Friday Features: Small-town pitcher Norton makes big splash for UWG
By Mike Perrin
Matt Norton is a small-town guy. He comes from a really, really small town. Like, it takes click after click after click on the World Wide Web to find a population estimate because the U.S. Census doesn’t even count it as a town.
Muscadine, Ala., according to a couple of places along the crowded Information Superhighway, has between 1,301 and 1,312 people. According to Norton’s reckoning, it’s more like 200. Considering the accuracy of lots of places on the Internet, we believe the University of
West Georgia’s No. 1 pitcher. It’s about 200."
“Muscadine is a small community in eastern Cleburne County,” said Norton. “If you blink, you just might miss it. There were not many things you could do in Muscadine, but my buddies and I were always finding something to keep us entertained. We have a small general store with just the basic items. And one bar, called
The Junction.”
There’s also no high school in Muscadine, so Norton went to Cleburne County High in Heflin, about 20 minutes away. It was there he turned from a small-town guy into a big-time pitcher coveted by college coaches. He turned down an offer from UAB to attend Central Alabama Community College in Alexander City with a buddy,
Alex Lee, who is now a standout at first base at
Samford University. “Both of us dreamed of playing college baseball together and were fortunate enough to receive offers from Central Alabama,” the 6-foot-4, 200-pound right-hander said.
In 2013, Norton’s CACC squad won the National Junior College Athletic Association World Series, “one of the most enjoyable, memorable experiences of my life,” he said. “We were in Grand Junction, Colo., for a total of 10 days. The atmosphere of the games was unbelievable.
“Nobody really gave us a chance, and we were one of the lowest seeds in the tournament,” Norton said. “We came out and won the first three games. We dropped the next game and were facing elimination the next day. The most memorable moment was when we rallied back from a four-run deficient in the bottom of the ninth with one out to tie the game and eventually win it in extra innings.”
Now, Norton is looking for big things in his senior season at West Georgia. A year ago when the team finished 33-15, he was 8-2 in 14 appearances and his victory in his first start this year for the 4-0 Wolves was the 10th straight win for UWG when Norton was first on the hill. He notched two shutouts and four complete games. Norton earned second-team All-Gulf South Conference honors and was second-team American Baseball Coaches Association All-South Region.
“Matt is our No. 1 starter right now,” said head coach
Skip Fite. “Every time he takes the mound we know we have a good chance to win that day. He does a great job of throwing strikes and competing."
“Not only is he a good pitcher for us, but he is also a very quality person with great character. He does a good job in the classroom and we have never had an issue off the field with him."
“He was a major contributor in our success last year and will be a key for us to get to the next step this year,” Fite said. “We are excited to see him pitch the rest of the year and we are glad he is a part of the Wolves.”
Norton deflects credit from his performance as a junior, when he finished with a 2.84 earned run average with 41 strikeouts and just 14 walks. “Last year was great,” he said. “I have to give most of the credit to my teammates, though. My teammates came out every game for me and played great defense and gave me the run support that I needed. Pitching is a lot easier when you have eight other guys around you that you know are going to have your back.
“(Catcher)
Payton Mann did a great job throwing out runners last year and both our infield and outfield played really consistent defense,” Norton said. “We had a great offseason and workout program that I believe helped contribute to our success as a team.”
Norton called his two-seam fastball his best pitch, but said, “I’m constantly working to improve on all of my pitches. I would have to describe both my fastball and curve as solid pitches.”
The finance major, who graduates this spring, has high hopes for the 27th-ranked Wolves. “Our expectations are high this year,” he said. “We hope to keep building on our season from last year. We see no reason why we should not be competing for a conference championship and hopefully a bid for the South Regional."
“The preparation from the staff has been awesome this year. We have a lot more depth this year and everybody has been working hard. I am excited to see what this entire staff can accomplish.”
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