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Alabama’s Kent Matthes Launches Longballs

(With the end of the year fast approaching, we’re counting down some of the top moments from the 2009 college baseball season (in no particular order).  We’ll have one a day through New Year’s Eve.)

Going into the 2009 season there was no reason to expect that Kent Matthes was going to be one of the top home run hitters in the country, let alone the SEC.  The Crimson Tide outfielder was know more for his glove and outfield arm than his bat, with a claim to fame of 16 career outfield assists in his three seasons in Tuscaloosa.

Kent Matthes tied for the NCAA lead with 28 home runs in 2009.

In his first three seasons Matthes had respectable college numbers with 20 career home runs, including a .303 average with 11 home runs and 52 RBIs as a junior in 2008.   However, the 6’2 Orlando, FL native saved his best for his last year in a college uniform, and it all started on February 22, 2009.

Matthes had a week to start his senior season that some guys never have in an entire career.  Here’s how it looked:

Sunday, Feb. 22: Matthes goes 2-for-4 with a pair of solo home runs in an 8-4 loss to Southeast Missouri State.

Tuesday, Feb. 24: Matthes starts a new week by hitting for the cycle in Alabama’s 11-4 win over Nicholls State.  He tripled in the 3rd inning, hit a solo home run in the 5th, led off the 7th with a double, and then capped his big night with an 8th inning RBI single.  It was the fifth single in Alabama history and the first since 2000.  It was also the third cycle in the history of Alabama’s Sewell-Thomas Stadium.

(rolltide.com photo)

Wednesday, Feb. 25: Matthes launches a 10th inning walk-off home run to cap Alabama’s improbable 8-7 comeback win over Nicholls State; the Tide trailed the game 7-0 in the 5th inning.  Matthes drew a walk and later scored in the Tide’s 4-run 5th, and later doubled and scored in the 7th.  Alabama tied the game in the 9th inning, and then Matthes launched a 1-0 pitch off the Sewell-Thomas scoreboard for the first walk-off HR of his career.

Saturday, Feb. 28: Matthes smacks another game-winning home run in game one of a doubleheader vs. Illinois-Chicago.  The 3-run shot in the 6th inning came with Alabama trailing the Flames 2-o.  The Tide would win the game 4-2.   In game 2 of the twin bill Matthes goes yard again en-route to a 2-for-3 game with 3 runs scored and 4 RBIs.  He exits the game in the 5th inning as Alabama wins 20-4.

Sunday, Feb. 29: The scheduled series finale vs. UIC in cancelled due to rain.

The Total Damage: In a seven day span Matthes hits .550 (11-for-20) with 6 home runs, 15 RBIs, 11 runs scored, 2 doubles, a triple, and a 1.650 slugging percentage.  He tied an Alabama record with home runs in five straight games.

For The Season: Matthes ended-up batting .358 with 28 home runs, 81 RBIs, 67 runs, 13 stolen bases, an .858 slg. %, and a .461 on-base percentage.  He 28 long balls tied with Middle Tennessee State’s Bryce Brentz for the NCAA lead.  His slugging percentage ranked 3rd nationally while his RBIs tied for 11th.  His gaudy numbers earned him 2009 SEC Player of the Year honors.

Matthes was drafted in the 4th round of the 2009 MLB draft by the Colorado Rockies.  Not bad for a guy who batted .200 with one home run as a freshman in 2006.

Other Top Moments Of 2009

22.  Freshman Levi Michael Starts In North Carolina’s Season Opener

23.  LSU Opens The New Alex Box Stadium

24.  Oregon Brings Back Baseball

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Fighting Irish will play six games against teams that reached the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

Complete Notre Dame 2010 Schedule (PDF)

Irish Head Coach Dave Schrage

In all, Notre Dame will play six games (Louisville, Ohio State, Gonzaga and Kansas State) against teams that reached the 2009 NCAA Tournament.

The Irish will open the 2010 season with a two-game series against Mississippi Valley State on Feb. 19-20. The Irish and Delta Devils will first play on the MVSU campus on Friday before travelling to Pearl, Miss. for a meeting at Trustmark Park – home of the Mississippi Braves (Class AA affiliate of the Atlanta Braves) on Saturday. Notre Dame concludes the opening weekend of the season with a second game at Trustmark Park against Jackson State on Sunday.

The Irish then head down to Clearwater, Fla. for the second annual Big Ten-BIG EAST Baseball Challenge on Feb. 26-28. Notre Dame plays Illinois on Friday at Jack Russell Stadium, Ohio State on Saturday at Bright House Networks Field and Penn State on Sunday at the Naimoli Complex.

Notre Dame returns to Florida the following week for the Stetson Tournament during the first stage of its Spring Break trip (March 6-7). The Irish will play Harvard and Kansas State on the first day of the tournament before facing the host Hatters on Sunday.

Notre Dame will then head west for a mid-week, two-game series at UT-Pan American on March 9-10 before concluding the Spring Break schedule in the familiar surroundings of San Antonio (March 11-14) at Wolff Stadium. The Irish will face Bradley on Thursday, Pacific on Friday, Gonzaga on Saturday. Notre Dame will play a fourth game that weekend against one of the previous three schools depending on a round-robin finish.

Each of the 12 BIG EAST baseball teams is again scheduled to play nine others in three-game series (Notre Dame will not face Connecticut or Pittsburgh in the 2010 regular season). All but one of the series involving Notre Dame will be three-day series, with a nine-inning doubleheader scheduled for the second day of the two-day series at West Virginia (May 8-9). Fans are reminded that the road series versus Georgetown (Bethesda, Md./Povich Field; April 1-3) and Villanova (Plymouth Meeting, Pa./Villanova Ballpark; May 14-16) are played at off-campus venues.

In addition to those games mentioned above, dates for Notre Dame’s other BIG EAST road series include March 26-28 at USF and April 16-18 at Seton Hall. The BIG EAST home series are April 9-11 vs. Rutgers, April 23-25 vs. Cincinnati, April 30-May 2 vs. St. John’s and May 20-22 vs. Louisville.

The BIG EAST Tournament again will be played under an eight-team format from May 26-30, at Bright House Networks Field in Clearwater, Fla. The format will mirror the College World Series with two four-team brackets playing double-elimination games on the first four days. The bracket winners then will meet in a single title game on May 30.

(Press Release)