One thing in NCAA Division II baseball is certain: To win, you've got to think offense.
Because virtually every player on every team is out to prove himself.
Matthew Knickerbocker has been known to belt a ball over a wall. But the batting average.that's up the admittedly average-oriented switch-hitter's proverbial power alley.
The new Bayfield graduate recently committed to the silver-gold-and-green machine of Rolla-based Missouri University of Science & Technology. As of May 17, MS&T owned the sixth-highest collective BA (.298) in the D-II Great Lakes Valley Conference.
(The Miners' 13 homers tied Wisconsin-Parkside and Lebanon, Ill.-based McKendree University for last.)
"They have a really good engineering program; it's one of the top in the nation," Knickerbocker stated, possibly knowing that S&T was founded as Missouri School of Mines and Metallurgy back in 1870. "And their baseball program is really nice, very good.the coach wanted me, so I wanted to go there."
"I went to their 'prospect camp' in January, I think," he continued. "Coach liked me, and I e-mailed him back-we just kept e-mailing and he said, 'Hey, do you want to sign with us?' I was like, 'Of course!'"
S&T went 25-26 overall this spring, but 19-17 against the GLVC and 15-13 in its West Division en route to earning the eighth and last qualifying spot in the GLVC Tournament. The Miners' season then ended on May 7 at Grand Park in Westfield, Ind. They lost 5-0 to Quincy (Ill.) University and 8-5 to 2014 National Champions University of Southern Indiana.
But therein lay the team's promise; after trailing 6-zip, S&T fought back to 6-5 before USI separated and dealt the Miners a fourth straight loss to end their year.
"Definitely good-quality baseball, and I just have to go in there with my head down and grind through all the hard practices.and do my thing," said Knickerbocker.
"Obviously I'm not going to walk in there the big man on campus and say, 'Look at me!'" he continued. "I mean, I'm going to have to prove myself my freshman year!"
Born to parents Kirk and Marie with a basketball-suggestive family name (and owning some skills in the game), and built up into a student-athlete also possessing a football quarterback's arm and a mind able to adapt to all three sports, Knickerbocker has noted an interest to pursue petroleum engineering academically at S&T.
"Playing all these other sports, it's helped me out as an athlete and it made me decide that I like baseball the best," he said. "So I'm going to stick with that, go to college for that!"
