Matt Nohelty

Classroom

A two-time Academic All-American (First-Team in 2008 and Third-Team in 2007), Matt is also a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, a three-time Minnesota Top V Male Athlete Award Winner (for being among the top five academically on the men’s side of athletics) and a three-time Minnesota Scholar Athlete.  He won the Presidential Leadership award which was awarded to only 43 undergrads and two student-athletes and is a three-time Academic All-District award winner and a 4.0 student.

Character

Matt has been one of the leaders for the Minnesota baseball program on and off the field for the past three years. He has been extremely dedicated to the program on the field and in the classroom. In the summer of 2007, he was offered a chance to play in the Cape Cod Baseball League in the summer, but turned it down to intern for Northwest Airlines and build up his career. This past year, Nohelty was drafted in the 18th round by the Minnesota Twins, but decided to come back to school to pursue his Masters in Computer Science and play his senior season at Minnesota.

Community

Matt has read to elementary school students and explained the importance of reading to the group. He has also worked numerous baseball camps for children of all ages where he met, talked, and played with children who have had tough childhoods. He has spoken at elementary schools about a variety of topics such as sports, peer pressure, drugs and alcohol and the importance of hard work. In addition, he has worked with the DARE (Drug Abuse Resistance Education) program at his old elementary school and has visited very sick children at the hospital and corresponded with them to try to help cheer them up.

Competition

First Big Ten outfielder to receive First-Team All-Big Ten honors two years in a row since 2003-04, Matt entered the 2009 season fourth on the Golden Gophers’ all-time batting average list at .377 and fourth in stolen bases at 66. He is also third in Minnesota’s all-time conference batting average (.395), second in stolen bases in Big Ten play (33), sixth in career hits and fifth in on-base percentage. Last year, he had the highest batting average by a Golden Gopher since 2001 at .397 and had the most hits by a Minnesota play at 94. His 94 hits were the second-most in school history. Nohelty also finished second in the Big Ten in hits and third in batting average in 2008 and was an ABCA First-Team All-Region performer in 2007 and a Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American in 2006.