by Vinny Messana, Editor
Usually when you hear baseball fans rave about an 8th grader you take it with a grain of salt.
He’s good for his age? Big deal.
Every once in a while, however, the hype is warranted. The hyperbole is not overstated.
When it comes to Calhoun’s Matt Pelcher–there might not be enough endearing terms.
“As a player for his age he’s just a freak,” said his summer coach. “Probably the best catcher in his age group.”
And it’s probably not close. Pelcher hit .286 and threw out 40 percent of base stealers on varsity as an eighth grader for a playoff team that won 15 games and had an All-Long Island pitcher in Dylan Hughes and a 5-game winner in Jake Garguilo.
It is no small task to put up strong offensive numbers while also being asked to handle an advanced pitching staff at such a young age.
Pelcher has been around it for quite some time. While attending the New York Baseball Academy, he was handling the high school pitchers as a fifth grader. Most catchers that age struggle to catch fastballs with a consistent basis and he was blocking curveballs in the dirt.
He comes from an athletic family and his father played his collegiate ball at St. John’s University. He started pitching to Matt by the time he was two years old.
While he acknowledged the impact that his family has had on his career, he was complimentary of another individual that has helped him along the way.
“Coach Hector Duprey has taught me a lot about the game,” he said in regards to the Monroe College Coach who has spent a lot of time with him at the NYBA Summer Camps. “He also taught me how to have a great attitude,” he added.
That attitude benefited him and kept him humble when it would’ve been easy for him to flaunt his success.
He noted that his Calhoun coach, Art Canestro, informed him last fall that he would be playing on varsity but also to keep it a secret. Pelcher obeyed his coach’s wishes despite the temptation to boast about the tremendous accomplishment.
The decision proved to be a terrific idea, and Pelcher noted that his teammates were very welcoming to him.
“My teammates took me in–made me one of them and they were there for me 24/7,” he added.
Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and happy days as a baseball player.
Pelcher did have his struggles and he noted that there came a crossroads during this season after a particularly difficult game. He went 0-for-3 with two K’s and was beginning to question himself and whether he could handle the challenge.
“I went to my dad after the game and said ‘I don’t know if I can do this,’ but he encouraged me to keep playing and I ended up going 2-for-3 in the next game,” he added.
Whereas most players consider that 0-for-3 a bad day, he considered it a slump and immediately turned it around.
It’s that type of determination that interests the top programs in the country–and Pelcher is not shy about his aspirations.
He noted that Vanderbilt is his No. 1 choice, but his goal is to start right away for a Div-I college.
There’s still plenty of time before he needs to worry about that, but there’s no doubt college coaches will keep his name on the radar.
If you would like to register for the New York Baseball Academy, call 516-463-CAMP
