27.0°F  Website Login | BirminghamJune 24, 2009Rice's 'big-game' player
By Mike Moore
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Senior did everything for Birmingham Brother Rice baseball
BIRMINGHAM — If it was a big game, the ball was in his hand.
If it was a key hit that was needed, there was no better player digging into the box then him.
Heck, if it was a state championship on the line, he was in there frustrating batter after batter while tossing a shutout with an ease that almost seemed unfair.
Brother Rice baseball coach Bob Riker called him a “big-game pitcher” and the kind of player who could “do it all,” adding that he had yet to reach his full potential.
If that’s true, then Matt Conway — who earned 2009 Michigan High School Baseball Coaches Association Dream Team and Division 1 All-State first team honors — probably isn’t done frustrating hitters or growing the ERA’s of opposing pitchers.
“Matt was the kind of guy you could pencil in every single day and know he was going to contribute,” said Riker of his senior left-hander. “Anytime you have a kid like that — who is smart, athletically gifted and can do just about everything for you in the field — well, it’s pretty special.”
“Special” is one way to describe Conway. Downright dominant during his high school career would also fit.
In his four-years on varsity, three of which he was Brother Rice’s No. 1 starter, Conway finished with a 31-5 record, including pitching all seven innings of an 8-0 blanking of Saline High in the Division 1 state final. In 2009, his senior season, he was 11-2 with a 2.11 ERA.
Offensively, he hit .343 in 2009, was one of the Warriors’ biggest threats at the plate and guided his team to the state quarterfinals.
“When we were in a big game, Matt was on the mound, and usually, he was pretty awesome,” Riker said. “He was a great pitcher and a great first baseman who just so happened to be awesome offensively. Like I said, he could do it all.”
Conway, who hit a home run in the June 16 high school All-Star game at Comerica Park, had his best season offensively during his junior year, hitting .450, slugging 11 home runs and driving in 66 runs.
He’s headed to Wake Forest on a baseball scholarship next fall, but he admitted the years of baseball he enjoyed the most could be behind him.
“Don’t get me wrong, I can’t wait to be a part of college baseball and compete at that level, but these past four years were some of the best times of my life,” Conway said.
“I talk to Andy Lentz (a 2008 graduate and current member of the Georgetown baseball team) a lot, and he’s told me there’s nothing like the family atmosphere of Brother Rice baseball. I’m so proud of everything I was able to do here, and I know I’m going to really miss it.”
When asked what he expects out of Conway next season, Riker just laughed.
“He’s only going to get better. I mean it, he’s not even close to the ceiling of his potential yet,” Riker said.
“A lot of people might disagree, but I think when all is said and done, Matt is going to be a great pitcher in college. He doesn’t throw very hard, which is why he could end up being a full-time first baseman, but the thing about him is the fact he’s a pitcher, not a thrower. He has such excellent command and excellent baseball smarts.”
“I’m going to go there (Wake Forest) expecting to do both and see what happens,” Conway said.
“I know I can get better; I know mentally and physically I can improve. By the time I report, I want to be in the best shape possible and see what happens.”
As far as his high school career is concerned, Conway said it’s tough to believe he enjoyed the success he did. Modest yet proud, he said he couldn’t help but be happy with the career he put together.
“We did a lot of great things as a team, especially winning that state title,” he said. “It’s pretty cool to look back on it all and know how hard I worked for it. These were times I will never forget.”
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