After the loss of three players to the 2004 Major League Baseball first-year draft, one wouldn’t expect Prairie View A&M’s baseball program to be in contention for the Southwestern Athletic Conference title. It appeared that third-year head baseball coach Michael Robertson would have some huge shoes to fill prior to the start of the 2005 campaign.While most coaching staffs scratch their heads and try to figure out how to replace a talented bunch, the Panther baseball program simply reloaded and hasn’t missed a beat. A pair of newcomers, junior outfielder Anton Daley and sophomore pitcher Matthew Chase, are playing key roles in helping the Panthers achieve their first postseason berth in more than three decades.
A 6-1, 200 pound junior from Boston, Mass. by way of Western Oklahoma State College, Daley is blessed with a rare combination of major league speed and power. An all-around threat for the Panthers, he leads the SWAC with 12 homers and is first in slugging percentage (.766) and total bases (95). He’s also third in the conference with 44 RBIs, eighth in hits (42) and sixth in doubles (11). One of the team’s fastest players, Daley also has 13 stolen bases and has scored 44 runs on the season, which is good enough for third in the SWAC.
“Anton’s biggest asset is his legitimate major league baseball speed,” said Robertson. “He runs a consistent 6.4 in the 60-yard dash and the benchmark for major league speed is 6.8, which is something many kids don’t have. Against Arkansas-Pine Bluff in our last home series, he reached base on a single, stole second and raced home to score the game-winning run.”
Daley, a criminal justice major, has had several games this past season that has raised some eyebrows across the country. During the second game of a doubleheader against Jackson State on Feb. 12, Daley recorded three hits, three home runs, scored four runs and finished with seven RBIs. On March 18 against Northeastern, his hometown school, Daley drove in seven RBIs, scored three runs and had four hits. For his efforts against Northeastern, Daley was selected as the SWAC Player of the Week for the week of March 24.
Daley’s play on the field has been quite a surprise for the Panther coaching staff. Outside of his junior college statistics, Robertson knew very little about Daley prior to his arrival at Prairie View.
“We brought him down for a recruiting visit and we were impressed with his maturity and leadership ability,” Robertson said. “Once he got on campus, he fell in love with the Prairie View environment and academic programs the school has to offer.
What we saw then has carried over to the field and it has paid off.”
A native of Dallas, Texas, Chase spent one year at Weatherford College before arriving at Prairie View. He has emerged as the team’s number two starter and teamed with freshman Wrandal Taylor to give the Panthers a solid 1-2 combination. Standing 6-5 with a fastball that’s consistently in the high 80s, Chase has played a big part in the resurgence of the Panthers’ pitching staff.
“Matt could be a power pitcher with continued development,” said Robertson. “He is still growing and has a very loose arm. He has three pitches (fastball, curve ball and slider) that can cause opposing teams trouble.”
Chase leads the SWAC with a 2.63 ERA and is tied for second in the conference with six wins. He has struck out 41 batters for an average of 7.19 batters per game. Chase has pitched five complete games on the season and has held opposing batters to a .256 batting average. His best game of the season occurred on Feb. 27 against arch rival Texas Southern.
Against TSU, Chase struck out six, allowed only two hits and pitched a complete game shutout.
“When Matt is on, he is hard to stop,” said Robertson. “He has pitched four complete games for us and has good command of his pitches.”
Unlike Daley, Robertson and his staff knew about Chase while he was still in high school.
“We recruited Matt while he was still in high school,” stated Robertson. “He opted to attend junior college for a year before coming to Prairie View. “But I have to also give credit to one of Prairie View’s former players and graduate Ron Stinnet for making Matt’s arrival possible,” added Robertson. “Matt played summer league baseball on Ron’s team and he also provided him with pitching lessons. He helped sell Matt on the Prairie View experience.”
With the success both players are having in addition to the program’s overall success, Robertson is aware that he may not have the opportunity to coach both players for the duration of their careers. Robertson also stated that the opportunity to be drafted was one of the biggest reasons both players chose Prairie View.
“Daley’s versatility gives him a legitimate chance at being drafted,” said Robertson. “With his speed and power, scouts will have to take notice.