The Comeback is always Stronger than the Setback
The story of Matt Cedarburg
Matt Cedarburg is a Red Shirt Sophomore here at CF. He also plays third base for the Patriots.
Matt Cedarburg was born to the parents of Gerl and John Cedarburg. Matt has two siblings, a brother named Axel Cedarburg and a sister named Anna Cedarburg.
Matt’s father was the one who got him and his brother into baseball. His father previously played baseball at Florida Southern and is currently an MLB scout working with the Colorado Rockies.
Matt played baseball his entire high school career at Bishop Verot High School in Fort Myers, Florida.
Upon graduation, CF was one of the few choices Matt had for a college. He sustained an injury where he fractured his wrist and had to have surgery on it, leaving him to miss out on playing his senior year of high school.
Due to this injury, it also left Matt missing out on a lot of different recruiting opportunities. However, Matt was grateful for being able to go to Cf. “Honestly though it was one of the best things that has happened to me,” said Matt.
Matt is beyond grateful for the time he has spent here at Cf and being under the coaching of Coach Marty Smith, head Cf baseball coach.
“With the help of Coach K, Coach Collin, and previously Ryan Smith, my former hitting coach, they have helped me become the player I am today,” said Matt. They have also helped with his success here at CF.
Matt’s father, John Cedarburg, is his biggest influence. “He has always believed in me and I want to continue making him proud,” said Matt.
Matts biggest takeaway from Cf was having teammates that he could rely on and trust. Knowing that if someone didn’t get something done, another teammate was right there and got it done.
When Matt went into his freshman year here at Cf, he had another injury and broke his ankle. Missing out from the rest of the season pushed Matt to become better and want to win more.
“I saw how much fun and success that team was having so in my next year I wanted to try and do it again,” said Matt. The Patriots were off to a great start, until Covid hit.
Matts goals after graduating from Cf is to transfer to a D1 school and continue his baseball and academic careers. Even though he has schools contacting him, he is waiting for the right school to contact him.
Matt has had such a positive impact on not only his teammates, but his coaches as well. He is a blast to coach, and a great teammate to talk to and learn from.
“Matt has really matured as a player during his time here. He has bought into lifting, getting stronger, and putting in the work to make himself on of the best hitters in the state,” said Coach Marty Smith.
Matt’s confidence will take him a long way with his life goals. “I also have pro aspirations and I believe that I do have the ability and talent to someday get drafted whether it be this year or next,” said Matt.
“Cedar has been a great teammate, always the first guy at the facility in the morning getting ready for workouts and game,” said Chance Gist-Heinen, team manager for the Cf Patriots.
Matt would have told his younger self to stay calm, patient, and to just keep working at his goals. You cannot control everything that happens in a game, nor can you predict it.
“Once you learn how to dominate things you have control over, that is when you will start having true success and winning,” said Matt.