Matt Strickroth - University of Notre Dame
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Imposing second-year player who will be looking to make greater contributions in the 2000 season, as a possible starter in the outfield or at DH ... also combines with classmate Ken Meyer in backing up lefthanded-hitting senior first baseman Jeff Felker ... had significant opportunities as a freshman, with moments of brilliance mixed with inconsistency ... could show dramatic improvements in his second season with the Irish, after a good summer season in the Alaska League (when he played with the Mat-Su Miners) and strong '99 fall workouts with the Irish ... looking to improve on his overall bat control and ability to hit different pitches ... brings a linebacker mentality to the game, as a talented two-sport prep athlete who elected to pursue a college baseball career at Notre Dame ... served as a key member of the nationally-ranked baseball and football programs at Santa Margarita High School ... packs plenty of upside into his 6-5, 230-pound frame ... could provide big boost to Irish power-hitting group that bid goodbye to the top two career home run hitters in Notre Dame history (catcher Jeff Wagner with 49, shortstop Brant Ust with 46) ... looking to lower his strikeout total (42 in 1999), which was a key to the long-term success enjoyed by former Irish greats Wagner (43 strikeouets as a freshman, 28 as a sophomore and junior, eight in 82 ABs during injury-plagued '99) and Mike Amrhein (28 in both '96 and '97, 17 in '98) ... one of nine players to sign with Notre Dame in fall of '97 ... one of 29 California natives to letter with the Notre Dame baseball program.
As A Freshman: Appeared in 49 games, starting 33 at mostly left field (13 games), with nine at first base, eight in right field and three as DH ... his starts included hitting mostly in the No. 8 (14 games) and No. 7 (13) spots, batting fifth and sixth three times each ... hit .200 overall in 120 at-bats, after bouncing back from a rocky 0-for-16 start in his first six games played ... totaled 18 RBI and 18 runs scored, with four doubles and three home runs ... ranked second on team with seven times hit-by-pitch, plus 14 walks and 42 strikeouts ... converted one of four stolen-base attempts ... made four errors in 117 fielding attempts (.966) ... hit .263 with runners in scoring position, .122 with two outs ... hit .300 in April (6-for-20), with two home runs, eight RBI and seven runs scored ... totaled four mutli-hit games and seven multi-RBI games ... went 1-for-4 in 3-1 win over Penn State, in San Antonio ... batted 1-for-5 the next day, with a walk and two runs scored in wild 19-16 win over the University of Dallas ... collected his first RBI while batting 2-for-4 two days later, in Irish Baseball Classic win over Penn State (6-3) ... walked once and scored twice in 12-8 win over Western Michigan ... helped Irish pick up road sweep of Villanova (4-0, 10-8), batting 3-for-8 with a double, two RBI and one run scored ... hit 1-for-3 with a run scored in crucial 10-1 win at Rutgers ... his next 10 appearances included just three at-bats (in 7-6 win over Wisconsin-Milwaukee) ... made his biggest contributions of the season in three-game sweep of Pittsburgh ... helped Irish win second game of doubleheader with the Panthers (3-2), delivering two-out single through the right side of the infield to score Jeff Felker as the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth ... came back the next day with a 2-for-3 effort, including a two-run home run to left field for an 8-4 lead in the fifth (the Irish still had to score in the ninth for a 9-8 win) ... smacked two-run shot to left field in next game, forcing 2-2 tie in fifth inning of eventual 6-3 win over Cleveland State ... collected single hits in five straight games (April 25-May 8), including a productive day in series-clinching 17-8 win over Seton Hall (1B, 2 BB, 3 RBI, 2 R) ... his 3-for-10 series versus Oakland included a two-run shot in the third win (10-5) ... had solid three-game series at St. John's, batting 4-for-11 with four RBI ... drove in two runs to help Irish clinch the BIG EAST regular-season title with 5-2 win over the Red Storm ... hit 1-for-4 with an RBI in BIG EAST Tournament victory over West Virginia (7-2) ... went hitless in three at-bats of the NCAA tournament loss to Cal State Fullerton (6-3) ... tripled and scored in 1998 fall exhibition win over Michigan State.
Prep and Personal: Led Santa Margarita High School to the regional title and national ranking during his senior year ... played first base and in the outfield while earning three varsity baseball letters ... totaled 19 career home runs in his three prep seasons ... named an all-city as a junior and senior in both baseball and football ... hit .450 with eight home runs as a senior, .398 with six home runs and 28 RBI in 88 at-bats as a junior and .329 with five home runs and 23 RBI as a sophomore ... spent the 1996 and '97 seasons playing in wooden-bat leagues ... played offensive tackle and defensive end while earning three varsity football letters ... helped football team piece together an undefeated campaign during his senior year en route to conference, regional and state titles, in addition to a national ranking ... also served as football team captain while earning all-conference honors during his senior year ... played on football team that went 13-1 while claiming conference and regional title during his junior season ... named football team rookie of the year in 1996 and impact player of the year in '97 ... an honor-roll student and member of the California Scholastic Federation ... father Mike Strickroth is a 1975 Notre Dame graduate ... born Aug. 27, 1980 in Long Beach, Calif. ... son of Mike and Cathy Strickroth ... full name is Matt Michael Strickroth ... enrolled in the College of Business ... intends to major in finance.
