Smoky Mountain ace Zebby Matthews' drive for perfection leads to deal with Minnesota Twins
Zebby Matthews strives to be perfect.
Matthews threw a gem in the second round of the 2A NCHSAA playoffs, allowing only two runs through six innings. In the bottom of the seventh with the game tied 2-2, his first pitch was turned around for a walk-off solo shot deep into the woods behind the ballpark.
Game over. Season Over.
He shook hands with everyone from Lake Norman Charter after the game. Smoky Mountain coach Jeremy Ellenburg walked over to left field for a debrief with his team, including everyone but Matthews.
Ellenburg said the pitcher went amongst the dense pine trees to find that baseball. A few minutes later, Matthews emerged from the forest. He hopped the fence and rejoined his team while carrying the ball.
Matthews retrieved it because he wanted to hold on to it as motivation to ensure he never gave up a walk-off home run again.
"That's one of those things that shows his competitiveness, his drive to be perfect, to get better, always improving," Ellenburg said.
He still keeps that ball on a shelf in his room to this day, next to the perfect-game ball he threw during his senior year. His pursuit of perfection helped him get selected in the 2022 MLB draft on Monday. The Minnesota Twins used their 234th overall pick in the eighth round to draft the junior closer from Western Carolina.
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Matthews said he didn't expect to hear his name called until the second or third day of the draft.
He treated Monday like any other day. He went to the field and worked out. Then he went home to watch the draft. He opted to watch it unfold all by himself instead of hosting a party.
He said the Twins communicated with him before the pick and eventually told them they were going to take him with their next selection.
Matthews was speechless for a few moments before he thanked them for drafting him, telling Minnesota that he was ready to get to work.
He then hung up and watched his name roll across his TV screen before calling his close friends and family.
"It was like, 'Hey, all the hard work I put into baseball up to this point had paid off,' " Matthews said. "I was living out the dream everyone had as a kid."
Matthews said he reports to Fort Myers, Florida, on July 24. There, Minnesota will decide which minor league team he'll be assigned to.
Ellenburg texted him congratulations and told him he deserved this moment.
At Smoky Mountain, Matthews played shortstop and pitcher.
Ellenburg said Matthews would show up at 6 a.m., a few hours before school started every morning to work out in the weight room and then practice hitting in the batting cage.
He then showered and went to school. Then he would practice fielding ground balls, throwing and hitting after school for a few hours.
"He's gonna be successful because he's the type of worker, he's going to work where he wants to be," Ellenburg said. "Because I can promise you right now, he's very happy. He's content, but I can promise you he's not satisfied yet."
This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: Zebby Matthews continues his drive for perfection with the Twins
