Hart dominates Worcester baseball
May 7, 2009
By Craig Larson, Boston Globe
The numbers jump off the stat sheet: a .412 batting average, 14 home runs, 34 RBIs. He's swiped 26 bases in 26 attempts. His slugging percentage is a ridiculous .810.
Then dig a little bit deeper, and the essence of Matt Hart, a senior leadoff hitter extraordinaire for the Worcester State College baseball team, truly emerges.
The smooth-swinging left-handed hitter from North Easton is the igniter who fuels the Lancer attack, reaching base nearly 50 percent of the time. The 5-foot-11, 190-pound graduate of Oliver Ames is an on-base machine: 41 times this season he has reached base leading off an inning, including 21 times leading off a game, with five home runs.
"An unreal year, one for the ages," said Worcester State coach Dirk Baker, who believes Hart deserves the opportunity to showcase his vast skills in pro ball.
In his 14 years in the Lancer dugout, Baker has coached five previous MASCAC Players of the Year. Hart, who powered Worcester to a 13-1 conference mark, the conference championship game, and a 29-14 mark through Sunday, is his sixth.
And he takes a back seat to no one.
"A six-tool player: defense, batting, power, base running, arm, and closer," lauded Baker.
Add clutch too. In Sunday's MASCAC elimination game against Westfield State, Hart cracked a two-out home run in the ninth inning, as the Lancers rallied for an 8-5 victory. Westfield pulled out a 4-3 win in the championship game later that day.
In Saturday's semifinal against Bridgewater State, Hart belted a home run, estimated at 500 feet, onto Lake Avenue in Worcester as the Lancers charged back from a 7-0 deficit for a 9-8 win.
In 2007, Hart was an all-region performer at Massasoit Community College in Brockton before transferring to Worcester State. After closing out the regular season against Suffolk on Tuesday, the Lancers will play an ECAC New England Division 3 semifinal on Saturday in Worcester.
Bridgewater's King softballer of week
Bridgewater State sophomore first baseman Penny King earned MASCAC Softball Player of the Week honors after batting .333 with 5 RBIs during the Bears run to the conference tournament title. The Hanover High grad delivered two hits in the championship game, including a two-run double in a 3-0 championship game win over Westfield State. BSC (28-9) entered the NCAA Division 3 tournament riding an 11-game winning streak. . . . On the baseball diamond, Westfield State junior outfielder Kevin Lyons of Braintree also collected Player of the Week honors, batting .450 with a pair of doubles, two homers, and seven RBIs in powering the Owls to the conference title. . . .