McHenry Times

For Matt Sutherland of Cary, the keys to success in life are hard work, strong family ties and close relationships with his friends.

Despite his relatively small stature (5 feet 8 inches and 170 pounds), he maintains a delightfully positive outlook on sports and on life. The freshman at North Central College in Naperville is preparing for his first season on the baseball team as a middle fielder, which includes second base and shortstop, and his future looks bright. 

Sutherland was a three-year starter in baseball and football at Cary-Grove High School.

“He’s a hard-working kid who leads by example, and he picks up on things really quickly," North Central Head Baseball Coach Ed Mathey recently told the McHenry Times. "He gets after the drills (and) he works hard in practice."

Sutherland’s positive influence is not lost on his coach either. 

“He’s a pleasure to have on the field; and not only is he working hard, he’s doing it with a smile on his face," Mathey said. "That type of attitude is a contagious thing, and we’re glad he’s with us.”

When he’s not on the field and he’s not attending to his studies, Sutherland enjoys outdoor time with his friends. His favorite activities include pick-up basketball games, playing softball and working out at the recreational center. He also enjoys playing video games, including Mortal Combat and the EA Sports football, baseball and basketball series. Sutherland’s a big fan of Batman movies and his favorite food is Japanese steak. 

“There’s a lot of things you can do downtown with your friends here in Naperville, so I just go to my friends' dorm rooms and we go from there,” Sutherland told the McHenry Times.

While he’s had many pro sports heroes, Sutherland’s greatest influence has been his father. 

“My biggest role model in life so far has been my dad," Sutherland said. "He’s introduced me to all these sports; and since he is a coach, I talk to him a lot about sports. That is both of our favorite interest, so we just connect really well through sports. He has taught me so much about life through sports.” 

Matt’s father, Don, is the head baseball coach and the defensive coordinator of the football team at Cary-Grove.

During the short time he has been at North Central, Sutherland’s goal expectations have expanded dramatically. In high school, Sutherland’s goals were just to win the games, but now, he said, “I want to be the best that I can be and see where that takes me... . I just want to play at a great school, at the highest level and that is what North Central provides for me: great people are here and they want to win too."

Sutherland is a secondary education major in mathematics and would like to teach at the high school level. He added that he would someday like to settle down and have a family.

“Hopefully I’ll have some family that I can share my life with, just have a family to love as I love my family right now,” Sutherland said.

Matt Sutherland displays wisdom beyond his years.