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First as a closer and then as an ace, Wooster pitching great Matt Rodgers helped lead the Fighting Scots to the NCAA Div. III “World Series” twice during his remarkable career, including national runner-ups as a senior in 1997, while earning more wins than any other pitcher in North Coast Athletic Conference history along the way.
Rodgers was the common thread in Wooster’s runs to the eight-team Div. III Baseball Championship in 1994 and 1997, the lone significant contributor on both of those teams. However, his path to pitching on such a large stage was an unlikely one, as an ACL tear during his senior year in high school turned away many of the college programs that were recruiting him. Tim Pettorini, knowing the work ethic of the product of nearby Orville, was not deterred by the injury and welcomed Rodgers to the program.
Rodgers was granted a medical redshirt his first year on campus, but was ready to go in ’94, when he was primarily the team’s closer. He made a significant impact pitching out of the bullpen, with a 4-2 record and five saves, while also earning MVP honors at the Mideast Regional in what Pettorini called, “one of the great clutch performances.” It was there that Rodgers entered four of five games, twice in high-pressure situations where he earned wins in relief, including the regional championship game.
“We had some really good teams back then,” recalled Pettorini. “So the fact that Matt was able to overcome an injury and make an impact like that for us as a freshman says a lot about the type of person he is. The thing about Matt was that he always had a great idea of the strike zone. His command was excellent and he could throw it where he wanted to, and that was a key to his success.”
There was little doubt that Rodgers was ready to crack the rotation, and he was named the opening day starter entering his sophomore season. Rodgers didn’t disappoint, as he earned North Coast Athletic Conference Pitcher-of-the-Year honors. Overall, Rodgers went 12-1 with a 2.27 ERA and won both of his starts at regionals.
Although not as dominant, Rodgers still turned in the second of his three all-conference honors as a junior with six wins and a team-high seven complete games. His senior year, however, was another one for the record books, as he matched his sophomore campaign with 12 wins while striking out a career-high 83 batters in guiding the Scots back to the eight-team championship series.
Wooster went 46-8-1 that year, its most wins in team history, while advancing all the way to the national championship game for the first time, and Rodgers certainly did his part in making that a reality. In an elimination game against Carthage College during the “World Series,” Rodgers went the distance in a winning effort, striking out nine batters over nine innings while allowing just one earned run.
For his career, Rodgers won 34 games, the most ever in the NCAC, including six shutouts, which also ties a conference record. No Wooster pitcher logged more innings on the mound (316.2) than Rodgers, and his strikeouts (208), complete games (22), and saves (8) are all among the team’s top-10 all-time as well.
“Matt’s right up there at the top of the list when you talk about the best pitchers we’ve ever had here, and we’ve had some good ones,” Pettorini said. “He’s very special to me – being a local kid, fighting through his injury, staying with us for an extra year. He (was) a real quality player, and an even better person. And he can hang his hat on the fact that he’s our only guy to ‘lead us’ to two World Series.”
Rodgers, an economics major at Wooster, is the leader of a North American customer service department for Pittsburgh Paint Company.
He resides in Bay Village, Ohio with his wife, fellow Wooster alum Jodee Jones, and their daughter Molly (9) and son Charlie (6). Rodgers keeps active, playing softball and golf in his spare time, but it’s his children’s athletic ventures that he now enjoys most.