One of the powerhouse baseball programs in the nation is the University of Vanderbilt, which is located in Nashville, Tennessee. After winning the College World Series in 2014, they waltzed through the SEC once again this year, along with the NCAA Regionals and NCAA Super Regionals. Upon reaching the tournament, they won the first four games of the tournament before being upset in consecutive games by Virginia.
Despite recruiting some of the best talent the nation has to offer, there was only one player from Long Island on the roster this season–Brendan Spagnuolo, a pitcher from Chaminade HS.
Their roster will consist of at least one Long Islander in fall 2018, it will be Matt Hogan of Half Hollow Hills East. Aside from the fact that Vanderbilt is a tremendous program, Hogan just completed his freshman year of high school, which makes the early commitment all the more impressive.
By all accounts, Hogan is the most talented position player to come through Long Island in a generation and, from a developmental standpoint, is ahead of where players like Matt Vogel and Marcus Stroman were at the same age. That is saying something.
I had a chance to talk with the star centerfielder and here’s what he had to say…
Describe the process of selecting a college and how the commitment to Vanderbilt came about? Very impressive for a freshman.
My parents asked me to do some research and come up with a list of the top 5 schools I wanted to attend. I was very interested in Vanderbilt because it had an incredible baseball program and academically it was outstanding. I investigated each of the schools and began reaching out to the coaches. The Titans organization, especially Tom Downey, was unbelievably helpful in telling me and helping me to reach out to the coaches sending them emails and videos. I also made some phone calls to coaches and some of them were kind enough to take the time to talk to me which was a great experience. The one thing I did that was great was to go to the Vanderbilt prospect camp. It was from there that my recruiting process with Vanderbilt started.
Who are some of the people that have played a big influence in your baseball career?
My coaches with the Titans; Tom Downey, Ralph Rizzo and Bobby DeMichael have been a very positive influences. Downey spent a lot of time helping me with hitting and also a lot of guidance with the recruiting process, which can be confusing, exciting and scary. Bobby DeMichael helped out with my accuracy in pitching along with my confidence on the mound. Ralph Rizzo was my baseball coach on the Titans for 5 years and has done nothing but support me and offer me extremely helpful tips on how to improve my performance on the field. The entire Titans family has contributed in helping me reach my goals and I can’t thank them enough. My high school coach Tim Belz put a lot of faith in me bringing me up as an eighth grader and giving me a shot to start on the varsity team. For me playing varsity was an honor and I worked as hard as I could. Coach Belz helped me with my swing, but even more importantly my base running, which was something I have recently improved on with his guidance. He is a great coach and I cannot wait for next season to play for him. The Hills East juniors and seniors were like older brothers to me and I made some relationships on that team that I will have forever. However the most influential people in my life are my parents. They help me keep my head on straight and give me continued support in all aspects of my life. My dad was the person who taught me how to play baseball and started my love for it. Without him none of this would be possible. My mom has always helped me maintain my confidence and is always encouraging me to do what I never thought I could do. She, along with my father, help me set new goals so I can aspire to achieve them.
Who are some athletes you look up to?
Derek Jeter has always been my idol since I was little. Not only was he a phenomenal player but an incredible person on and off the field. He always showed great respect for the game and everyone around him.
Has your family always been involved in sports?
Yes. My brother Richie and sister Alexa both are excellent athletes and athletics has always been part of our family on both my mother’s side and especially my father’s side. Both sides of the family have always played sports, uncles, cousins were and are excellent athletes. From my great grandfather who was a pitcher and offered a contract with the Yankees to my Grandfather who pitched for Hicksville high school and was offered a contract with the Brewers. Sports was very different back then and both decided to start families or go to college. My Grandfather Richard Hogan Sr. was a Baseball coach for Hicksville high school for a long time and eventually became the Athletic Director and then Principal there. My father told me he was always advocating for athletics in school, but would always say it
means nothing without grades. My dad also played baseball and football, my brother is a great lacrosse and soccer player and my sister plays soccer. My family has always been involved in sports.
What are you working on to improve your game this summer?
I am working on my pitching, hitting and fielding. Everything I have heard is that you need to continue to work, and learn new things to get better.
Are you hoping to get drafted in the 2018 draft? Do you have plans to tryout for Team USA before then?
I would just say that any kid who plays baseball has dreams of being drafted, however, the odds of that happening are almost astronomical. I am going to continue to work as hard as I can to be a good person and continue to work at baseball. I can’t tell you how excited I am to play at Vanderbilt. Coach Corbin and Coach Brown are incredible coaches running the best program in the nation. Right now I can’t think beyond that. I am going to continue to work and get better so when I get to Vanderbilt I can help the team in whatever way they need me to. It is a great honor for me to know that I will have the opportunity to play there and will work as hard as I can to contribute to the team. I love playing the game and everything about it.
