June 9, 2005
Normal, Ill. -
Matt Bolt did it all for the Illinois State baseball team in 2005, leading or tying for the team lead in games played, slugging percentage, on base percentage, total bases, stolen bases, runs scored, triples and home runs. Those numbers made Bolt the team's Most Valuable Player, a first-team All-Missouri Valley Conference selection and now the 2005-06 Fairchild Memorial Award winner.
The Fairchild Memorial Award is a scholarship named for former Illinois State University president Raymond W. Fairchild, who led the university from 1933 to 1954. The award is presented to a junior baseball player each school year.
Bolt's 2005 performance, coupled with a successful freshman season, impressed third-year Redbird head coach Jim Brownlee.
"Matt has been a very consistent player for us in his first two seasons," said Brownlee. "He is just as successful in the classroom too, and that's why he is deserving of this award.
"Both on and off field, Matt is one of the leaders of this team," added Brownlee. "Matt was one of our first recruits at ISU, and we are going to hang our hat on his success for the next two years."
Bolt, a Willow Springs, Ill., native has played all 108 games of his college career and started all 53 games in right field as a sophomore for the Redbirds in 2005. The junior left-hander is grateful for the recognition.
"This award means a lot to me, especially since Jay (Molina) received it last year," said Bolt. "Jay has been a great leader for this team, and now it's my turn to help lead this team. I am just going to keep working hard so we can continue to get better as a team and compete in the Valley."
The Fairchild Memorial Award is one of 12 endowed scholarships available to Illinois State student-athletes funded by private donors. Though not one of the six fully-funded scholarship, the Fairchild Memorial Award provides significant support.
For more information about supporting this, or other Illinois State University endowments for student-athletes, call The Redbird Club office at (309) 438-3803.
