Szczur Hits Home Run with Third Graders

COLD SPRING — Teresa Morris’ third grade class at Maud Abrams School had hot dogs, Crackerjack and a baseball player who is a heartbeat away from becoming a Chicago Cub.
Matt Szczur visited the classroom Thur., Oct 27 as a hometown hero, not only because he attended school from kindergarten through high school in Lower Township, but also for being a bone marrow donor. One of the third graders, Jack Murphy, was a bone marrow donor for his brother Bobby, who visited the classroom and met Szczur.
Bobby Murphy is recovering from aplastic anemia, a result of his body not producing enough new red blood cells. His mother, Lisa Murphy, a Herald artist, told Szczur about Bobby and Jack.
Szczur donated bone marrow to a baby girl in his final year at Villanova University.
The students have been reading about baseball players including Roberto Clemente, Babe Ruth and Hank Aaron. They earned the baseball-themed lunch for good behavior.
The students wrote essays about their heroes previous to Szczur’s visit.
Jack Murphy defined a hero as doing something for someone else or saving them. Morris noted not all heroes wore a cape like super heroes.
“A hero is someone we admire,” she said.
Szczur ate lunch with the students, answered questions, autographed a baseball for each student and posed for a group photo.
He told students he played hockey, soccer, baseball and wrestled. Szczur told students to not focus on just one thing but “go out and be good at everything, not just one thing.”
He said he loved art, architecture and painting.
“I was always trying to pick up a new sport or a new hobby just to keep myself occupied,” said Szczur.
He told students after graduating from Lower Cape May Regional High School, he entered Villanova University where he played both baseball and football. Szczur had the opportunity to play for the Dodgers as a catcher after graduating from high school but instead chose to attend college, he said.
In his junior year in college he was matched as bone marrow donor which saved the life of the young girl. He was drafted that year by the Chicago Cubs, played in the minors for one summer while still in college, played another year of college football and graduated from Villanova.
He spent the past year playing in farm clubs of the Chicago Cubs in Peoria, Il., and Daytona Beach, Fl. His batting average is .293 with 11 home runs, 46 RBIs and 24 stolen bases.
Szczur told students he has been playing baseball since he was 6 year old.
On a question of how college baseball differs from the pro league, Szczur said in the minor and major leagues, it is your own responsibility to improve your playing. He said he arrived at the ballpark in Daytona Beach two to three hours early to practice hitting.
The pace of high school and college baseball was much slower and coaches, “tell you what to do and you have to play their way,” he said.
“I think hitting a home run is better than scoring a touchdown,” said Szczur.
He said there was a big difference in using a wooden bat rather than a metal bat in high school and college. A wooden bat has a small “sweet spot,” said Szczur.
Asked who was his favorite baseball player, in a room full of young Phillies fans, he said “Shane Victorino.”