Men How UConn catcher Matt Donlan turned into MLB prospect after getting no D-I interest at Guilford High (Borges @ Hearst)

[huskymedic]

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->… But he has never had a catcher quite like Guilford’s Matt Donlan.

“His throwing arm’s the best I’ve coached behind the plate,” Penders said matter-of-factly prior to UConn’s 8-4 win over Yale on Wednesday at Elliot Ballpark. “Brian Esposito is the next closest. He had a cannon, and he played in the big leagues. Matt’s got a stronger arm than Brian did at the same stage. It’s pretty impressive.” <-

-> In fact, all three of UConn’s catchers hail from Connecticut: Donlan, redshirt freshman Ryan Hyde of Berlin and true freshman Matt Garbowski of New Fairfield. Although Garbowski has been injured lately and Donlan has had to carry the bulk of the workload, Penders calls this his “most enjoyable catching staff.”

“We all have a lot in common,” the coach noted. “They’re dirty uniform guys. They’re not about the chrome, the EvoShield pads, the wrist bands, the look. It’s all about the work. I’ve really enjoyed them. Maybe it’s because they’re Connecticut guys, too. That’s an added bonus. They get it. They’re public high school, Connecticut kids that got our attention in one way or another. They got here the old-fashioned way: they earned it.” <-

 

[Sea Goat]

Alternate access link here<<

->… But he has never had a catcher quite like Guilford’s Matt Donlan.

“His throwing arm’s the best I’ve coached behind the plate,” Penders said matter-of-factly prior to UConn’s 8-4 win over Yale on Wednesday at Elliot Ballpark. “Brian Esposito is the next closest. He had a cannon, and he played in the big leagues. Matt’s got a stronger arm than Brian did at the same stage. It’s pretty impressive.” <-

-> In fact, all three of UConn’s catchers hail from Connecticut: Donlan, redshirt freshman Ryan Hyde of Berlin and true freshman Matt Garbowski of New Fairfield. Although Garbowski has been injured lately and Donlan has had to carry the bulk of the workload, Penders calls this his “most enjoyable catching staff.”

“We all have a lot in common,” the coach noted. “They’re dirty uniform guys. They’re not about the chrome, the EvoShield pads, the wrist bands, the look. It’s all about the work. I’ve really enjoyed them. Maybe it’s because they’re Connecticut guys, too. That’s an added bonus. They get it. They’re public high school, Connecticut kids that got our attention in one way or another. They got here the old-fashioned way: they earned it.” <-

Love the way Penders credits the kids. It gives them "ownership". Quite simply, Penders recruits solid kids with talent and he makes them better!

 

[huskymedic]

Another nice story on Matt Donlan (funny how both papers used the same picture):




-> Matt Donlan looks like a catcher, throws like a catcher — and runs like a catcher. So when he singled in the sixth inning, it was no shock when the words “play behind him” came from the Creighton dugout.

Chris Podeswa, coaching at first, timed the pitcher’s delivery at 1.6 seconds and relayed that info to head coach Jim Penders at third. And Penders flashed the green light. “You could see Matt’s eyes light up,” Penders said.

Why not? Donlan, who hit a game-winning homer Friday and has been a rock for UConn’s pitchers all season, had a new way to tip the scales a close game. He took off for second and made it easily.

“I don’t think I had a stolen base in college baseball on a straight steal,” Donlan said Sunday after UConn’s 6-5 win finished off the weekend sweep. “It was definitely a weird situation, but I was ready to do it.”

The joy ride continues for the indefatigable Donlan, from Guilford, who transferred from Division II Stonehill to the place he’d always wanted to be, and the Huskies, now 40-8 and 14-1 with a four-game lead in the Big East. The little things add up in all sports, but in baseball the most minute details, a glance, a fraction of a second, are magnified in a close game. The key hits, the defensive plays, recognizing an opportunity to swipe a bag, down a run in the late innings, even with a slow runner, the Huskies are running a MasterClass in the nuances of winning baseball. <-

 

[huskymedic]

 

[huskymedic]

More Donlan love…

 

[huskymedic]