Impact Of A Scholarship: Matt Swope

Last April, umterps.com ran the following story on then assistant baseball coach Matt Swope and the impact his scholarship to Maryland has made on his life and career. Now Swope has been promoted to the head coach of the Maryland baseball program, making his journey all the more impactful.

The late 1990s to early 2000s is one of the greatest eras in Maryland athletics history.

The men's basketball team came off of back-to-back Final Fours, including the 2002 national championship, the football team won the ACC championship, and the women's lacrosse team was in the midst of a dynasty.

Basketball legends like Steve Blake and Juan Dixon, football legends like EJ Henderson and Steve Suter, and women's lacrosse legend Cathy Reese neé Nelson roamed the campus as the Terps were the national standard of excellence.

On the baseball diamond was another gem for Maryland athletics, and that was outfielder Matt Swope who patrolled Maryland's outfield from 1999-02. 

Swope was a four-year starter for the Terps, and as a senior in 2002, Swope posted a .368 batting average with 64 runs scored, 55 RBI and 31 extra-base hits to help the Terps win a then program-record 34 games. 

The Maryland baseball record book is littered with Swope's name as he is the career leader in runs (181), second in hits (253) and walks (106), third in total bases (360), fifth in RBI and at-bats (764), and eighth in stolen bases (44).

Playing baseball was never about setting records or being immortalized as a Terp great for Swope. Instead, he just wanted to play the game he loved at the school he loved.

"For me, the biggest thing was the sense of pride," Swope said about being on scholarship. "The pride I took in growing up in Maryland, going to DeMatha Catholic High School, growing up in New Carrollton. It was just a sense of pride to know I could do it."

Swope bleeds red, white, black, and gold, having grown up in Maryland and the shadow of the state's flagship school. He first stepped onto the campus when he was two years old, the son of Maryland grads who married in the chapel on campus. 

For him, being a Terp was not just a dream but destiny. The University of Maryland needed Swope as much as Swope needed it because his era became the catalyst for the standard now expected of Maryland baseball players. 

"My senior year we broke the school record for wins and I take a lot of pride in that because when I was here, we only had four scholarships," Swope said. "It wasn't even a fully-funded program. We were battling against a nine-team ACC that was loaded. I took a lot of pride in the fact that we won 34 games that senior year and was a big sense of leading up to that point of helping build that."

Swope took advantage of his education opportunities at Maryland as he graduated with a degree in criminology, but that became secondary when another dream came true. The Montreal Expos drafted Swope in the 24th round of the MLB draft.

In 2005, Swope spent the season with the Washington Wild Things of the Frontier League. The Wild Things set a Frontier League record with 63 wins, while Swope hit .309 with ten home runs, a season that included a 28-game hitting streak for Swope.

However, his professional career hit a snag when he had to retire after suffering an injury. Because of his degree, Swope was able to turn to the private sector and got a job with the Department of Defense.

Despite being financially secure and able to stay in the area, he missed the game of baseball.

Swope was in contact with then-head coach Eric Bakich, but when he left Maryland, Swope talked to incoming coach John Szefc who jumped at the chance to bring on the former Terp star.

Coaching never seemed to be Swope's calling, but he quickly found out he had a knack for it. Since 2010, Swope has held several different positions with Maryland baseball, but he has found a home as Maryland's hitting coach and recruiting coordinator for the past five years.

Swope's connections to the area and his ability to connect with young student-athletes chasing their dreams allow him to be one of the most valuable voices that Maryland baseball has. 

Just a few short years into Swope's tenure, Maryland became one of the nation's most formidable teams, led by future major leaguers Brandon Lowe, LaMonte Wade Jr., Kevin Smith, and Mike Shawaryn. 

"Everybody wants to get drafted, and thank God I was able to get drafted…but I never got to play in the Major Leagues," Swope said. "I got hurt when I was in the minor leagues and went through a rough spurt. So the second-best thing is helping others fulfill those dreams and seeing them do it. I have almost a parental relationship with guys like LaMonte, Brandon, Shawaryn, and Kevin Smith. You're checking the box scores every night. You're texting with them, and you're kind of living through them in a positive way."

Thanks to Swope, those players and more have lived out their dreams, with more on their way. Former players like AJ Lee, Marty Costes, and Nick Dunn are making their way through the minor league baseball system and hope to one day be that next big leaguer that Swope can live vicariously through.

Over the years, Swope has earned a reputation as one of the best hitting coaches in the entire country, with baseball players from all over the country traveling to College Park to train with him in Maryland's indoor hitting facility. 

It's there that Terps like Wade still train to hone their skills and become the best versions of themselves possible, all with the help of Swope. 

Swope's impact is viewable on his social media accounts, like his Maryland Made Hitting account, where he gushes about current and former student-athletes progress.

Swope has also used his time to help with charities like Kids Vs. Cancer and the Leukemia Lymphoma Society (LLS). He was even nominated as the Leukemia and Lymphoma Societies Man of The Year in 2010 and has raised over $100,000 for the LLS and Kids Vs. Cancer Foundation.

As a former student-athlete and current coach, Swope has seen the benefits of being on scholarship. He credited his scholarship with lessening the financial burden on his parents, and he's seen these scholarships change the lives of so many young student-athletes. 

"I wouldn't have been able to do it without you," Swope said of the donors. "I wouldn't have been able to play professional baseball. I wouldn't have been able to live my dreams by playing baseball in Maryland. I wouldn't be back here coaching. Not only from a perspective of how it impacted me, but I wouldn't be back here now giving back to our student-athletes if it wasn't for you."