Hall of Fame
Matt Wright, an American Baseball Coaches Association (ABCA) All-American, is one of the most dominant pitchers in the history of the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). His 333 career strikeouts – achieved in just three seasons – remains the PSAC all-time record to this day. He was the 369th pick in the 2008 MLB Draft by the Toronto Blue Jays and spent six seasons in minor league baseball after his three seasons with the Raiders.
Wright was the PSAC Western Division Pitcher of the Year and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association (NCBWA) North Atlantic Region Pitcher of the Year as a sophomore (2007) and junior (2008) after earning PSAC Western Division Rookie of the Year honors in 2006. The three-time All-PSAC Western Division First Team starting pitcher totaled 22 wins in his three seasons – tied for third-most in SU history – and compiled six total “Pitcher of the Year” awards.
In his final collegiate act, Wright was the winning pitcher in Shippensburg’s first-ever College World Series game victory. In a 9-2 win over No. 14-ranked Franklin Pierce, Wright struck out 15 batters in a game for the second time in his career. He threw 166 pitches in a complete-game effort, allowing just two runs on five hits and walked four.
Wright finished the 2008 campaign with 151 strikeouts, shattering the single-season school record of 113 set by Evan Englebrook ‘04 while also breaking the single-season conference record of 148 set by Kutztown’s Glenn Woolard in 2002. Overall, Wright was 9-4 with a 2.39 ERA. Opponents hit just .181 against him in 98 innings pitched. He made 14 starts and four relief appearances, recorded five complete games, posted one save, and allowed just 63 hits. Wright also earned a Rawlings/ABCA regional “Golden Glove Award” after finishing the season without committing an error in 22 fielding chances.
Overall, Wright ranks third in school history in innings pitched (244) and fourth in career starts (35).
Despite being drafted after his junior season, Wright returned to campus to attend classes when the minor-league seasons ended. Wright graduated in 2010 with a degree in geoenvironmental studies.
In his six minor-league seasons that spanned four levels, Wright reached as high as ‘AA’ with the New Hampshire Fisher Cats. He logged 376.1 professional innings, posting a 15-15 record with a 3.85 ERA over the course of 182 games (31 starts). Wright totaled 416 strikeouts.
Following his pro career, Wright settled back home. He has remained active with the sport of baseball, serving as the Snyder County Area Little League Umpire-in-Chief, the McClure Little League Vice President, and as a coach for McClure Little League and the Snyder County Storm 10u Travel Baseball team. He is also a council Member at Trinity Lutheran Church.
Wright is currently employed as an HVAC technician for the family business, Erb’s Plumbing and Heating LLC in his hometown of McClure. He married his high school sweetheart, the former Amanda Gilbert, also a Shippensburg graduate. The couple are the proud parents of two sons, Bucky and Trapper.
