Where Are They Now? Matt Morris
4/16/2014 12:00:00 AM | Baseball
April 16, 2014
SOUTH ORANGE, N.J. - In the newest installment of the SHU Athletics "Where are they now?" series, we catch up with Matt Morris, one of the most successful pitchers in Seton Hall baseball history.
A hard-throwing, right-handed pitcher, Morris led the Pirates' pitching staff in the mid-1990s, teaming up with current major leaguer Jason Grilli in 1995 to form one of the most formidable starting duos in the BIG EAST Conference. Morris was named New Jersey Collegiate Baseball Association Pitcher of the Year in 1995 and was a First Team All-America selection by both the American Baseball Coaches Association and Baseball America.
A two-time First Team All-BIG EAST selection, Morris won 10 games in 1995 and struck out 104 batters, fourth-most in Seton Hall history for a single-season.
The year prior, Morris led Seton Hall to the doorstep of its second BIG EAST Championship before falling to Connecticut, 4-2, in the 1994 title game.
Despite leaving Seton Hall nearly 20 years ago, Morris still ranks among the program's top-10 leaders in several statistical pitching categories including starts, complete games, innings pitched and wins.
Morris was drafted 12th overall in the first round of the 1995 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft by the St. Louis Cardinals and it didn't take long for the standout to rise in the organization. He made his Major League debut on April 4, 1997 with five innings of one-run baseball in a loss to the Houston Astros. That year, he finished second in the National League Rookie of the Year voting and went on to make two All-Star Teams in an MLB career that spanned 11 impressive seasons.
In 2001 while Seton Hall was winning its second BIG EAST title, Morris won an NL-best 22 games for the Cardinals with a 3.16 ERA and 185 strikeouts, finishing third in the Cy Young Award voting.
In retirement, he's now a candidate for the St. Louis Cardinals Hall of Fame. You can vote for him by CLICKING HERE.
1. Where do you live now and what are you up to these days?
I live in Big Sky, Montana with my family. My wife Heather and I have four kiddos that keep us very busy. I spend most of my time shuttling kids to and from their activities, which has become a full-time job. In my free time, I like to fish, hunt and ski and when there's nothing else going on, I might swing a golf club.
2. What is your favorite memory as a Pirate?
I have many great memories as a Pirate, but what I remember most are all the great teammates I had over those years. A lot of them became life-long friends and people I admire.
3. How did your time as a Seton Hall student-athlete prepare you for your time in the majors and professionally?
My time at Seton Hall and with Coach Shep was extremely valuable. It prepared me not only for professional baseball, but for life. He was really good at disguising a life lesson from a baseball situation, something's I'm still learning to this day.
4. Do you still keep in touch with any of your former teammates and if so, who?
I do keep in touch with a bunch of guys from my playing days. I keep in touch with my roommate who just moved back from Singapore, Jeff Giambrone. I've also been in touch with Duff, Ell, Mo, Schunke, Chukes, Chucky, Abaid, and Kermit to name a few.
5. Do you still follow the Pirates and what are your thoughts on the program today?
Anytime they are on the tube is fun, but I don't get to see a lot of baseball from that part of the country. To be honest, I can't keep up with all the conference changes and miss the Big East of old.
