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Baseball/Football Star Has Record-breaking Day…

BOONE, N.C. – Senior wide receiver Matt Szczur had a career-high four touchdowns and threw for another score to lead Villanova (9-4) into the semifinals of the Division I Football Championship with a 42-24 victory at No. 1 seed Appalachian State (10-3) at Kidd Brewer Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The defending national champion Wildcats won on the road for the second straight week to reach the semifinals for the second year in a row and third time in program history.

Villanova two-sport standout Matt Szczur

Villanova had never won a true road game in the postseason before last week but has now won two straight playoff road games by lopsided margins. That turnaround matches the way the team has turned around its season, going from the brink of elimination from postseason contention to being one step away from returning to the national championship game. In the process, the Wildcats have won a road game against then-No. 1 Delaware in the final game of the regular season, defeated Southland Conference champion Stephen F. Austin on their home turf and eliminated the top playoff seed with today’s victory.

In the semifinals next week, Villanova will face No. 5 seed Eastern Washington.  The game will take place this Friday night (Dec. 17) at 8 p.m. at Roos Field in Cheney, Wash. The contest will be nationally televised on ESPN2.

For the first time in his career, Szczur registered touchdowns by way of rushing, receiving and passing in the same game. He did all that in the first half alone as Villanova built a 28-10 lead by halftime before staving off numerous attempts by the Mountaineers to start a rally in the second half. This was the 32nd consecutive game since 2003 in which the Wildcats have defended a double-digit halftime lead en route to a victory.

Szczur played in the minor leagues last summer with the Peoria Chiefs.

Szczur wound up running for 105 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries, caught a team-high five passes for 45 yards and a score and went 2-of-2 through the air for 58 yards and a touchdown. He had 207 all-purpose yards and this was the second time in his career that he found three different ways to score a touchdown in the same game; the other was in the first round of the playoffs in 2008 and included touchdowns via a rush, pass and kick return.

Villanova is the defending FCS national champion, with Szczur leading the Wildcats to last year’s crown. He signed a professional contract with the Chicago Cubs and played minor league baseball this past summer after being drafted in June in the 5th round of the MLB draft. Szczur is joined on the football team by fellow baseball players Marlon Calbi and Christian Culicerto.

(From Villanova release and staff reports)

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Two-Sport Star To Help Leukemia Patient

(Courtesy Villanova)

VILLANOVA, Pa.- Right fielder Matt Szczur was not available to play during the Villanova baseball three-game series against Georgetown last weekend at the Villanova Ballpark at Plymouth. Szczur has begun taking medication in preparation for a bone marrow donation in the near future.

Szczur is a two-sport star in football and baseball for the Wildcats.  He was selected as a match for a patient with leukemia last November and is currently prepared to donate his bone marrow in the near future.

On the baseball diamond this spring, Szczur (click link to listen to a podcast interview with Szczur) is batting a team-best .435 in 36 games.  He has been the team’s best all-around offensive player and leads Villanova in on-base percentage (.483), slugging percentage (.634), doubles (11), triples (6) and home runs (3).  He hit for the cycle last week in Villanova’s 17-10 win over Temple.

This past fall, Szczur helped lead the football team to its first-ever national championship, as the Wildcats defeated

(Courtesy Villanova)

Montana by a score of 23-21 in the title game of the Division I Football Championship.  Szczur ran for a career-high 159 yards against Montana and was named the MVP of the championship game for his performance.

Szczur is a match for a 19-month old girl with leukemia. There are 20 million people worldwide who are registered as potential marrow donors.  Still, there are only about 250 matches found each year, making it a 1-in-80,000 chance that a registered donor will be a match.  For more information on the National Marrow Donor Program, please visit www.marrow.org.

(Courtesey Villanova sports information.)

Plenty Of Player Interviews To Get Fans Primed For The Season

LSU Head Coach Paul Mainieri – Reflects on winning the 2009 National Championship.

UT Arlington’s Michael Choice – Talks about his summer with Team USA & upcoming season.

Washington State’s Chad Arnold – On his summer & last year’s record-setting Cougar season.

George Washington’s Marshall Seedorf – Talks about balancing being a college pitcher and swimmer.

UConn’s Pierre LePage – Discusses big plans for 2010 & winning a Cape Cod League title.

Southern Mississippi’s B.A. Vollmuth – On the College World Series run & playing on The Cape last summer.

East Carolina’s Kyle Roller – Cape Cod MVP talks about going farther with ECU this year.

West Virginia’s Jedd Gyorko – On Cape Cod & getting the Mountaineers over the hump.

Florida Gulf Coast’s Chris Sale – Cape Cod Pitching MVP talks about FGCU being NCAA eligible this year.

Middle Tennessee’s Bryce Brentz – The 2009 NCAA hitting & HR leader on growing as a college baseball player.

Villanova two-sport star Matt Szczur – On winning a football national title & plans for the future.

Michigan’s Ryan LaMarre – The preseason All-American on returning Michigan to NCAA Tourney.

OVC Baseball Coaches - A handful talk about moving the OVC Tourney to Pringles Park this year.

Villanova Two Sport Star Talks About Football Title & Baseball Future

Szczur

Matt Szczur was lightly recruited while attending Lower Cap May Regional High School in southern New Jersey, but he has blossomed into a potential pro in both baseball and football during his time at Villanova.  Szczur  was named both the CAA’s Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year this fall as he helped the Wildcats win the FCS Division One Football National Championship.

He has three seasons of baseball and one more season of football eligibility remaining, but he’s eligible for the MLB Draft this June.  In this podcast interview with Collegebaseball360.com Editor Sean Stires he talks about the decision he might have to soon make on his future.

Szczur has been included throughout the fall and winter in our Two Sport Reports.

5’11 – 190 – Jr. – Erma, NJ

Baseball:  Catcher/Outfielder – Head Coach:  Joe Godri

Football:  Receiver/Returner – Head Coach:  Andy Talley

Szczur and Villanova will compete in the second annual Big Ten-Big East Baseball Challenge, hosted by the St. Petersburg/Clearwater Sports Commission, Feb. 26-28. For tickets visit  www.BigTenBIGEASTChallenge.com.

Baseball Players Won Major Awards & A National Title On The Gridirion In 2009

Toby Gerhart

loss to Florida.  Collaros hit .204 in 49 at-bats for the UC baseball team in 2009.

Toby Gerhart-Running Back-Stanford

Gerhart had a monster year on the gridiron in 2009.  He won the Doak Walker Award and finished 28 points behind Alabama’s Mark Ingram in the closest Heisman Trophy race ever.  Gerhart led the NCAA with 1,871 rushing yards and 27 touchdowns during his senior season.  The 6’1-235 lb. back rushed for 3,522 yards and a Pac-10 record 43 TDs in his career.  Gerhart totaled 135 yards and 2 touchdowns in Stanford’s 31-27 Sun Bowl loss to Oklahoma.

He played for three seasons on the Stanford baseball team, and he started each of the Cardinal’s 2008 College World Series games.

Gerhart could exercise a fifth year of football eligibility (he missed most of 2007 with a knee injury) and he still has a final season of baseball eligibility remaining.  However,  he  is expected to forego those options to prepare for February’s NFL combine and, ultimately, April’s NFL draft.

Chad Jones (LSU photo)

Chad Jones-Safety-LSU

After helping the LSU baseball team win the 2009 College World Series, Jones started all 13 games at safety for the Tiger football team.  Jones’ 74 tackles were the fifth-most by an LSU player this season.  He also returned punts in five differeent games in 2009, including an 87-yarder for a touchdown in a win over Mississippi State.  He had 6 tackles in LSU’s Capitol One Bowl loss to Penn State.

Jones, an outfielder converted to pitcher in ’09,  had a 2.70 ERA in 9 relief appearances last season.

Kyle Parker-Quarterback-Clemson

Parker passed for 2,526 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in his first season as Clemson’s starting quarterback this season.  He threw for 141 yards and a TD in the Tiger’s 21-13 win over Kentucky in the Music City Bowl.

Parker is entering his third season with the Clemson baseball team in 2010 (he graduated high school a semester early to enroll at Clemson in January 2008).  He batted .255 with 12 HR and 52 RBIs last season.

Dave Shinskie-Quarterback-Boston College

Shinskie is not a college baseball player, but he is an interesting two sport athlete.  Shinskie is a 25-year-old freshman who is starting at quarterback for the BC football team.  He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2003 MLB draft by the Minnesota Twins, and he finished his minor league baseball career in 2009 in the Toronto Blue Jays organization.

Shinskie passed or 2,049 yards with 15 touchdowns and 14 int. in 2009.  He threw for 218 yards with a TD and an int. in BC’s 24-13 Emerald Bowl loss to USC.  He is not eligible to play for the Boston College baseball team.

Matt Szczur-Wide Receiver-Villanova

Szczur helped lead Villanova to the 2009 FCS National Championship.  He

Matt Szczur (4) and Chris Whitney hoist Villanova's championship trophy.

totaled 227 yards from scrimmage in VU’s 23-21 win over Montana in the title game in December.  Szczur ran for 159 yards and had 4 catches for 68 more yards.  He was named both the CAA’s Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year this season.  He ran for 810 yards and 10 touchdowns, passed for 22 yards and 2 TDs, averaged 27.2 yards on 30 kickoff returns, and had 51 catches for 610 yards and 4 more TDs in 2009.

Szczur led the Wildcat baseball team with a .346 average last spring after missing his freshman baseball season due to injury.

Golden Tate-Wide Receiver-Notre Dame

Tate was the 2009 Biletnikoff Award winner after finishing fourth in the nation with 1,496 receiving yards and 15 TD grabs.  He also ran for two touchdowns and returned a punt for another score.  In December he declared himself for April’s NFL Draft.  The Irish finished the season with a 6-6 record this season, but opted not to play in a bowl game.

Tate had a .318 career batting average in 63 starts in his two-year baseball career with the Irish.  He still has two years of baseball eligibility remaining, but he does not plan to play for the Notre Dame baseball team in 2010.

Two Sport Star Shines In Title Game Win Over Montana

Matt Szczur scored 15 TDs in 2009

formation) and had four catches for 68 yards.  He scored Villanova’s first touchdown of the night on a 5-yard run with 3:34 to go before halftime and scored their last TD to give his team a 23-14 lead with 11:04 remaining in the game.

“To be honest, I didn’t think I was going to break as much as I did,” Szczur said after the game.  ” The offensive line came out, and I hada great second half. They gave me an opportunity to make the big plays as well as Coach [Andy] Talley and Coach [Sam] Venuto giving me the opportunity to run the ball.”

FCS Title Game Box Score (PDF)

Szczur was one of the most versatile players in the country all season.  While the 5’10 junior is listed as a wide receiver, he has packed several sections of the Villanova stat book:

Rushing:  108 carries for 813 yards and a team-high 10 TDs

Receiving:  51 catches for 610 yards and 4 touchdowns

Passing: 4-for-4 for 22 yards and 2 TDs

Kick Returns:  30 for 816 yards (27.2) and an 87-yard touchdown

He was named the 2009 Colonial Athletic Association’s Offensive and Special Teams Player of the Year, but his versatility reaches beyond the football field.  Szczur is also a member of the baseball team, and it’s only fitting that he’s

Szczur is MLB draft eligible in 2010

listed as both a catcher and outfielder on Joe Godri’s Wildcat roster.

Szczur led VU with a .346 average last spring after missing his freshman baseball season due to injury.  He’ll take a short break and then begin training for the Feb. 19 baseball season-opener at Norfolk State.  The Erma, N.J. native still has a season of football eligibility remaining, but he was caught off guard Friday night when asked about his plans for the future.

“That’s a hard question to answer. You put me in a bind right now,”  Szczur said.  ” We’re going to see how my baseball
season turns out. After baseball season, I’ll probably end up entering the draft, but I love these guys.
[Chris] Whitney, Terry [Thomas], all these guys are my best friends. We started as freshman, and we
wanted to do something. We accomplished it, so I don’t want to leave those guys. It’s a hard decision to
make, but it’s a good decision to make.”

He was drafted in the 38th round of the MLB draft by the L.A. Dodgers out of high school.  If he goes in the June draft it is still possible that Szczur could play in the minor leagues next summer and then return to the gridirion with the Villanova football team next fall.   That’s something current Chicago Cubs pitcher Jeff Samardzija did in 2006 when he was playing both baseball and football at Notre Dame.

Now if Szczur could only pass his hair style along to Howie Long.

Note:  Szczur and others have been included in the exclusive Collegebaseball360.com Two Sport Reports throughout the fall.  We’ll have a new installment coming soon!

Wildcat Two Sport Star’s Wildcat Run Sparks Comeback

Matt Szczur has 13 total TDs in 2009

VILLANOVA, Pa.–Junior wide receiver Matt Szczur ignited the offense with a 62-yard touchdown run from the wildcat formation and executed a fake punt that eventually led to a one-yard quarterback sneak by junior quarterback Chris Whitney , as No. 2 seed Villanova (13-1) advanced to the title game of the Division I Football Championship with a 14-13, come-from-behind victory over William & Mary (11-3) on Friday night at Villanova Stadium. The Wildcats scored touchdowns in the third and fourth quarters to rally for the win, which set a new program record for single-season victories (13).

BoxScore (PDF)

Villanova’s offense stagnated for much of the game against the nation’s top rushing defense, but Szczur changed that with a big run at the 9:03 mark of the third quarter for the Wildcats first points of the game. The score trimmed a 10-point deficit down to 10-7 and got the ball rolling for Villanova through the rest of the game. Whitney’s one-yard run at the 10:57 mark of the fourth quarter gave the Wildcats their first and only lead of the game.

After a 40-yard field goal by Tribe kicker Brian Pate made the score 13-7 in favor of William & Mary at the 2:13 mark of the third period, the Wildcats started their next drive from the Tribe’s 48-yard line following a 31-yard kickoff return by Szczur. On 4th-and-8 from the 46-yard line near the end of the quarter, Szczur executed a fake punt for a nine-yard rush and a Villanova first down at the Tribe 37. A review of the play by the instant replay booth confirmed Szczur’s spot.

On the same drive early in the fourth quarter, senior wide receiver Brandyn Harvey caught a 16-yard pass on 3rd-and-7 from the William & Mary 22-yard line. He was initially ruled out of bounds at the six-yard line and the pass an incompletion, but the call was overturned based on an official review in the booth.

Szczur batted .346 in 2009

The Wildcats turned the game around with their backs up against the wall due to a 10-0 halftime deficit against a William & Mary team that entered the game giving up fewer than 12 points per game to its opponents.

Szczur ran for 92 yards on eight carries and Whitney picked up 37 net yards (62 gained, 25 lost) on 17 rushes. Through the air, he was held to 7-of-20 accuracy for 98 yards. Harvey caught a team-high three passes for 65 yards on the night.

Szczur (pronounced SEE-zur) is also a member of the Villanova baseball team.  He and more than 35 others have been included throughout the fall in the Collegebaseball360.com Two Sport Reports, as we chronicle college baseball players’ exploits in their other sports.

Top-seeded Montana takes on Appalachian State in the second semifinal game on Saturday at 4 p.m. on ESPN. The winner advances to meet the Wildcats next Friday evening at 8 p.m. in an ESPN2 broadcast of the national championship game.

(Release)