Tate Matheny brings an all-around talent to the game, which is a different style than his father, St. Louis Cardinals manager Mike Matheny.
Photo courtesy of Ron Klein/ ronkleinphotography.com
As one of the nation's better outfielders,
Westminster Christian (St. Louis) senior
Tate Matheny seems like the kind of guy that just might pinch himself every time he runs down a fly ball or makes a leaping catch to snag a line drive just before it drops to the ground.
Simply put, Matheny gets a kick out of robbing opposing offensive players of their day's work by raking in sure-bet base hits.
"I guess I like running around and diving after fly balls," Matheny said of playing center field for Wildcat coach Rich Van Gilst, instead of squatting behind home plate like his father Mike did at Michigan and in the major leagues. "It's my chance to take hits away from people, just like they take hits away from me."
Matheny also has top-notch athleticability on the ice.
Photo courtesy of Ron Klein/ ronkleinphotography.com
On offense, Matheny has power to all fields – from gap to gap – and above average speed allowing him to steal bases. He pretty much does what he can, when he can to help the Wildcats.
"My talent is God-given," Matheny said. "It's nothing earned. It's nothing deserved – just God-given."
He said he fell in love with Missouri State and its baseball program when he visited. Missouri State, likewise, was enamored with the way Matheny carries himself and with the way he goes about his business on the baseball field.
"I knew it was the right place for me," Matheny said. "But I wanted to make other visits, just to be sure. I wanted to visit Missouri, but each time I tried to set up a visit – something else seemed to come up.
"I've been around this game for a long time. I've been around it for so long, thanks to my dad, that playing comes naturally. He's thrown to me forever. He's always been there for us. I look up to him. He's very special and we're all lucky to have him. My dad's been a big part of my development. Whenever I'm in a slump, he knows what is going on."
Although Matheny's father did influence the way his son plays the game that he turned into a career, Van Gilst said there are other players on his roster that remind him more of Mike Matheny than Tate does.
Once the 2011-12 baseball season is over, Matheny will have plenty of baseball options. As of now the 6-foot-1, 180-pound outfielder has college to fall back on. In June, the Major League Baseball amateur draft could await. Matheny's opportunity to continue playing baseball at a Division I college is something every kid dreams of, but it's something not every kid gets to do. In the Matheny household, however, it seems playing at that level is a given.
About the time Matheny was signing his National Letter of Intent to play baseball with the Bears last November, his 16-year-old sister Katie committed to play ice hockey at Ohio State. Then their father was named the new manager of the St. Louis Cardinals, replacing retired legend Tony LaRussa.
The duo joins its parents as D-1 athletes. Mike was a catcher on the Michigan baseball team, while their mother Kristin played field hockey for the Wolverines. Matheny's younger brother Luke (15) is projected to be up and down on the Wildcat varsity team this season, and Jake (14) is following in his father's footsteps by playing catcher. Eleven-year-old Blaise plays baseball too.
"We've been a blessed family," Matheny said. "And we're thankful. To have two D-1 commits in our family is pretty special. I'm happy for my sister."
A year ago, the Wildcats played their way to a Missouri Class 3 state baseball championship. Now Matheny and company want a repeat.
"It was a long season," Matheny recalled. "It was a lot of hard work paying off. We had great leadership a year ago and a lot came together. It was nine-10guys giving it everything they had for a full season. And then to come out with the ring – it was a feeling I've felt like no other.
"We need to keep this going. We'll give it everything we have and hopefully we'll come away victorious."
Between baseball seasons, Matheny always found time to play ice hockey. An avid St. Louis Blues fan growing up, Matheny played in goal for Westminster. Although the Wildcat hockey season ended prematurely, according to Matheny, the nearly .500 career hitter does not regret playing his senior season. He is appreciative of the opportunities he's had and for the memories that come with playing hockey in high school.
"I was lucky to play for a very good team this season," Matheny said. "Our season may have ended prematurely, but I don't regret playing. We just didn't play our best. We were knocked out of the playoffs early because we didn't give it everything we had."
Matheny, a two-time Missouri Class 3 all state pick, is hoping for a Westminster Christian repeat in baseball this season.
"I think we have the talent and the ability to get the job done once again," he said. "We still have a lot of young guys. We had leadership last year, so we'll have to have guys step up and I think guys will step up. I hope I can influence kids to play hard. I want people to want to model me for my work ethic."
If Matheny's numbers continue their current trend of improving with each season, the two-time St. Louis Post Dispatch All-Metro selection is in for a huge year individually. A year ago, Matheny hit .505 and belted eight doubles, 10 triples and 10 home runs. In all, Matheny had 54 hits to go along with 22 stolen bases, 53 runs scored and 54 RBIs.
"He's a competitor," Van Gilst said. "He shows up every day and competes. He's got a lot of athletic ability and he runs the bases very well. He's stealing more bases now and he's become more disciplined at the plate. He has to because a lot of people won't pitch to him. He doesn't worry about his numbers – he's more concerned with being a leader."
