BHS Alumnus Matt Slavonic '97 Will Enter PSU-Behrend Athletics Hall of Fame

It's hard not to root for a guy like Matt Slavonic, who might be the epitome of "speak softly and carry a big stick."

Slavonic, a 1997 graduate of  and maybe the nicest guy on the planet, recently learned that he will be entering the Penn State University-Behrend Athletics Hall of Fame this coming fall.

And deservedly so. But you'd never think it just by talking to the guy.

"There were so many great players before me (at Behrend), and there will be so many after me," Slavonic said in reference to other Lions baseball players who are either in the school's Hall of Fame or will be some day.

"To be included amongst those guys is incredibly flattering."

Given how good of a ballplayer Slavonic was at Behrend and how good he still is at playing the game today, those same guys would probably say the exact same thing about him.

Though, Slavonic doesn't seem like the kind of guy who spends every summer tearing the covers of off baseballs.

The 32-year-old husband and new father of one – baby Nolan was born on Jan. 12 – seems like any other white-collar worker when he marches unassumingly through Downtown Pittsburgh every weekday on his way to the UPMC building ... except that most of UPMC's information-technology auditors didn't set school records while playing college baseball.

Slavonic, who now plays for the Pittsburgh Black Sox of the National Adult Baseball Association, left Penn State-Behrend as its baseball team's all-time hits leader, not to mention a variety of other claims.

When he left the Lions, "Slavs" – as he has been known since he pretty much picked up a bat – not only had 176 career hits, but he was also the school's career leader in runs scored (141) and ranked second in both career runs batted in (96) and doubles (25).

He hasn't played for Behrend since he graduated from there with a bachelor's degree in management information systems in 2001, but he is still ranked fifth in Lions baseball history in hits, and fourth in runs, entering the 2011 season.

He is also fifth in program history on the defensive side of the diamond with 299 career assists after leaving the school ranked second all-time in that statistic. He earned his team's Gold Glove award in 1999.

Like his time now with the Black Sox, Slavonic has played for winners. His Lions set a team record for victories in a season in 1998 by going 23-10 while Slavonic batted a team-high .402 on his way to an Allegheny Mountain Collegiate Conference Freshman of the Year award.

Behrend then went 26-14 the very next year to break the school wins record again. Like the year before, the AMCC honored Slavonic with a first-team all-conference award for his work as a second baseman. In fact, Slavonic made the all-AMCC team in all four of his seasons, including three first-team honors.

Pretty impressive ... even without knowing that he came to Lions baseball as a walk-on player.

Again, an easy guy to root for.

"(Behrend Head Coach Paul Benim) never met me until my first week of school," Slavonic said, "and he encouraged anyone to try out for the team. He also gave anyone who was willing to work hard, be responsible and love the game a chance to not only play but to compete for a starting position."

Not that "Slavs" was exactly without baseball chops coming from his high-school days at Baldwin.

Indeed, the Highlanders went 20-1 during his senior year in 1997, winning a section title and advancing not only to the WPIAL semifinals but also to the PIAA playoffs for the first time in program history.

Slavonic has the honor of hitting the first home run in a state playoffs game in Baldwin baseball annals. And amazingly, he did not commit and an error during the entire 1997 season.

Now in the next chapter of his baseball life, Slavonic has helped to lead the Black Sox to Pittsburgh championships in the National Adult Baseball Association in both 2004 and 2006, and runner-up status in 2005, 2009 and 2010. Slavonic was league MVP in 2005 – the same year that he led the circuit in home runs – and he has been a four-time NABA-Pittsburgh all-star.

Slavonic grew up on Doyle Road in , and he credits the time that he spent playing Little League baseball in Baldwin-Whitehall for instilling in him a deep love of the game.

"I remember late in the elementary-school year," Slavonic said, "sitting in class, being so happy that the sun was out because I had a game that night."

Though his baseball accolades are well-documented, Slavonic's activity off of the field has been nothing to sneeze at either. He earned an academic all-AMCC award for the 1997-98 school year and claimed Behrend baseball's sportsmanship award in 2000-01 when he served as a team captain and finished his tenure with the school's Student-Athlete Advisory Committee.

That leadership experience at Behrend has paid off in Slavonic's professional life. He served as Treasurer for the Pittsburgh chapter of the Information Systems Audit and Control Association in 2007.

Slavonic and his wife Stacey (married in 2008) live in Murrysville, Pa. Stacey is an IT auditor as well. She works for Highmark.

Matt earned a Master of Business Administration degree from Point Park University in 2006.

Come this summer, it will be time for quiet-IT-auditor-by-day/hardball-slugger-by-night once again for Matt.

Now with a baby at home, will he hang his cleats up anytime soon?

"Aside from injuries, I believe I will just know (when it's time)," Matt said. "It could be this year, for all I know, or it may not be.

"The best thing is, if I stink this year and bat .083 and make tons of errors, then maybe that'll be it.

"If so, I have so many other great things going on in my life, like family, friends, other interests, and I am very satisfied with my career that I don't think anybody – including myself – will mind."

That might be hard to believe, though, when you listen to the man talk about the sport that he loves. It sure sounds like he'd miss it.

"As far as sports goes," Matt said, "there is not a better feeling than, on a summer day, against a great pitcher, hitting a baseball on the sweet spot into the right-field gap, with two guys on, past a diving outfielder, and running as fast as you can, people cheering, and seeing how far you can make it.

"I don't know how to replace that type of feeling."