Wilson’s Matt VanOstenbridge ready to again make a big splash on the mound
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Matt VanOstenbridge never experienced the kind success in the pool that he has enjoyed on the mound.
Still, the latter wouldn’t be possible without the former the Wilson senior firmly believes.
“(Swimming) gets me physically ready for the season,” said VanOstenbridge, who specialized in the sprints in the pool — the 50 and 100 freestyle.
VanOstenbridge pitched a Berks-leading 70 1/3 innings last season and hopes to throw even more this season. He flatly believes the training he’s endured in the pool since he was old enough to stay afloat has helped him excel as a pitcher and earn a scholarship to play at Penn State.
“It’s a big reason I’ve been injury free,” said VanOstenbridge, an all-division pick as a sophomore and an All-Berks pick last year. “It strengthens all the muscles in your back, all the accelerators when you pitch. There’s no stress on your joints when you pitch. It’s the perfect sport for pitchers.”
Roy Snyder, Wilson’s swim coach for 60 years, believes that as well. He has coached other swimmers who have told him how much the training, discipline, and mental focus required in the sport has prepared them for success on the diamond.
“The freestyle is a lot like throwing a baseball,” Snyder said. “You use a lot of the same muscle groups, a lot of the same actions, working your core, turning your body.”
Ostenbridge didn’t swim through his senior season because he thought it would make him a better baseball player; he did it because he enjoyed his time in the pool.
“I didn’t know it benefited me until a couple years ago,” he said. “I’m glad I did it.”
VanOstenbridge had his stroke going in the Bulldogs’ season-opener last week when he struck out nine over four innings in a 6-0 win over Boyertown. He allowed just one hit.
He did throw 72 pitches and walked four; those are numbers he’d like to reduce. A lack of command and running deep counts cost him at times last season, when he wasn’t able to go as deep into games as he’d have liked.
He has made improving that his focus this season. The key, he said, is “being more aggressive, attacking batters earlier, reducing the pitch count so I can go more innings.”
“(We’ve told him) not to nibble,” said Wilson coach Bill Underwood, “to keep his pitch count down.”
The Bulldogs have plenty of pitching. Christo Hunsicker backed VanOstenbridge up in the opener with three innings of one-hit ball. Sophomore Ben Kulp threw a gem in Wilson’s second game, striking out nine and allowing just one hit in a 2-0 loss to Owen J. Roberts.
For them to win a Berks Conference championship for the first time since 2019 the Bulldogs know they need VanOstenbridge on the mound for the big games.
He went 6-5 with a 2.39 ERA last season and drew all the tough assignments. Five of his wins and both his saves came against playoff-qualifiers: Bethlehem Liberty, Exeter, Muhlenberg, Gov. Mifflin, Oley Valley, Penn Manor, and Cumberland Valley.
He struck out 91, second-most in the league, walked 19, allowed 51 hits and held opposing batters to a .192 average.
VanOstenbridge figures to be even tougher this season, what with the addition of a fourth pitch to his repertoire. Just as important, the big-game experience gained last season – he faced Gov. Mifflin in the Berks championship game, Cedar Cliff in the District 3 Class 6A title game, and C.B. West in the PIAA Tournament — should benefit him in those tough situations this time around.
“Last year in a big situation, it (would) take a couple batters (for me to relax),” VanOstenbridge said. “(Now), it just feels calm the whole way through. My heart’s beating slower. I’m thinking clearly.”
It’s the batters who should be nervous. VanOstenbridge, with his darting fastball and nasty curve, was tough enough to hit last season. Now he’s developed a slider.
He said he gained confidence in the pitch last summer throwing for the Tri State Arsenal, an elite travel team based in New Jersey. Among his teammates were Gov. Mifflin catcher Travis Jenkins and Hamburg center fielder Scottie Dunleavy.
The slider, he said, offers a new shape to hitters. Each of his four pitches – including his fastball, curve, and changeup – move in a different direction.
“Over the summer I started getting comfortable with it,” he said of the slider, “now I can throw it (in any count).”
The Bulldogs know that with VanOstenbridge on the mound they have a chance to beat any team.
“It’s nice because you know that every time he goes out there we have a chance to get a ‘W,’ ” Underwood said. “If we score three runs, we’re gonna win, because he can keep people down.”
The Bulldogs won 19 games last season but didn’t bring home any hardware. They finished third in their division, second in the league and second in the district. VanOstenbridge is determined to change that.
“(My) mentality is just to go and win it all,” he said, “it’s not just to have a good start. This is my senior season. The mentality is: let’s get it. I’m not holding back at all.”
