'Commander on the field,' ex-Pine-Richland, Penn State catcher Matt Wood selected in 4th round by Brewers

The Milwaukee Brewers selected former Pine-Richland and Penn State catcher Matt Wood in the fourth round of the MLB Draft on Monday, perhaps impressed by the take-charge attitude he has cultivated throughout his baseball career.

“You’re the commander on the field,” he said from his home in Gibsonia. “You get to see everything on every single play. You get to be a leader on the field. I always felt like being a catcher was something that came naturally to me.”

After winning two WPIAL championships and four letters at Pine-Richland and finishing second in the overall Big Ten batting race at Penn State this season, Wood is ready to take the next step.

The Brewers will show him the way after they made him the 132nd player drafted.

”Heading into Monday, I was trying to be as calm as possible,” he said, “and just let things work out, just trust everything. When I got the phone call, I couldn’t have been happier. I couldn’t be more excited to be a Brewer.”

Wood helped Pine-Richland win WPIAL titles in 2017 and 2019 before enrolling at Penn State where he was the Nittany Lions’ regular starting catcher for three seasons. He was named first-team Big Ten this season after a earning second-team honors in 2021.

During the 2022 regular season, Wood led the Big Ten in batting. Then, he helped Penn State win its first Big Ten Tournament game since 2008 when he belted a three-run homer in a 5-2 victory against third-seeded Iowa.

He finished ‘22 — his junior season — with a .379 batting average and 1.147 OPS, both second to Rutgers’ Nick Cimillo. In Big Ten games, he hit .413, with a 1.229 OPS. Wood also recorded 12 home runs and 53 RBIs in 54 games (all starts).

As a freshman in 2020, Wood hit .314 with a .407 on-base percentage — both third on the team — during the covid-interrupted season. He followed up with a .295 average in 2021.

Wood is the highest-selected position player in Penn State history. Catcher Ben Heath was picked in the fifth round, 153rd overall, by the Houston Astros in 2010. Pitcher Drew O’Neil went in the fourth round, 120th overall, to the Chicago White Sox in 2008.

Wood is Penn State’s 12th draft pick under head coach Rob Cooper.

“We are so fired up for Matt to realize his dream of playing professional baseball,” Cooper said in a statement. “He has worked extremely hard to get this opportunity and now the real work begins.”