Newton High School alum Matt Easterday was inducted into the Georgia Southern Athletics Hall of Fame in October, forever immortalizing him as one of the most accomplished players in the long and storied history of the university’s baseball program.
Almost a quarter century has passed since his steel cleats cut through the infield dirt at J.I. Clements Stadium in Statesboro, where the blond-headed kid from Covington carved out a place as one of the all-time greats for the Georgia Southern University baseball team. Echoes of his exploits can still be heard for those willing to listen closely enough, and they have now been immortalized for past, present and future generations.
A 1997 graduate of Newton High School, Easterday was inducted in the Georgia Southern Athletics Hall of Fame in October, alongside GSU benefactors Leonard Bevill and Mike Sanders, record-setting swimmer Caroline Bevillard, ex-football players Jerick McKinnon and Darryl Hopkins, tennis star Andreas Koth and track standout Kellie Mitchell John. Their enshrinement as the Class of 2024 brought the hall’s total number of inductees to 176. Circles do not get much more exclusive south of the Gnat Line.
“I’m very humbled and honored to be a part of this elite group,” Easterday said. “If you would have asked me 25 years ago if I thought I would be inducted into the hall of fame, I never would have believed it. There are some pretty big names on that list.”
Easterday spent three years making a name for himself at Georgia Southern, where he ranks sixth on the university’s all-time list in career batting average (.371), seventh in on-base percentage (.454) and eighth in slugging percentage (.632). However, his spectacular junior season in 2000 truly set him apart from many of his contemporaries. Easterday put together a remarkable 28-game hitting streak—a school record that still stands—while pushing the Eagles to a 28–23 record and their ninth appearance in the NCAA Tournament. Seven of their 23 losses were to teams ranked in the Top 10 nationally. By the time his campaign reached its conclusion, he led Georgia Southern in no fewer than seven major offensive categories: batting average (.440), runs scored (78), hits (107), triples (five), runs batted in (77), total bases (187), slugging percentage (.770) and on-base percentage (.514). No other GSU player has eclipsed the 100-hit mark in a single season since. Easterday was named Southern Conference Player of the Year.
“I practiced and played every single day as if it were my last.”
Matt Easterday
“It seemed like I was just completely locked in on every single pitch and every single play all season long,” he said. “It’s almost like the game completely slowed down for me. When I stepped into the batter’s box that year, in my mind, it didn’t matter who I was facing. The pitchers looked like they were throwing beachballs, and I was just having a field day. I’ve never felt anything like it in my life.”
Easterday decided to forego his senior season when he was drafted by the Florida Marlins in the 21st round of the 2000 Major League Baseball First-Year Player Draft. He spent four years in the organization, climbing as high as the Triple-A level. Among the pitchers he faced on his way up the ladder: 1999 American League Championship Series Most Valuable Player Orlando “El Duque” Hernandez and 2012 National League Cy Young Award winner R.A. Dickey.
“The minor leagues are pretty tough, and you really have to love the sport to continue on,” Easterday said. “It was a challenge, mentally and physically, but I loved every minute of it. I had the opportunity to play with and against a lot of big-time players. I have a ton of great memories.”
A wrist injury suffered during the 2003 season—human bones were not designed to withstand direct contact with 95-mile-per-hour fastballs—left him at a crossroads. Ultimately, Easterday made the heart-wrenching decision to walk away from the game at the age of 24.
“It took a while to rehab, but I could never really get the extension on my swing anymore,” he said. “After the season, I was released by the Marlins. I found out soon after that I was going to be a father. I had calls from the Rockies and the Cubs for one-year minor league contracts, but I decided to hang my cleats up and start a new chapter of my life.” The days of long bus rides and low pay were over. He exited the stage without regret. “I wouldn’t change anything,” Easterday said. “I practiced and played every single day as if it were my last. In the back of my mind, I always knew the day would come when my career would be over. I never wanted to look back and wish that I had done something differently.”
Having settled into middle age, Easterday, 45, now resides in Kennesaw with his wife, Elizabeth. Together, they tend to a blended family of five children. Easterday works as a regional sales manager for the JF Petroleum Group. Headquartered in Raleigh, North Carolina, it ranks as the nation’s largest distributor of petroleum equipment, from piping and tanks to dispensers and canopies. The business suits his outgoing personality.
“The petroleum industry is a close-knit community of people,” Easterday said. “I enjoy meeting with site owners and helping them build the stations in a cost-effective way.”
Even though it has been over two decades since he played in a meaningful game, baseball still holds a prominent place in Easterday’s heart. The sport left him with a deep reservoir of memories upon which to draw, dating all the way back to his days under the Newton County Recreation Commission flag at Baker Field and City Pond Park. Easterday admits a part of him will always miss certain aspects of it, mostly “the competition, the team atmosphere, the fans and the smells of the ballpark.”
Click here to read more stories by Brian Knapp.
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