Wake Forest Athletics
Gold Rush Feature: Packing a Punch
4/14/2011 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 14, 2011
This article was originally published in the April 9 edition of Gold Rush.
By Sam Walker
Matt Conway went into his collegiate baseball career with a plan. It's not that most players don't go in without one, but Conway had a very specific plan for success, and he's made it work. The Birmingham, Mich., native came to Wake Forest after leading his high school team to a state title but consciously sought out a mentor as soon as he got on campus to learn how to play at a new and higher level.
Conway became fast friends with Austin Stadler, now a junior left-handed pitcher for the Deacons who no longer hits to totally focus on his pitching. But as a freshman, Stadler hit .279 with two homers and 24 RBIs and tied for second on the team with 11 doubles. He was a gifted hitter in his own right. But there was an immediate connection, and Conway had found a guy with whom he could work and learn, a guy who had walked in his cleats just a year before.
"When I came here and obviously college baseball here isn't going to be the same as baseball back in Michigan, so I had a lot of support from my family and friends and they just told me to relax and that the fall is the time to shine and show the coach you can play," Conway said. "So before the fall started, I wanted show the coach I would work hard, and Austin Stadler was able to hit (as a collegiate freshman), so he would take me to go hit on the weekends, before and after practices, and he kind of guided me through it.
"He had a year of experience already under his belt, so he was a great hitter. I wanted to get an upper classman to guide me through it, and Austin played that role in getting me ready. So when the fall rolled around, I wanted to show the coaches I knew how to play."
Conway ended his freshman campaign hitting a team-best .382 with six homers and 32 RBIs in 44 games. What he was doing was certainly working.
"Everything worked out where I was going to be able to start the first game, but I ended up spraining my ankle and not playing for the first week or so," Conway said. "As you know, baseball is a sport when you get your chance you have to perform in order to stay in the lineup, and all the hard work paid off for me."
"We certainly expected good things out of Matty coming into this season," said Deacon coach Tom Walter. "If there is anything he needs to work on, it's eliminating the highs and lows, and right now he's a little bit of a streak hitter. When his timing is right and mechanics are good, he's as good a hitter as there is, and it's darn near impossible to get him out. But when he gets into a little funk with his timing, he can be pitched to. The one thing he needs to do to take his game to the next level is eliminate those slumps."
As a freshman, Conway was not only a hitter but also a pitcher. He hasn't had to be used in that role this year with a young pitching staff making strides, so it has freed him to focus on playing defense at first base and being the offensive threat the Deacons need to be competitive. But with a tight schedule in April, he may still see some innings on the mound.
"It's something that's still on our radar, so there's a chance we're going to use Matty on the mound when we're short on pitching," Walter said. "But he's our best defensive first baseman right now, so it's hard to take the anchor of our defense right now and put him on the mound."
Going into late March, Conway was one of just two players who started all 20 games for the Deacons and was tied for the team lead in batting average and hits and led the Deacons with 23 RBIs (which at the time ranked tied for third in the ACC). He had five doubles and a team leading four home runs.
"When we've scored played well and scored runs, Matt has been in the center of that." Walter said. "(Steven) Brooks and (Pat) Blair get the table set, and Conway and (Mac) Williamson drive them in. That's the plan anyway, and Matt has delivered on that. He's as talented a hitter as I've ever coached. He has an uncanny ability to get the good part of the bat on the good part of the ball, and he has a really good feel for what he's doing. He's really starting to develop into a leader. He's not there yet, just being a sophomore, but the younger guys look up to him. His work ethic is fantastic and the way he deals with adversity is exemplary. He'll be a captain for us next year, and he's going to play in the Cape Cod League this summer, so the sky is the limit for Matty."
Conway propelled Wake Forest to a 5-4 victory over North Carolina March 13, and the Deacons took two of three from the Tar Heels. Conway hit a game-tying, three-run homer in the bottom of the sixth that kept the Deacons in position to win and later drove home Brooks with the game-winning run.
"Against UNC when I hit that game tying home run, Coach told me to stay within myself and that all I needed was a base hit," Conway said. "That's when you really have to relax and realize you don't need a home run every time to win for your team. It's basically taking what you are given and performing when it's handed to you. I'm going to take what they give me and let my skills and talents take over. I've worked hard enough to be where I'm at, now I just have to let that pay off."
Consistency in any sport is difficult to maintain, and Conway admits since the wins over North Carolina, his offense hasn't been the same. But he's hoping to get back on track in the coming games and knows if he does it won't be because he was an unknown entity. This year he's been able to achieve with the opposition knowing well he is one of the Deacons' best offensive threats.
"Last year people didn't know who I was or what kind of player I was, but now pitchers and coaches in the ACC know who I am, so I'm just going out there and do what I can to help my team win," Conway said. "This past week I kind of have been in a slump and guys have been telling me that it's just baseball. It's how you find a way to get out of it, and when you get out you perform. That happened last year near the end of the season, and then I got out of it against Boston College, and that was when I was able to perform. It's a hot and cold sport, so it's all about how you turn things around when you deal with adversity.
"I just go out there every day and take it one day, one play, one at-bat at a time. I try not to think about it all too much. I have to be a four hitter and a guy our team turns to in order to win. I was able to do it last year with what they gave me, and now I'm able to do it again."
"Matty is a good guy to look to because he stays pretty positive," Walter said. "He's a guy to look to when things aren't looking good, and he is certainly the guy we look to come through with the game on the line. Some guys shy away from that role, and others embrace it. Matty is a guy who embraces it."
