Thriving on Top of the Mound

Fresno State junior pitcher Matt Garza is drawing the attention of professional scouts with the help of his hard-throwing right arm

By DREW MATTOS

Major League Baseball scouts in the box seats directly behind home plate raise their radar guns. A 21-year-old Fresno State baseball player is about to deliver a pitch. It’s a fastball that smacks the catcher’s mitt at 95 miles per hour.

The pitcher is junior right-hander Matt Garza. He went on to throw seven innings and strike out 11 batters in a 6-3 Western Athletic Conference victory over Hawaii on a cool March evening at Beiden Field.

“Yeah, I notice the scouts and the radar guns, but my focus is to put my team in position to win games,” Garza said.

After the game, Garza was greeted by his 2-year-old son, Matt Jr., his mother, Luz, and his father, Rudy.

Garza and his family are anticipating the Major League Baseball amateur draft in June, as he is expected to be drafted somewhere in the first 10 rounds. He was drafted out of Washington Union High by the Colorado Rockies late in the draft, but decided to attend Fresno State instead.

He said he decided on the Bulldogs because he wanted to mature and earn his degree in civil engineering and also wanted to be able to spend time with Matt Jr., which would have been difficult to do while traveling on the road in the minor leagues.

“Being able to watch my son grow up and having a relationship with him was very important to me and was my main reason for staying here in Fresno after high school,” Garza said.

Garza entered Fresno State with some doubts and uncertainties. He was a freshman playing at the Division 1 level and his girlfriend, Serena, had just given birth to Matt Jr. It was a great deal of responsibility for a kid right out of high school.

“My freshman year I was a mess. I had no confidence on the mound, but my son was a big motivation for me to get better and overcome some of my self-confidence problems,” Garza said.

And Garza has done just that in becoming the ace of the Bulldogs’ pitching staff. He’s 3-4 on the season, but has a 3.08 ERA and 85 strikeouts to go with 26 walks.

Garza grew up and began playing baseball in Fresno and then moved to the small town of Easton, about eight miles southwest of Fresno, when he was about 8 years old.

He played several sports at Washington Union, but baseball was his ticket to a college scholarship and maybe a professional career, with the help of his fastball.

Garza said he has had a great deal of support from his girlfriend and his parents, not only on the field, but also in his family life. They help by taking care of Matt Jr. and making sure he is at most of his dad’s games.

Rudy Garza has become a staple at Beiden Field with his loud, boisterous tone, always cheering on the Bulldogs and his son.

“Matt had to grow up quick after his son was born. He had to realize the responsibility of having a son and he has done that. He is a special person, just like everyone in my family,” Rudy said.

Garza credits his pitching coach, Tim Montez, for helping him mature both physically and mentally.

Montez’s first season with the Bulldogs was also three years ago, when Garza began his Bulldogs career, so they were able to bond quickly and get along well together.

“[Montez] has helped me a lot physically with my mechanics, but he has helped me the most mentally.

When I was a freshman, I wore my emotions on my sleeve and now I have really become a more relaxed pitcher no matter what happens in front or behind me,” Garza said.

This year, Garza has become a leader for the Bulldogs and hopes to be the driving force in a run at the WAC title.

Garza said he feels more comfortable than ever on the mound, something he hasn’t felt very much at the college level.

“This year, I want to be on the mound,” Garza said. “I want the ball in my hand in that crucial situation in the game.”