111th pick overall. However, Ma decided to enter the Eagles after graduation from college and continued to play baseball at
Dankook University in
Cheonan,
Chungcheongnam-do. During his collegiate years at Dankook University, Ma was considered one of the top sidearm/
submarine pitchers along with
Chong Tae-Hyon of
Kyung Hee University. As a sophomore, he was first called up to the
South Korea national baseball team for the 3-Nations Invitational Baseball Tournament held in
Taiwan. In , Ma helped his team to win the President's Flag Collegiate Baseball Championship. After the championship, he was selected for the South Korean collegiate national team and competed in the friendly baseball series again the
United States national baseball team. As a senior in , Ma led his team to win the National Amateur Baseball Championship where he was named best pitcher.
Notable international careers == Professional career ==