Matthew Antopia,18, was named to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Small School baseball team. Matthew is the first Soledad Athlete to receive this award. He hit over .550 this past spring with 14 triples.

Matthew has played baseball for 13 years and received awards like Mission Trail Athletic League Most Valuable Player, All-League and All County. He plays center field and hits them out of the park. He is also a four-year varsity player and his favorite part is hitting the ball.

He got started in baseball when he started hitting with his dad when he was little. His father is his greatest inspiration for baseball.

Matthew used to play basketball but decided to pursue baseball instead. In the fall, he will be heading to Monterey Peninsula College to study Kinesiology and get further in baseball. He is an avid Giants fan and hopes to eventually go pro and play for them.

In his free time Matthew plays video games on his X-Box. His friends and family are a huge support system for playing baseball. “Without my friends support I wouldn’t have gone this far,” he said.

For the complete article see the 07-14-2010 issue.

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