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Matt Lea commits to MSU
Story URL: http://mississippi.scout.com/2/304382.html
Yancy Porter
OMSpirit.com		Oct 10, 2004

Matt Lea (1B/RHP, Houston, TN) - The Dogs and Rebels fought to the end to land one of the top prospects out of the state of Tennessee, but in the end, MSU came out on top.

Matt Lea committed to Coach Ron Polk this past Friday and plans to sign with MSU in the early signing period.



The following information was revealed during our interview with Matt Lea:
What is your current height, weight, and what do you run the 60 in (from home to first base)? "I am 6' 5", 215, and I run a 7.4 sixty."

Which position(s) are you being recruited to play on the next level? "First base, and of course, pitcher."

Which side do you throw and bat from? "The right side."

What are your strengths on the mound? "My presence on the mound is pretty good. I am a competitor. I show a lot of emotion, and I am still a young pitcher, experience wise, but I am not afraid to mix it up."

What are your strengths at the plate? "I have decent power, but I am pretty much a gap to gap hitter. I am pretty big, being 6' 5", 215, so I would like to think I am a good RBI hitter."

What were your stats as a junior at Houston? "I did not get to play varsity ball because I transferred from Evangel Christian to Houston. And as far as what my stats were, I have no idea. I am not even sure if they kept up with the JV stats."

Which summer AAU team do you play for? "The Dulins Dodgers."

Did you attend any showcase tournaments this past summer? "I went to the East Coast Professional and Aflac Games."

Are you aware of what you were ranked at either showcase tournament? "No sir."

What does your fastball top out at? "I throw it in the upper 80's, and I can get it in the lower 90's every now and then."

Which pitches are in your arsenal? "I throw a fastball, curveball, and a change-up."

Your out pitch? "Definitely my fastball."

Pitch you need to improve on the most? "Both my curve ball and change up needs to be more consistent."

What are you trying to work on at the plate? "Probably, I need to become a more consistent hitter. I am pretty streaky."

Which schools are recruiting you the hardest? "I am committed now."

To who? "Mississippi State."

Who did you choose MSU over? "Ole Miss."

What attracted you to MSU? "It was not anything to do with baseball. I narrowed it down to those two schools, and I really enjoyed my official visit at MSU. The coaches and facilities were all great. I also enjoyed Ole Miss' staff and facilities too. I could not pick one program over the other, so I had to look at the other things besides baseball, so I went with MSU."

Do you plan to sign in the early signing period? "Yes sir."

What is your academic status? "I will be a full qualifier."


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