Grand Forks Spitfires' Matti Kwarta proving she's a two-way threat
· Yahoo Sports
Jul. 24—GRAND FORKS — Matti Kwarta had just seven at-bats as a freshman at San Diego State this year.
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On July 11, she won the Northwoods League's home run derby, beating out the likes of Wisconsin's Hilary Blomberg and Washington's Ava Carroll.
Kwarta was primarily a pitcher for the Aztecs. This summer with the Grand Forks Spitfires, though, Kwarta is proving she's still a major threat at the plate.
"I hope to bring what I've been doing here back to SDSU to help my team," Kwarta said. "It gives me more confidence knowing that I can do this at this level, going against great pitchers. So hopefully when I go back, this carries over. ... I would love to be able to hit more and be able to pitch."
Kwarta leads the Spitfires with 13 home runs, and her .475 batting average ranks fourth in the Northwoods League.
Kwarta also leads Grand Forks with 48 hits, which ranks fifth in the league.
"I think what's amazing about her is that even when she fails, she's just very stoic," Spitfires head coach Aaron Alvarez said. "She doesn't get external. I think that's what helps her get back on the success train as fast as she can."
Alvarez, who is also the head coach at York University in Nebraska, knew of Kwarta's talent before she arrived at San Diego State. He was one of the first to recruit her while she was playing at Red Bluff High School in California.
This May, Alvarez called Kwarta to gauge her interest in joining the Spitfires.
"At first, I was hesitant," Kwarta said. "Then I talked to my coaches at SDSU, and they were like, 'I think it'd be a great opportunity for you to build your confidence and build your mental game.' And I was like, 'You know what? Why not?'"
Fittingly, it was Alvarez who threw to Kwarta during the home run derby.
"It was like coaching a boxer," Alvarez said. "I told her, 'You can't start muscling the ball, you can't start swinging hard,' because she has natural power. So it's just a flick of the wrist. It was super cool because I tried recruiting her to come to my small NAIA school, but she ended up going Division I — which she should have."
Beyond her role in the batting order, Kwarta has also been one of Grand Forks' top pitchers. She has pitched the most innings on the team (78) and boasts a 6.46 ERA, the best among the Spitfires' starters.
Kwarta has a 7-6 record. Only North Dakota State's Madison Wihlm has more wins on the team, with nine.
"I feel like I've progressed very well here," Kwarta said. "I've gotten confident in myself pitching-wise. I used to struggle with my first inning and starting, but now I'm more confident in myself. ... We are facing these teams 50 different times, so when I go against them for the third, the fourth, the fifth time, they're going to know my stuff.
"So it's more about spinning the ball, more about, OK, they're going to hit the ball, let them hit it instead of trying to get the strikeouts, the swings and misses. Those will come when I'm not trying so hard."
This summer has been a continuation of Kwarta's strong showing as a freshman pitcher. She appeared in 28 games and made 12 starts as San Diego State's only left-handed pitcher.
Kwarta finished the season with a 7-5 record and a 4.97 ERA through 62 innings.
"Coming in as a freshman, I did not expect to have that big of a role," Kwarta said. "But I feel like I learned to just go, 'OK, this is my role,' and comfortably go into it, put my head down and keep working."