Feature: Can't Get Tired of Watching Matt Rose Hit
CAREER STATISTICS
ATHLETIC HONORS
• Drafted by Chicago Cubs, 11th round/323rd pick, in 2015 MLB Draft
• All-Sun Belt Conference (first team), 2015
• Sun Belt All-Tournament, 2015
• Sun Belt Player of the Week, 2015
• Preseason All-American, 2015
• Freshman All-American, 2013
• CAA All-Rookie, 2013
• CAA Rookie of the Week (2), 2013
AT GEORGIA STATE: All-American and talented two-way player as a power-hitting infielder and hard-throwing right-handed pitcher ... Played third base and first base ... Preseason All-American in 2015 and a Freshman All-American in 2013 ... Two-time all-conference selection ... Drafted in the 11th round (323rd pick) by the Chicago Cubs in the 2015 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft following his junior season ... Also drafted out of high school.
Tied for seventh in Georgia State history with 31 career home runs, including 27 over the last two seasons ... Finished 2015 with more career homers than any junior in the nation; only six seniors had more ... Career batting average of .295 with 36 doubles and 115 RBI in three seasons.
Compiled a 4-3 record, seven saves and a 3.07 ERA in 23 career mound appearances, including seven starts ... Has 53 strikeouts in 58.2 innings with a .249 average against ... Tied for seventh in the GSU record book in career saves.
2015: First-team All-Sun Belt Conference and one of the nation’s top power hitters ... Blasted 16 home runs, ranking among the top 10 in the nation throughout the season (finished tied for 11th) ... His season total is tied for fourth-best in Georgia State history ... Tied for the Sun Belt lead in homers, second in RBI (49) and third in slugging (.613) ... Also smashed 16 doubles and one triple and tied for the team lead with 42 runs scored (seventh in Sun Belt) ... Was intentionally walked eight times on the season ... Named to D1Baseball Preseason All-America second team and the Preseason All-Sun Belt team.
Named Sun Belt Player of the Week (Feb. 16) after collecting three homers and six RBI on the opening weekend vs. Fordham and No. 23 Liberty ... Homered in consecutive at-bats vs. UMass Lowell (2-22-15) ... Delivered the key blow in 3-1 win over Ohio as his two-run double off the top of the wall in the sixth inning turned a 1-0 deficit into a 2-1 lead.
Helped GSU to a doubleheader sweep at Arkansas State. Hit his sixth homer in 5-4, 12-inning victory, and then delivered a two-run single in 6-3 win in Game 2 ... Belted his seventh homer, a two-run blast in the eighth-inning of 12-11 victory over Florida A&M (3-17-15).
Homered and drove in four, including the winning run with a bases-loaded walk in the 10th inning, to lift GSU to a 7-6 victory over UL Lafayette. Belted a two-run double in the third, and then tied the game at 5-5 with his eighth homer in the sixth.
Produced the key hit in comeback win over UALR (4-3-15). His two-run single with two outs in the eighth inning broke a 7-7 tie and sent the Panthers to a 13-8 victory after trailing 7-1 in the fourth inning. One day later, he smacked his ninth home run, a two-run blast that capped a five-run eighth inning in 12-5 victory.
Homered twice and drove in five runs in series sweep of ULM ... Had an RBI-double and a run-scoring single in 7-6 victory in the series opener, then hit a game-tying, two-run blast in the sixth inning of Game 2. Added a solo homer in Game 3 win.
Hit game-winning, two-run homer in the top of the ninth in 15-13 win at Appalachian State (4-18-15), in which GSU scored nine runs in the final two innings. Also had a two-run double in six-run eighth inning. Finished with career highs of four hits (HR, 2 doubles, single) and five RBI ... Followed with two homers vs. Savannah State (4-22-15), his third two-homer game of the season ... Homer No. 15 was a mammoth blast that travelled well over 400 feet at Kennesaw State (5-6-15) ... Delivered a two-run single in the Panthers’ 3-2 victory over Georgia Southern (5-20-15) in the opening game of the Sun Belt Championship, and then hit his 16th homer with a two-run blast vs. Arkansas State in Game 3 of the tourney ... Drove in five runs in three tournament games and made the Sun Belt All-Tournament team.
Made his first mound appearance of the season with a 1-2-3 ninth inning vs. Ohio (2-27-15) for his first save ... Added his second save vs. Eastern Michigan (3-7-15).
2014: GSU’s third-leading hitter with a .312 batting average, 11 home runs and 34 RBI ... Third in Sun Belt in homers when the regular season ended ... Entered the season as starting third baseman and a member of the weekend rotation but arm trouble limited him to a DH role for much of the season ... Posted a 1-1 record and a 3.92 ERA in four appearances on the mound.
Hit two homers and drove in seven runs in the opening series win against Illinois ... Career-high four RBI in the second game of the series ... Started the Sunday game on the mound and pitched into the sixth inning, allowing two runs on five hits with a career-high six strikeouts. Also belted a three-run homer ... Hit a two-run homer in 6-3, series-clinching win over Troy (3-29-14).
Hit solo homers in three straight games at UALR (4-6-14), vs. Mercer (4-9-14) and vs. UT Arlington (4-11-14) ... Belted his eighth homer of the year and drove in three runs against Savannah State (4-23-14) ... Added a solo homer in 5-1 Friday night win over Arkansas State (4-25-14) ... Scored the winning run one night later as he led off the 10th inning with a single, moved to second on a sacrifice and came home on David Levy’s walk-off hit for the 7-6 victory ... Hit a two-run homer at ULM (5-10-14) and followed with a solo homer at Mercer (5-13-14).
Pitched a complete game in GSU’s win at Ole Miss (2-23-14). Allowed four runs on eight hits with four strikeouts ... Struck out a career-high eight in just four innings against Northern Kentucky (3-2-14), including five straight strikeouts ... Homered and drove in three runs in win over Siena (3-12-14) ... Preseason all-conference choice by Perfect Game ... Rated one of the top 2015 draft prospects in the Sun Belt by Baseball America and Perfect Game.
Spent the summer of 2014 with the Harrisonburg Turks in the Valley League and was rated the league’s top prospect by Perfect Game and No. 2 by Baseball America.
2013: Earned Freshman All-America honors with a strong rookie season on the mound and at the plate ... Named to the Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America Team (Collegiate Baseball) as a multi-position player ... Also tabbed to the CAA All-Rookie team ... Started at first or third base while pitching in both a starting and relief role ... Two-time CAA Rookie of the Week selection.
Batted .283 with four homers and 32 RBI ... Posted a 3-2 record, five saves and a 2.55 ERA in 16 appearances (three starts) on the mound ... Allowed just 28 hits in 35.1 innings with 30 strikeouts.
Earned his second CAA Rookie of the Week award May 13 after pitching GSU to a Friday night win over Hofstra in his first weekend start. Pitched a career-high 7.1 innings and allowed just three runs on four hits with five strikeouts. Also batted .462 with a homer and five RBI on the week ... Made his second CAA start the following weekend and earned a win at William and Mary as he scattered four runs over 5.2 innings and struck out five.
Named CAA Rookie of the Week for the first time on Apr. 8 after helping GSU to sweep of Fordham as he batted .400 (4-for-10) with four RBI in three games, and also earned a save on the mound. In Saturday win he knocked in GSU’s first two runs with a two-out single in the second inning. In series finale, he drove in two of the Panthers’ five runs with a pair of two-out hits and then closed out the game on the mound. He started the game at third base, moved to first base and then took the mound for the ninth inning with the Panthers leading, 5-2. After allowing a leadoff walk, he recorded three straight strikeouts for the save.
Went 7-for-14 with four RBI in GSU’s opening series ... Went 4-for-8 with three RBI in series win over Boston College ... Belted his first home run in win over UNC Asheville (3-6-13) ... In his first start at first base, set a school record with 19 putouts against Grambling (2-23-13) ... Drove in three runs against George Mason (3-8-13) ... Hit a two-run homer in the first inning of win at Mercer (3-20-13).
Pitched three scoreless innings to earn his first save in GSU’s win over Georgia (2-26-13), allowing just one hit with two strikeouts ... Saw his first action on the mound with a scoreless ninth inning against Alabama A&M (2-21-13) ... Pitched a 1-2-3 ninth inning against Kennesaw State (4-9-13) with two strikeouts ... Saved back-to-back victories at New Orleans. Entered the Friday night game with runners at first and third and two outs in the bottom of the 12th and GSU leading 3-2 and struck out the final batter on three pitches. The next day he pitched a scoreless ninth inning in the Panthers 5-4 win ... Made his first start on the mound at Kennesaw State (4-16-13); threw four scoreless innings but was not involved in the decision as GSU won in extra innings.
HIGH SCHOOL: Drafted by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 24th round of the 2012 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft ... Three-year letterwinner at Palm Bay High School, where he played the infield and pitched ... Two-time all-county selection ... Space Coast Player of the Year by Florida Today in 2011 ... Hit .360 with 24 runs and 27 RBI his senior season ... Compiled a .487 average with a .970 slugging percentage in 2011 ... Member of the Cape Coast Canes club team ... Helped lead the Canes to the Senior League World Series in 2011 and 2012.
PERSONAL: Full name is Matthew Aaron Rose ... Born August 2, 1994 ... Son of Randy and Cindy Rose ... Has one brother, Craig and one sister, Taylor.
