2016 Baseball Roster
Roster
Byars, Matt
INF
/ BaseballRHP/INF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballOF/INF
/ BaseballINF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballOF
/ BaseballC
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballLHP/OF/1B
/ BaseballLHP/OF
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballLHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballRHP
/ BaseballINF
/ Baseball
Jersey Number 28
Matt Byars
- Position:
- C
- Height:
- 6-1
- Weight:
- 188
- Class:
- Junior
- Hometown:
- Lodi, Wis.
- Prev School:
- Heartland CC
Bio
Career Stats | Game-by-Game Statistics: 2017 | 2016
2017 (SENIOR): Started 47 games at catcher, missing five games due to injury ... Batted .271 with 25 RBI ... Ranked third on the team and tied for 13th in the B1G with 14 doubles ... Tallied four home runs and on triple ... Belted two home runs in three game series vs. Fresno State April 8-9 ... Posted a .440 slugging percentage and a .383 on base percentage ... Ranked second on the team and tied for 12th in the B1G with 30 walks ... Had a season-long hit streak of 10 games from March 18 - April 9 ... Had a season-long on base streak of 15 games from March 18 - April 15 ... Defensively, threw out 12 base stealers, ranking tied for fourth in the B1G overall, as well as five in conference games, ranking tied for sixth.
2016 (JUNIOR): Was voted the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year ... Was behind the plate for 54 of 56 games and appeared in all but one contest ... Threw out 12 runners during the season ... Was also a force at the plate, hitting .284 with 26 RBIs ... His 16 doubles were second most on the team and his 11 doubles in Big Ten play led the conference ... Ranked third on the team with four home runs and his 26 RBIs were fourth best ... Began the season with hits in 12 of the first 15 games and went on to put together a 16-game hitting streak from April 8 - 30 ... The hitting streak was the second longest of the season by Spartan, topped only by Jordan Zimmerman’s 21-game streak ... Highlights during the hitting streak included a 2-for-3, 2 RBI performance in a come-from-behind win over Michigan on April 30 ... Finished the year with hits in nine of the final 11 games.
PRIOR TO MSU: Played two seasons at Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill. ... Hit .364 with 28 RBI in 2015 ... Played in 27 games in 2014, hitting .316 with three triples and 17 RBI.
HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year letterwinner for Coach Kip Nordstrom at Lodi High School in Lodi, Wisc. ... Won the Division II state championship as a senior, hitting .400 ... Named team captain as a junior and senior ... All-conference selection in 2012 and 2013 ... Lettered in wrestling during his senior year.
PERSONAL: Born July 31, 1995 ... Son of Jeff and Christine Byars ... Grandpa, Chuck Byars, played quarterback at Georgia.
2017 (SENIOR): Started 47 games at catcher, missing five games due to injury ... Batted .271 with 25 RBI ... Ranked third on the team and tied for 13th in the B1G with 14 doubles ... Tallied four home runs and on triple ... Belted two home runs in three game series vs. Fresno State April 8-9 ... Posted a .440 slugging percentage and a .383 on base percentage ... Ranked second on the team and tied for 12th in the B1G with 30 walks ... Had a season-long hit streak of 10 games from March 18 - April 9 ... Had a season-long on base streak of 15 games from March 18 - April 15 ... Defensively, threw out 12 base stealers, ranking tied for fourth in the B1G overall, as well as five in conference games, ranking tied for sixth.
2016 (JUNIOR): Was voted the Danny Litwhiler Defensive Player of the Year ... Was behind the plate for 54 of 56 games and appeared in all but one contest ... Threw out 12 runners during the season ... Was also a force at the plate, hitting .284 with 26 RBIs ... His 16 doubles were second most on the team and his 11 doubles in Big Ten play led the conference ... Ranked third on the team with four home runs and his 26 RBIs were fourth best ... Began the season with hits in 12 of the first 15 games and went on to put together a 16-game hitting streak from April 8 - 30 ... The hitting streak was the second longest of the season by Spartan, topped only by Jordan Zimmerman’s 21-game streak ... Highlights during the hitting streak included a 2-for-3, 2 RBI performance in a come-from-behind win over Michigan on April 30 ... Finished the year with hits in nine of the final 11 games.
PRIOR TO MSU: Played two seasons at Heartland Community College in Normal, Ill. ... Hit .364 with 28 RBI in 2015 ... Played in 27 games in 2014, hitting .316 with three triples and 17 RBI.
HIGH SCHOOL: Four-year letterwinner for Coach Kip Nordstrom at Lodi High School in Lodi, Wisc. ... Won the Division II state championship as a senior, hitting .400 ... Named team captain as a junior and senior ... All-conference selection in 2012 and 2013 ... Lettered in wrestling during his senior year.
PERSONAL: Born July 31, 1995 ... Son of Jeff and Christine Byars ... Grandpa, Chuck Byars, played quarterback at Georgia.
Pursuit to Greatness | Spartans All-Access
Monday, May 19
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | April 17, 2025
Thursday, April 17
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 25 2025
Tuesday, March 25
Jake Boss | Baseball Press Conference | Mar. 11 2025
Tuesday, March 11
