It has been quite the emotional roller coaster for senior first baseman Gabe Matthews. He began what he thought was going to be his final year of collegiate baseball with a bang, posting a .339/.500/.518 clip with more walks than strikeouts before the season was abruptly canceled.
“It kind of hit me,” he said. “I thought to myself deep down, is this my last game playing baseball forever?”
To Matthews’ relief, as well as that of spring athletes all over the country, the NCAA granted an extra year of eligibility to those whose seasons were cut short by the pandemic. With this new opportunity suddenly available, Matthews had quite a decision to make.
“It was kind of a crazy week,” he said. “I started weighing my options and was able to get my head in the right spot and understand what was best for me…I came back for my fifth year.”
Things are looking up for the Oregon baseball program, with Matthews’ return being just one of many contributing factors. The team is also excited for the returns of redshirt junior Kenyon Yovan and fellow senior Nico Tellache, as well as the addition of many new high school commits.
“I think the biggest thing is not slowing down from where we left off,” Matthews said. “A big thing for us as a team is staying in shape, making sure we’re still doing stuff.”
The 2021 spring season will also be the first full year for head coach Mark Wasikowski, who managed the Ducks to an 8-7 record before the 2020 season was canceled.
Wasikowski played collegiate ball himself from 1990 to 1993, graduating from Pepperdine University. He has previously served as an assistant coach for the Ducks and head coach for Purdue, and was named the Ducks’ new head coach prior to the 2020 season. Matthews said he and the rest of the team are excited to see what Wasikowski can do with this talented group over a full year.
“He just expects the best from us,” Matthews said of Wasikowski. “It’s just different…I don’t think there’s a better or worse way to go about it, and I think Waz has done a good job.”
With another chance at his final season, Matthews is hoping that his talents can take him beyond collegiate ball.
“It’s going to be different, it’s going to be weird,” he said of his pro ball situation. “Hopefully I can continue to play baseball for a long time, and that’s the goal.”
For now, he’s simply been trying to make the most of the quarantine in preparation for next year.
“I was able to move the stuff from my parents’ house into my garage here in Eugene,” Matthews said. “Started working out in my garage, and then set up a batting cage at my uncle’s house, so I was able to get stuff done that way…I took up some new hobbies like golf, which I’m not very good at, but pretty fun to do.”
After working through the grind of this long offseason and getting ready to go back to school for a master’s degree in marketing and brand management, he is now raring for the season to start.
“I’m excited to get back with everyone and see how everything takes off from there,” Matthews said.
