‘This is always what I’ve dreamed of’: Husker Brice Matthews prepares for MLB draft

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – The 2023 MLB draft is just a few days away, and two Husker baseball standouts will be up for grabs.

The draft begins on Sunday, and hundreds of athletes will be waiting for their names to be called, including Huskers Max Anderson and Brice Matthews.

Matthews, who just finished his junior season with the Huskers, had a standout year, batting .359 with 20 home runs, 74 hits and 67 RBIs

The Texas native became the first player in program history and the second player in the Big Ten to reach the 20-20 club, recording 20 home runs and 20 stolen bases.

Matthews, a first-team All-Big Ten selection last season, said he’s dreamt about playing in the big leagues since he was a kid.

“This is always like what I’ve dreamed of,” Matthews said. “Once I was kind of like old enough to understand what was going on on TV and watching baseball games and playing baseball video games, that’s like always what I wanted to do. I wanted to be on and to see my face on that screen and that’s been my goal ever since.”

On MLB.com, Matthews is ranked as the No. 57 prospect in this year’s draft.  He credits his coaches and teammates for helping him reach this level of confidence and talent.

“I feel pretty confident in just kind of the jump that I’ve made from year to year and just playing more baseball has given me,” Matthews said. “I’ve learned so much from my teammates and my coaches and they’ve helped me to become the player today.”

Matthews, who didn’t commit to playing college baseball until his senior year of high school, gave some advice to younger players.

“Work hard and believe what you want to do in life and don’t let anybody tell you, you can’t do anything because that’s just gonna hinder you,” he said. “And have fun, be a kid. Have as much fun as possible but be smart when you’re making choices for sure.”