Q and A with Kenyon Commit: Matt Delbridge (Springboro HS)

Matt Delbridge, LHP, Springboro HS

PBR: Why did you choose Kenyon?
Delbridge: I choose Kenyon because it felt like the perfect school for me.  It offered the prestigious liberal arts education, beautiful campus, and competitive baseball that I was looking for in a school.

PBR: What other schools were you considering?
Delbridge: I was also considering University of Chicago, Grinnell College, Carleton College, and Denison, among others.

PBR: Where did the Kenyon coaches first see you?
Delbridge: They first saw me at the Headfirst Baseball Camp on Long Island last summer.

PBR: What role do the coaches expect you to play your first year on campus?
Delbridge: They expect me to compete for a rotation spot and give them a lot of solid innings. I will also get a chance to bat in the lineup.

PBR:  What team do you play for in the summer?
Delbridge: Cincinnati Nationals (formerly Kinect Nationals)

PBR: What sort of sacrifices did you have to make to play a travel intensive schedule during the summer?? What sort of advice would you pass on to players looking to make the same decision?
Delbridge: I have sacrificed countless hours of free time with my friends and family to play travel baseball. I am lucky in the fact that I was able to find a team in the Cincinnati Nationals that became almost like a
second family to me. I would advise anyone looking to do the same thing to look for a team that matches not only their skill level, but also that they have good chemistry with. After all, the point of baseball is to have fun.

PBR: What was the most memorable experience from this summer?
Delbridge: The most memorable experience I had this past summer was pitching in the Crossroads Championship Series in Avon, Ohio, then immediately leaving to attend the Headfirst Camp on Long Island. It was whirlwind few days, but proved to be very helpful in the college recruiting process.

PBR: Who has had the biggest impact on you as a baseball player?
Delbridge: The individual who has had the biggest impact on me as a baseball player is probably the pitching coach on my high school team, Coach Shaun Schmidt. He was also my freshman coach, and he has been incredibly important in any success I have had as a pitcher.

PBR: What were your stats this spring season at Springboro?
Delbridge: This year our team is doing very well with a record of 19-6. Pitching, I am 3-0 with three no decisions.  I have 37 K's in 33.1 innings with an ERA of 2.52.  I am batting .370 with an OBP of .441.

PBR: Who is the toughest hitter that you have faced in Ohio?
Delbridge: The toughest hitter I have faced in Ohio is probably Alex Leach from Carlisle. I have faced him numerous times over the past few summers, and he always astounds me with the quickness of his hands and his ability to constantly make solid contact.