On Wednesday, April 16, 2015, Upper Dublin senior Rachel Matricardi was recognized at a special news conference for committing to play softball at Ursinus College. To view photos of the event, please visit the Photo Gallery.
Rachel Matricardi – Ursinus College (Softball)
Major: Psychology
Final list of colleges: Ursinus, Elizabethtown, Susquehanna
Reasons for choosing Ursinus: “Ursinus College was the first and last school I looked at. The schools that I looked at in between just did not stick out as much. I like the small community that it has to offer. It was a good fit for me from the first time I visited the campus.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in softball at the collegiate level? I have been playing softball since I was six years old. I started playing travel ball at 12. I can’t imagine what I would be doing if I wasn’t playing softball. It has become a big part of my life. My junior year I looked at colleges and contacted coaches, and that was when I realized I could and would play in college.”
Coach Heather Boyer says: “Rachel was a four-year starter for Upper Dublin softball and really has been a true asset to our program. She started ninth grade as an outfielder and moved into the catching spot as a sophomore and really has flourished at that position. She’s smart, she knows the game very well, she has a good demeanor behind the plate, and she has really developed a great aggressiveness that makes her a great defensive catcher. She’s not afraid to throw runners out, she’s not afraid to throw down on a pick-off, and she just knows where to be and what to do in each situation.
“What makes her also unique is she has a great relationship with her pitcher, who happens to be her younger sister, so they really have developed wonderful chemistry that helps Becca thrive as a pitcher, especially at such a young age. Rachel is a very quiet leader by example. She doesn’t necessarily say much, but what she does say is very profound, and she really does a great job of leading by example and just really set a good standard for the younger players to follow. That was really important since she was our lone senior this year. She’s been a wonderful asset to our program, and I’ll be sad to see her leave next year but so excited to see that she selected Ursinus as it’s both my alma mater and our assistant coach, Ellie Knise, her alma mater as well, so it will be fun to see her kind of continue that tradition.”
About Rachel:
Favorite food: Pizza
Favorite movie: Divergent
Favorite music: The Fray
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