That white chalk rectangle in the dirt in front of the catcher – that’s Matt Leeds’ box.
Opposing pitchers would rather not see him standing in his box, just 60 feet in front of them, because from that box, Leeds – the reigning Southern Conference Player of the Year – hit .340, launched 20 homers and drove in his teammates 80 times in 2010.
“When you’re up to bat,” Leeds smiles, “you own the batter’s box.”
In sports, confidence is critical, so it’s no surprise the switch-hitting Leeds takes this “my box” approach. Still, there are times when he may take it beyond what’s necessary.
“Matt never moves out of the batter’s box,” says Head Coach Monte Lee ’00. “He’s like a statue. Our guys laugh at that because he has no fear at being hit by a 90-m.p.h. fastball.”
Essentially, Leeds says, you do whatever it takes to send a message to the pitcher.
While baseball was instrumental in Leeds’ decision to come to the College, it wasn’t the lone factor. “I wanted to make sure wherever I went had good academics,” he says. “I’ve always valued education.”
Coach Lee points to Leeds as the “blueprint for what a student–athlete” should be, not surprising, considering he was named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District III First Team on account of his 3.89 GPA – as an economics major, no less.
“Matt is mentally and physically tough,” Lee notes. “He plays with injuries and competes as hard as anyone I’ve coached. If I had nine of him on the field, we’d go to Omaha and the College World Series every year.”
Leeds did get some off-the-field, top-notch tutoring last summer during his internship in New York City with Hawkeye Capital Management, for which he worked as a junior research analyst valuing publically traded companies.
“It was a learning experience. I was definitely at the bottom of the barrel,” confesses Leeds, adding with a laugh, “I’m used to people coming to me and asking me for advice.”
While a backup plan is always wise, make no mistake: Leeds has big-league ambitions. He likely could’ve been drafted last summer, but he was honest with scouts, telling them he wanted to be sure to get his degree, which he’s currently in line to receive this spring.
The third baseman, who scouts say could play either corner-infield spot at the next level, knows his name will likely be circled by the opposing pitchers during the 2011 campaign. And opposing coaches will point to his name and say, “Don’t let him beat you.”
“That doesn’t bother me,” Leeds shrugs. “I like that challenge.”
So, have fun with that, SoCon hurlers. It’s going to be a long season.
by Trevor Baratko ’08
Photo by Diana Deaver