Uncle Matt
Published: July 1, 2009
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Matt Mortell, seen sliding in the Comets’ game against Delaware Valley, looks forward to seeing his two-year-old niece watch him play ball for Lackawanna College next season.
Matt Mortell plans to stay close to home so he can watch his niece grow up.
His sister Melissa’s two-year-old daughter, Davern Mortell, lives in Clarks Summit.
Mortell, an Abington Heights grad, will be playing baseball at Lackawanna College next season.
The catcher helped the Comets to their first PIAA Class AAA state championship this season.
“It was a great time,” he said. “That’s by far the best time of my life so far. I’ve been dreaming about it for so long. We all wanted it so badly.”
His little niece was a frequent fixture at games.
“She came to every one where we got a nice day, where it wasn’t too cold, even if it wasn’t cold,” Mortell said. “She has a great little T-shirt with Mortell on the back, and a little jacket. It was just great having her there.”
He can’t wait to see her at Lackawanna’s games. Mortell is excited to be joining such a successful squad.
“My thing is I hate losing and they’re a great program there,” Mortell said. “It’s a great opportunity to hone my skills close to home.”
With a PIAA Class AAA state championship under his belt, he’s prepared for the college pressure.
“I don’t think you could get much more nervous than the last few innings of a state championship game,” Mortell said. “The last couple innings of the state championship are probable the most nervous minutes of my life. Every at bat counts and every out counts. I don’t think you’d be as nervous in college. That experience is huge going into college.”
The defensive-minded catcher is spending his summer playing American Legion baseball every day with Abington VFW.
“I think the important thing is to focus on what you know, to get the basic fundamentals down,” he said.
The number-9 hitter is focused on honing his hitting and spreading the ball around to all fields more than he had in the past.
“Sometimes I get a little ‘pull’ happy,” he said. “I’m working on using all fields over the summer and fall.”
Once at Lackawanna, he plans to continue to develop as a player and when the two-year program is over, move onto a bigger school.
“Baseball has been my life since I was a little kid,” Mortell said. “I want to get as far as I could with baseball.”
As for school, he’ll either major in business or health and physical education.
A catcher’s role
Catching is a grueling, brutal position that Mortell can’t get enough of.
The way he sees it, the catcher is the coach on the field, even if the catcher doesn’t always get the glory.
“Whether throwing somebody out at second, picking somebody off. ... It wouldn’t show up in a box score but I love catching,” Mortell said. “I love every aspect of it — picking people off, holding runners close.”
As a catcher, Mortell feels it’s important to stay relaxed and keep the pitcher calm.
“Just knowing that they could trust me, knowing they could throw a curveball in the dirt or changeup in the dirt and I’ll block it,” Mortell said. “They have to have confidence in me.”
