It's a Baseball Life for Matt Sucharewicz

If you were going to paint a portrait of Peabody’s Matt Sucharewicz, you would have to include a ball, a bat, a glove or a baseball uniform to make the picture complete.

Sucharewicz, who graduated from Saint Anselm College in 2011 following a sterling career on the diamond and the ice for , loves baseball and loves to share his passion with others.

“Baseball’s like a virus, it takes a hold of you and consumes you in a good way,” he said. “You could be in an 0-20 slump and all you want to do is get the next at-bat, get in the next game and keep playing.”

Sucharewicz played shortstop, first base, pitcher and catcher for Peabody; in college for the Hawks, he was behind the plate. He even made it to Fenway Park after the 2011 season for an All-Star game -- Division One players against his team of Division Two and Division Three standouts.

“We only got three innings in at Fenway before it started to pour and they called the game,” he said. “I did get one at-bat and hit a single, and to get a hit at Fenway was great.”

“I chose Saint A’s for the academics, the good exposure in the Northeast 10. We play with wood bats, a lot of good players play in our league, and some get noticed for the next level and get drafted,” Sucharewicz said.

The 23-year-old lives in South Peabody with his mom and dad and younger brother Pete. The younger Sucharewicz, another great athlete who starred on the ice, on the diamond and on the golf team for Peabody High.

After picking up a degree in business from Saint Anselm, Sucharewicz went to work for B & R Metals of Lynn, but after he’s finished with B & R he gets back to his real passion: baseball.

“I worked as the bullpen catcher for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats for a while, and led the Higgins Middle School to an undefeated season as their head coach in 2011," Matt said.

“The kids were great, Peabody is such a baseball town, so many great ballplayers come from Peabody -- it’s a passion in this community and I was lucky enough to have some great coaches when I was playing here,” Sucharewicz said. He added that there have been great teams coming out of the Tanner City, whether in high school or Little League -- the young all-star club made it all the way to the World Series in Williamsport in 2009.

Sucharewicz credits his parents, citing them as his biggest influence, driving him to baseball games and hockey games all over the area while he was growing up.

He now plays for the North Shore Phillies in the North Shore Baseball League when he can, and will begin his first season as an assistant baseball coach at Merrimack College for the 2012-2013 school year.

“I have such great memories from baseball in Peabody.” he said. “My senior year we went 18-2, won the GBL title and made it all the way to the North Final in the state tournament.”

Sucharewicz served as the Tanners co-captain his senior season in baseball and in hockey, and was elected by his teammates on the Hawks to serve as one of their co-captains in his final baseball season at St. Anselms.

He is a member of the 100-point club for Peabody High hockey and one of his favorite memories from high school took place in a playoff game against Danvers.

“I was a freshman playing forward on the hockey team and we beat Danvers in the state hockey playoffs, something like 9-4. There were over eight thousand people at the game, it was unbelievable, I’ll never forget that,” Sucharewicz said.

“I loved every minute playing sports in Peabody, and I loved playing in college too, the whole experience was awesome,” he said.