Matt Williams

Classroom

Matt maintains a 3.41 grade point average while pursuing a degree in Political Science with a certificate in Markets and Management.  In addition, his will also leave Duke with a second minor in Religion.  He was named Academic All-District III second team as a junior, is a two-time All-ACC Academic Baseball Team selection and a three-time ACC Academic Honor Roll member.

Character

A team leader, Matt is an integral part in the baseball team’s community service work.  He eats with each of his pitchers on a one-on-one basis throughout the season to get to know them and find out what makes them tick.  A tireless worker who excels at doing the little things on the field, Matt has worked hard to improve every season, as his numbers show.

Community

Matt helps to organize the Duke baseball team’s community service projects, completing 10 so far this season.  He recently lined up a senior class visit to the Pediatric ICU in the Duke Children’s Hospital where he and his 4 classmates visited with the children, signed autographs and passed out teddy bears.  He has also participated with Habitat for Humanity, the Duke G.R.O.W.S. project, the MLK “Million Meals” Event and visits to the Durham Soup Kitchen.

Competition

Matt has started over 150 career games and is one of the best defensive catchers in the ACC.  He led all conference catchers in fielding percentage last year after making just one error.  He has improved his batting average by no less than 20 points every year and hit a career-best .330 as a junior.  He threw out 19 runners trying to steal to tie for the second-most in the conference and held opposing runners to a 67 percent stolen base success rate (3rd in ACC).  Matt enters his senior season on a 42-game errorless streak and has 21 multi-hit games in 2008.  Last season, he also batted .340 with runners in scoring position.