Sharks Bring Back Pitching Standout Matt Hegarty

January 7, 2012 - Futures Collegiate Baseball League (FCBL)
Martha's Vineyard Sharks News Release

General Manager Jerry Murphy and Vice President of Operations Bob Tankard both were in agreement that the Sharks had to bring back some of our talented pitching from the inaugural season; both agreed that Ryan Morris, last year's standout closer was a must. Check that off the wish list as he is in the fold.

Murphy stated, "as in major league baseball, you want starting pitchers that can eat-up innings while keeping you in the game so that you do not have to burn-out your relief staff." Matt Hegarty did exactly that last season as Tankard pointed out, "whenever Matt pitched, we were always in the game. It was just a matter of whether we would hit behind him." Hegarty produced stellar numbers last season, pitching in 8 games while starting 7 of those games. His ERA was a pristine 3.21 in 47.2 innings, which included one complete game putting him in the top ten starters for the best ERA in the Futures Collegiate Baseball League for pitchers who threw 40 plus innings. His control was impeccable walking only seven. Tankard said "he was part of our big three in the rotation."

Matt expressed that he really enjoyed his time last season with the Sharks. He stated that it was "the most exciting summer of my life. I spent the past two years playing Division-1 baseball and my experience with the Sharks far surpassed that experience. The honest interaction between the players, the team, the league and the community of Martha's Vineyard was not only genuine but had a great familiar feel."

Hegarty was asked about his pitching style. "I throw in the mid-eighties using a two-seam and a four-seam fastball. When spotted down in the zone, it runs and sinks, which is very effective in producing ground balls. I complement my fastball with my changeup. My goal with the change-up is to throw it just like my fastball, concentrating on no change in my motion so that I don't give the hitter any hint it is coming, and of course with less speed. A changeup is very effective if the pitcher can keep the same motion and thrown between 6 to 12 mph less than the fastball as this keeps the hitter guessing and off-balance. In addition to its change of speed, my change-up has sink which, when thrown down in the zone, produces many weak ground balls." Murphy said Hegarty's style reminds him of Gregg Maddux, who won four consecutive Cy Young Awards between 1992 - 1995. "Maddux was not noted for his fastball but for his control and movement of his pitches. It is the movement part that Matt needs to work on so that his ball moves at it enters the strike zone on a consistent basis plus develop an off-speed pitch."

Hagerty stated that "my breaking pitch is often labeled a slurve; it is a hybrid, sitting between a curve and a slider. When thinking about a curveball in relation to the numbers on a clock, a true curveball breaks 12 to 6 on a clock while a slider breaks more laterally - between 3 to 8 on a clock. My slurve at times can be effective because it breaks on both planes - north/south as well as east/west. Last year my slurve was not as consistent as I would have hoped. My main goal this college season is to develop a more dependable breaking pitch. This is necessary in order for me to have a strikeout pitch that I can reach for when needed."

Matt stated that his best memory of being on the Vineyard last season was the 4th of July Edgartown Parade that he described as his "Duck Boat Moment" (think of the Red Sox, Celtics and Bruins after winning their championships and having their parade in Boston). "The kids who cheered us along the parade route, showering us with their love and admiration as "their' baseball team, had no idea how proud they made me feel to be a part of the Vineyard and being on the Sharks. It was surreal!" He also stated that hanging out and eating at one of the many team's sponsors, Sharky's Cantina, who treated my teammates and me as if we were superheroes. "They kept me and my teammates well fed and helped me understand what it really meant to be part of a team!"

Matt was asked to share some thoughts about staying with his father's brother's family on the Vineyard last season. "I stayed with my Uncle Mike and Aunt Becky and my cousins Erin, Jackie and Sean, in their Edgartown home last season. After a family vote on their part, my Uncle's twisted idea; I was voted back on the Island and will again be staying with them for the 2012 season. I was so lucky to have a great host family, but even luckier to have it being family. Uncle Mike put me on a nutrition plan that kept me strong for my start every fifth day. My Aunt Becky fed me and kept my laundry clean. My cousins helped me relax and kept me laughing as we had Nerf-gun fights, tubed in the ocean and enjoyed our family dinners together."

Matt's hometown is in Osterville, Massachusetts. He was asked if his family was able to make each game that he pitched on the Vineyard last season. "My family made it to every game last year that I started. My mom wanted to thank the coach for all the home game starts, but I told her that probably wouldn't go over well. My dad and his best friend Mike were regulars at my games giving me a pitch-by-pitch critique after each game. My three brothers, who have their own complicated sports commitments, also made it to my games. I am lucky enough to have three of my four grandparents with the ability to travel and they made it to many of my games. My fourth grandparent, who lives in a nursing home, had to rely on my own account of my starts through my visits. I hope no one told him about the home runs I gave up as I sure didn't." He also said "I have a combined eight aunts and uncles, and fifteen cousins living throughout New England, they all made it more than once." Murphy and Tankard swear that the added boost to the team's attendance had nothing to do with bringing Hegarty back for another season.

Hegarty was asked why he decided to go to the west coast this year. His response was "at the beginning of this college year I chose to switch universities from Sacred Heart University (SHU) in Connecticut to Chapman University in southern California. I changed for a number of reasons. First and foremost during my time at SHU and playing for the Sharks I was influenced by a number of talented players I met who were from California. While they may not know it, their swagger motivated me to check out southern California. After visiting schools there for a week I felt like the hospitable people I met combined with the fantastic weather would be a good fit for me. Secondly, while I pitched for a Division-1 team who won the NE Division Title, I felt like I could contribute more than I did; just as I had with the Sharks during the summer. Finally, baseball as far as I am concerned, was never meant to be played in Connecticut in 30 degree weather as we have in the month of March. Baseball heaven for me is a combination of Martha's Vineyard in the summer and southern California during the other seasons of the year!"

Matt expects that the Sharks of 2012 are going to be even better and tougher than last year's team. "I am looking forward to pitching deeper into each game this upcoming season and handing the ball over to (Ryan) Morris for a quick, clean close. I am looking forward to each player returning from last year's team being sharper and executing better. Missing the playoffs will be an unacceptable outcome in 2012."

In addition, Matt stated that he looks forward to once again being referred to as "the pitcher with the goggles" by many of the young kids on the Vineyard again this upcoming season. As a side note, he wants "the ball for the final game of the championship round as I expect to win the last game of the year for the Sharks."

Hegarty was asked for his thoughts on both Robbie Zinsmeister and Jeramy Matos making the top 500 MLB prospect list for this upcoming June's draft. "Robbie is a terrific talent. He was a true five-tool player for us last year while hitting at the top of our lineup. Robbie's makeup is outstanding. He is a disciplined player who teammates look up to and depend on. He also said that "Jeramy is another outstanding talent. My last recollection of Jeramy was the game he hit 3 home runs in one game, off a lefty who had MLB scouts watching him pitch against us at Vineyard Baseball Park. That kind of raw power easily gets a scout's attention and I guess it did with him being on the 500 list." Matt hopes that his hard work will put him in that magical list someday.

While Matt was on the Vineyard last season he was asked to recollect some of his favorite things he did in those rare moments when the Sharks were not playing. He replied that "I enjoyed sharing stories in the bullpen and in the dugout. It was cool to listen to everyone's stories about their different upbringings in different parts of the country. I enjoyed playing games like KanJam and Baggo at the beach when the team was relaxing. I recall the fantastic time the team had at Tad Gold's team cookout. Working with Coach Simmons at the baseball clinic, teaching the young kids baseball skills was really fulfilling." He stated that "I am really looking forward to renewing and enhancing the awesome relationships the Sharks built with the community last season on the Vineyard this upcoming summer."

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