Meet a Bison: Matt Mossey
From fastballs on the mound to backhands in the hole, Mossey does it all
Very few students have the opportunity to play multiple starting positions on a college athletic team. Sophomore Matt Mossey has precisely the chance.
When the Bison baseball player is not tossing the ball from his starting position at shortstop, he’s hurling it toward home plate from the pitcher’s mound.
Mossey was the starting shortstop for the Bison for the entire 2005 season, missing only one game. In addition to his shortstop duties, he’s also worked his way onto starting pitching rotation.
His appearances on the mound have come as a surprise to many people not only because very few players are capable of handling dual roles, but also because he did not start his pitching career until his senior year of high school.
One person who isn’t surprised is Mossey’s head coach, Mitch McLeod.
McLeod first saw Mossey pitch at the Lions All-Star Game in 2004, a baseball game reserved for the top senior players in Minnesota.
“ When I clocked him there, he was throwing 91 to 93 mph so we knew he had velocity,” McLeod said.
McLeod said he had always planned on making Mossey a member of the Bison pitching staff after seeing him pitch in high school. He chose to wait, however, until he could find someone who could slide in at shortstop without disrupting the team’s rhythm.
With Charles Magedanz acting as replacement, Mossey has begun transitioning between shortstop and pitcher.
For Mossey, the transition has been a struggle. While he enjoys pitching, it has been much harder than he first thought.
“ It’s been a struggle lately. The first two starts were really good. I didn’t give up an earned run in my first start,” Mossey said. “Now, I don’t know. The teams have caught on to what I’m doing. I kinda need to get back to the drawing board and figure out what I’m doing.”
Mossey also feels his role as a pitcher has put a strain on his hitting abilities.
Last year, he led the team in at-bats, hits, batting average and triples. He also set two single-season school records. It has been hard so far to match the level he has come to expect.
“ On days I pitch I usually try to focus on pitching more, and I can tell I’m not as focused at the plate because I’m more focused on the mound,” Mossey said.
Mossey may feel the strain of a dual role, but he masks it well. McLeod thinks Mossey has handled the transition well mentally.
“ It’s tough to play three games at shortstop, and then on the fourth game of a series go in and pitch,” McLeod said.
Mcleod said he has seen difficulty in only one part of the transition – Mossey’s arm.
Most hurlers don’t bat on days they pitch due to the amount of stress that pitching puts on their arm. Mossey does.
He serves as his own designated hitter in games he starts on the mound. As a result, he is more tired than most infielders when he gets off the mound and moves back to shortstop.
As McLeod put it, “You get tired at shortstop after throwing 100 pitches.”
McLeod did add that he thinks the fatigue level will decrease once Mossey starts pitching on a more regular basis.
Teammate and fellow infielder Tyrus Powe said he thinks Mossey’s transition from shortstop to pitcher has been a success.
“ It takes a unique person to be able to play multiple positions. You got to be able to adapt well,” said Powe, a senior from Irvine, Calif.
As far as Mossey’s hitting, Powe has not noticed any differences between games he has pitched and games he has played shortstop. Powe said every player struggles at the plate at some point, and Mossey’s pitching has not been a factor.
Whether the transition has been difficult or easy is no longer an issue for Mossey. With the fast-paced schedule and the number of back-to-back games, Mossey has had to quickly become accustomed to his dual role of pitcher and shortstop.