Matt is a senior infielder from Cary, N.C.
A double major in finance and marketing,
Holt had a red hot second half of the season last year, batting .342 over his final 23 games to finish with a .296 batting average. During that time he hit in sixteen straight games, UNCW's longest hitting streak of the season.
Check out his blog here.
Ping!Baseball Spotlight Interview Craig Brookes & Steve Gerstenberger Michigan State University
Lead by second year head coach David Grewe, the green and
white of Michigan State have become relevant again on the
national stage of collegiate baseball and look to make the
Big 10 Tournament after just missing a berth in 2006. In an
rising Big Ten conference, the Spartans started strong before
hitting a tough stretch against Penn State and Minnesota.
Michigan State should quickly rebound however, as sweet swinging
junior Steve Gerstenberger (.372 average, top ten in Big 10)
and senior hurler Craig Brookes (1.77 ERA, second in the conference)
give the Spartans a chance to win everytime they take the
field. The pair from Lansing were recently kind enough to
answer a few questions from Ping! before heading to Big 10
leader and nationally ranked Michigan for a four games series
in Ann Arbor.
PING!: You
have one of the youngest head coaches in the nation in Coach
Grewe. Do you think his age is an asset as he shapes and recruits
the future of Spartan baseball? Brookes:
Coach Grewe definitely brings a high level of energy
and excitement to the program. Coach Grewe, along with our
entire coaching staff, takes professionalism to a new level.
The fact they are a younger group is definitely an asset and
their enthusiasm for the future of the program undoubtedly
rubs off on recruits. Gerstenberger: I believe he brings an injection
of youth to our program that definitely serves as an asset.
I think people see what he is trying to do and what he has
already begun to do for our program to take it to a new level.
He comes from a successful program at Notre Dame which people
respect. His youth allows him to connect with current players
and potential recruits. There’s a whole new attitude
around the program and I believe it all starts with Coach
Grewe.
PING!: Considering
Big 10 schools are forced to have a bulk of their preseason
practices indoors and play the first half of the season on
the road due to weather, do you feel the conference will ever
be able to achieve the same successes as football and basketball? Brookes: Being a pitcher I don’t really
mind practicing indoors as much as the fielders probably do.
The real disadvantage to teams from the Big Ten is we don’t
have live game experience before we get down south for our
spring trip. I think the uniform start date will do a lot
to even the playing field for not only teams from the Big
Ten but from the north in general. In the future I definitely
see the Big Ten having great success on the national stage.
Gerstenberger:
I believe we are headed in the right direction. In my opinion
we are an underrated conference but we still are not the powerhouse
conference of Big Ten basketball and football. I feel whenever
we play southern schools we always feel we have something
to prove and help put us on the map. With the passing of a
common start date, I think that will really work to our advantage.
It would be nice to see more of our teams crack into the top
25. I do believe in the near future the Big Ten will become
a power conference.
PING!: As you’ve
traveled around the country playing against different schools,
have any universities baseball facilities and traditions have
left you green with envy? Brookes: Over my time at State I’ve
seen and played against a number of great schools and seen
some outstanding facilities. I would have to say that Florida
State’s Dick Howser stadium would probably be one that
impressed me the most. Gerstenberger: There is no place like Spartanland,
but when we traveled to Oklahoma this year we ate a pre-game
lunch at their athletics cafeteria and they had lemon-lime
Gatorade on tap. That was unreal. I think we need that in
our locker room.
PING!: With
all the time playing and practicing, how does being involved
in athletics affect you academically? Brookes: Obviously baseball is a huge time
commitment but Michigan State has an outstanding Student-Athlete
Academic Center and staff which give me all the resources
to be successful in the classroom. Also, being able to plan
my course schedule a few semesters ahead of time allows me
to take difficult classes in the fall and some of the general
core classes in the spring when I don’t have as much
time to study. Gerstenberger: To be honest with you it helps
guys like me who struggle unless I have a set schedule and
with baseball I have a set schedule everyday from breakfast
to when I head to bed. At MSU the Clara Bell Smith Academic
center for athletes serves every academic need you could have.
PING!: When
you’re watching a ballgame instead of playing in one,
what do you load up on while in the concession line? Brookes: I have to say that there is nothing
better than a hot dog with mustard and relish. Once in a while
I’ll throw down some nachos but normally I’ll
stick with a dog and coke if I’m watching a game. Gerstenberger: Can’t resist those
Ball Park Franks, and if they have Dippin’ Dots I’m
all over that.
PING!: Baseball
players seem to almost uniformly watch a lot of movies while
traveling on the road. Which movies have you been watching
over and over to the point of memorization? Brookes: It’s true that we do watch
a lot of movies. I’d have to say the one that I can
pretty much recite from memory would be “Gladiator.”
But it’s common knowledge anything with Will Ferrell
or Adam Sandler will have a strong fan base on our team. Gerstenberger: I think I know every Will
Ferrell and Adam Sandler Movie ever made by heart now, but
Bull Durham never gets old, I could watch that over and over.
Brookes:
Coach Grewe definitely brings a high level of energy
and excitement to the program. Coach Grewe, along with our
entire coaching staff, takes professionalism to a new level.
The fact they are a younger group is definitely an asset and
their enthusiasm for the future of the program undoubtedly
rubs off on recruits. 
Gerstenberger:
I believe we are headed in the right direction. In my opinion
we are an underrated conference but we still are not the powerhouse
conference of Big Ten basketball and football. I feel whenever
we play southern schools we always feel we have something
to prove and help put us on the map. With the passing of a
common start date, I think that will really work to our advantage.
It would be nice to see more of our teams crack into the top
25. I do believe in the near future the Big Ten will become
a power conference. 
