29 June, 2005

Matt Bishop a bonus for Harwich staff

Endicott College is hardly a baseball factory. The North Shore Division 3 school used to be a secretarial school but it's now co-ed and one product, Matt Bishop of Woburn, is now pitching for the Harwich Mariners.

"I love that kid," declared manager Steve Englert. "He's gone about his business. He's a kid out of Division 3 Endicott. He comes out and works and throws strikes. He's got good stuff. He's a Division 1 pitcher. He competes and is holding his own out there."

Bishop has done quite well for a small school man; in three appearances he's thrown five shutout innings against some of the top college prospects in the country. Bishop has faced 20 batters and given up four hits.

He pitched in back to back games Saturday and Sunday, tossing two frames in each. On Sunday he went two and a third innings, gave up one hit and struck out two with two walks.

"This is the second year I tried out for the Cape League," Bishop said. "I came down here and they gave me a call as a temp, they had an opening."

Bishop did benefit from a bizarre double play when Bourne found itself with two men on third base.

Third baseman Scott Sizemore tagged the man on the base who didn't belong there and then tagged the other runner, who was a step off the bag. Two out but lots of controversy.

"Overall the talent here is better (than Division 3). Everyone here is a legit ballplayer," Bishop said. "You have to work a lot harder here. I love it. It's a great baseball atmosphere. It's been real nice."

Bishop attended Woburn High where he was a league all-star as a sophomore, junior and senior. How did the hard throwing right hander wind up at an obscure baseball school?

"I'm a transfer from Bryant College," Bishop said. "I'm interested in criminal justice and Endicott was close by. It's a Division 3 program but I didn't care where it was."

He posted a 5-0 record at Endicott and caught Englert's eye.

"I'm just glad I came down here. I'll make the best of it I can," he said.

If he doesn't stick he'll go back to Woburn where he can play in a city league. And if some pitcher departs Harwich he might get a call back.

"I touch 92-93," he said of his fastball. "I throw a slider close to 80 and my curve ball is in the high 70s. In this league you can't overpower the hitters you have to hit your spots."