Matt Paré

Classroom

Matt Paré has compiled a 3.04 GPA and a 3.22 GPA in Applied Psychology and Human Development major in the Lynch School of Education at Boston College.  Upon graduation, he plans on attending graduate school to earn a psychology masters or doctorate as he would like to practice sports psychology and counseling. He would like to help student-athletes cope with the stress and anxiety that come with playing sports and being a full-time student. He was also named to the 2011 ACC Academic Honor Roll and in 2012, he earned BC’s Athletics Director’s Award for Academic Achievement.

Character

Matt was voted a captain by his teammates, earning the most votes to show his high character and leadership abilities. He was also chosen by the Boston College coaching staff and his teammates to wear No. 8, which honors former player Peter “Sonny” Nictakis. Each season, a player who has battled adversity and represents the best qualities of BC Baseball will wear Sonny’s old number. It is the highest honor a BC baseball player can receive and head coach Mike Gambino said of Matt earning the honor, “Matt has, from the day I met him, showed incredible integrity and character. He has learned to handle adversity on and off the field and it has been awesome watching him grow and develop into a very good leader. He’s humble, respectful and has a work ethic and drive to be great on the field and in the classroom.” Matt was also one of 19 chosen among all the BC student-athletes to participant in the 2012 Xcel Leadership program.

Community

Matt takes great pride in the community service activities he participates in on campus. He is one of the baseball team’s Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) representatives and takes part in the HEAR (Help Educate through Athletic Responsibility) Program, the Food for Families initiative and various school and youth program visits. The HEAR Program visit local elementary schools to further the message about higher education, while Food for Families brings groceries to those who cannot get themselves. He is also the team liaison for the Pen Pal Program as the student-athletes write and receive letters from local elementary school students who are ESL students. The baseball team takes trips to the local YMCA and to special needs classrooms in Newton. Matt also works with the You Can Play Project, which is dedicated to ensuring equality, respect and safety for all athletes, without regard to sexual orientation. He is working to promote awareness locally at high schools and create a movement at Boston College with other student-athletes. As a member of the baseball team, Matt also has volunteered or run in the Annual Welles Remy Crowther Red Bandanna Run, held on the BC campus to honor a former lacrosse player and 9/11 hero. He is also the first volunteer to play in the annual Old Time Baseball Game in Cambridge, Mass., which donates to a charity of choice each year.

Competition

Matt has played 136 games for the Eagles, making 128 starts. After a knee injury sidelined him for most of his sophomore season, he came back to play in 50 games, making 43 starts behind the plate last season. He led the Eagles with a .411 on-base percentage, was hit a team-leading 15 times and was second with 24 walks. He recorded the third-best slugging percentage (.427) in ACC games and the second-most runs (18) in league contests. Matt caught 18 base runners stealing and his first career error came at Miami on March 9, after 235 chances. He played his summer ball mainly in Newport, R.I., where the Gulls captured the 2012 NECBL Championship a record fifth time and finished a franchise-best 37-11. Perfect Game USA deemed them No. 1 in the Top 50 Summer Collegiate Team Rankings. Matt finished with a .344 average, 22 hits and 17 RBIs. In his freshman campaign, he started all 58 games, mostly as the designated hitter and batted over .300 until May 2, finishing the season at .259. He led the Eagles in on-base percentage (.422), walks (35) and hit by pitch (19). Over the summer, he earned the New England Top Prospect Award in the Cape Cod Baseball League. Coming out of high school, he was drafted in the 26th round by the Houston Astros.