NIAGARA UNIVERSITY ATHLETICS
SEACAUCUS, N.J. – Pitcher Matthew Brash was selected by the San Diego Padres in the fourth round of the 2019 MLB Draft with the 113th overall pick on Tuesday.
Brash, a 6-1 righty from Kingston, Ontario, is the second-highest drafted player in program history behind Doug Farrell, who was drafted by the Pittsburgh Pirates in the second and third rounds in 1971 and 1972. He is the 10th Purple Eagle since 2005 to be drafted: James Avery, Dan Griffin and Reed Eastley (2005), Jeff Vincent (2006), Wynton Bernard (2012), Jordan Schwartz (2014), Daniel Procopio and Tanner Kirwer (2017) and Greg Cullen (2018).
“We are so happy for Matt and his family,” said Niagara baseball head coach Rob McCoy. “Out of high school, they trusted us to provide an opportunity for Matt to learn, grow and mature. With that, and combined with his unwavering work ethic, he was able to develop himself into a top prospect. This is only the beginning for him and we look forward to following his professional career.”
Brash, the reigning MAAC Pitcher of the Year and first-ever Pitcher of the Year selection for NU, was an asset on the mound for the Purple Eagles in his three seasons on Monteagle Ridge.
Brash (4-5) had a phenomenal 2019 season. He set the Niagara single-season and MAAC single-season strikeouts record with 121, which was also 10th in the NCAA at the conclusion of the regular season. He finished the season with a 2.43 ERA, which was the best in the MAAC and is the second-best in NU history. Brash held his opponents to an impressive .194 batting average, which led all MAAC pitchers. He tossed three complete games in 2019, two of which were shutouts, and was selected to the All-MAAC First Team and was a two-time MAAC Pitcher of the Week honoree.
On May 9, Brash was named to the 2019 Google Cloud Academic All-District District 1 First Team for his impressive performance both on the mound and in the classroom. As a sport management major, Brash maintained a grade point average of 3.67. As a First Team Academic All-District honoree, Brash has advanced to the Google Cloud Academic All-America ballot.
A near complete game from Brash in the final game of the 2018 season against Manhattan helped send the Purple Eagles to the MAAC Championships for the first time since 2006. Brash fanned eight batters, tying his then-career-high, in 8.2 innings pitched, to finish his sophomore season with a winning record of 3-1.
Following his freshman season (2017), in which he compiled a record of 5-1 and had an ERA of 2.79, Brash was named the MAAC Rookie of the Year and was named a 2017 Freshman All-American by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
“I couldn’t be happier to be picked by such a great organization and it’s still surreal that I get the chance to play ball at the next level,” said Brash. “I’m glad I got to celebrate with my family and I have everyone that has helped me along the way to thank for this awesome moment.”
Brash will earn multiple entries into the Niagara baseball record book for his career at NU. He finishes his career with the second-best ERA (2.97) and second-most strikeouts (215). He is tied for third in shutouts (two) and has the fourth-best winning percentage (.631).
