MWL1 Beloit Sky Carp

The Book of Mathews

Published on May 1, 2013 under Midwest League (MWL1)
Beloit Sky Carp News Release


BELOIT, WI - Making his way up the ladder in the Oakland Athletics farm system should be no problem for Ryan Mathews. He's had a lot of practice with overcoming obstacles. From attending four different colleges to being drafted in the 27th round to suffering an injury in his first year in professional ball, adversity has a way of finding Mathews. Through his faith and his religion, he has his own way of overcoming it. As he puts it, "There's no way I'd be where I am today without that."

Just like all young athletes, playing professionally was always a dream for Ryan Mathews. Around the time he reached high school, he started to believe it could become a reality. "I always wanted to play pro ball ever since I started playing baseball," he said. "I first started thinking about it when I was about 14-years-old and I started playing with a really competitive 18-and-under team. There were a lot of pro scouts coming to see the older players on our team. I started getting some looks then. I guess that's when I realized it might be a possibility."

After a fantastic career at Boone County High School, Mathews enrolled at the University of Florida, but soon realized that the school wasn't for him. He left for Western Carolina in the spring and began an odyssey that would take him to two other schools in his collegiate career. While some might see this as a rough college experience, Mathews has a much different view. "I think it really allowed me to grow as a person and as a player and become more well-rounded, just because of all that I experienced," he said. "I got to be a part of a lot of different teams, meet a lot of different people, play for different coaches. I had a lot of experiences that other people don't get to have. Looking back on it, even some of the rough parts, it really allowed me to develop more than I would have if I'd just stayed at one school."

After a season at Western Carolina and another at Santa Fe Community College, Mathews transferred to North Carolina State. "It was one of my dreams as kid to play in a big conference," he said. Unfortunately, Mathews dream didn't play out as he expected during his first two seasons. He suffered an injury early in his first year at N.C. State and, after being granted a medical redshirt, saw only limited playing time in his junior season. "Those two seasons were definitely a test of my faith and of myself as a player," he said. "It got tough because I always believed in myself and believed that I could play and I never got the opportunity or the chance to. At that time my coaches didn't really believe that I could play, for whatever reason. That really taught me that you need to believe in yourself, beyond everything."

After his junior season, Mathews played summer ball in the Coastal Plain League and had a solid showing, racking up 15 homers and 41 RBIs. After he finished the summer league season, he had his first chance to turn pro. "I was offered a free-agent deal with the White Sox at the end of that summer," he said. "That was probably one of the toughest decisions I ever made, especially after not having played the previous year." Mathews was certainly tempted by the opportunity, but decided, with some help, that he would return for his senior season. "I spent a lot of quiet time with God," he said, "and decided that he was really calling me back for my senior year at NC State. I put it in God's hands and said, this is something he wants me to do and he's going to give me another opportunity. I really stuck by that my whole senior season."

Mathews knew that going back to school was the right decision, but he returned to a situation that had become less than ideal. "I was actually a walk-on at N.C. State my senior year," he said. "The coach had my scholarship taken away and I actually thought baseball was done for me. I didn't get cut but I was basically told I had to try out." After earning a spot on the roster, Mathews finally got the chance to prove to everyone else that he belonged at N.C. State.

During his senior season, Mathews hit .327 and led the Wolfpack with 17 homers and 62 RBIs as the team put together a 43-20 record. The season couldn't have gone much better. "It was," he said, "an unbelievable year. Getting the opportunity to do that was truly a blessing from God. Going from the previous year, not really getting a chance to play that much and then, to have it completely turn around, all glory to God for that. You hope and plan for it, but you don't see that coming. To have it turn out like that was really awesome." The adversity he had faced in the two years prior just made his success all the more enjoyable. "When I did get a chance to play my senior year," he said, "I was able to really truly appreciate every at-bat and every chance I got. I really learned to appreciate, not only being able to succeed, but to be able to play every day. I enjoyed every second of it."

With his time in college ending, Mathews looked forward to the MLB Draft, but not without some trepidation because of what had happened the previous summer. "There were a lot of pro scouts that looked down upon me for that decision [to turn down the White Sox contract offer the previous summer]," he said. "I was a little bit nervous about the draft, especially when the first couple rounds went by and I thought I was going to go the first day and it ended up not happening. I just had to let go of it and put it in God's hands." Mathews was eventually selected by the A's with the 829th overall pick, but he ended up being the last to find out about it. "They actually didn't even call me," he said. "They called my coach and I think everybody knew except me by the time I found out. I was at practice and he congratulated me and I said "What do you mean - He says "You got drafted." I said "Really? By who - He goes "The A's took you." I was like "Apparently everybody knows but me." It was a dream come true, though."

After signing and reporting to Arizona for rookie ball, Mathews played in only 21 games due to an injury, but despite his truncated debut, he was able to find other positives in the experience. "One of the things I enjoyed about rookie ball," he said, "was helping out some of those younger guys who just got drafted out of high school and were experiencing failure for the first time. These guys batted .500 in high school. They've never really made an out more than once or twice a game. They come to rookie ball, they're making three or four outs a game. I enjoyed taking some of those guys aside and letting them know that things like that are going to happen, but you can't let that affect you as a player and as a person. That's something that I developed from not playing that whole year in college. I think that's why God allowed me to go through that. It was preparing me for the future and to be able to help other guys through that."

With a half-season under his belt, Mathews came into his first full year with a simple goal. "Most importantly," he said, "I just wanted to stay healthy. I realized the importance of, when you play a full season, how much you have to take care of your body. They said there are two things you have to do if you want to make it to the big leagues: stay healthy and swing at strikes." Now, with the Snappers, Ryan was healthy and ready to hit the ground running. In his first start as a Snapper, he homered and drove in a pair to lead his team to a 2-1 win. One week later, his three-run blast gave Beloit the lead in a game they would eventually win. Despite not playing every day, Mathews seems to make an impact every time he's in the starting lineup. The Snappers and their fans hope his good start is the prelude to a great season.

Encountering adversity has been par for the course for Ryan Mathews in his baseball career. He credits one thing for allowing him to overcome whatever has been thrown his way. "Finding my faith completely changed my game," he said. "It didn't happen until I was 21. When I got baptized and came to know Christ, Christ became my whole life and baseball was just a part of it. It really freed me up and allowed me to play and to be the same person day-in and day-out, regardless of how I played or if I played." To go from nearly getting cut from college ball and having his career come to a premature end, Ryan Mathews has now carved out a spot for himself in the Oakland Athletics organization. As far as he's concerned, everything he's gone through has all been for the best. "Reaching the point that I did and now having it come to where I am now is definitely a blessing to be able to look back on."

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