June 26, 2006
NORMAL, Ill. -
Illinois State baseball player Matt Bolt has been a leader in the classroom and on the field for the Redbirds for the past three seasons, and due to his dedication in both areas the senior-to-be has been named the recipient of the 2006-07 Duffy Bass Endowed Scholarship.
The Duffy Bass Endowed Scholarship is named after the former Redbird coach, who won 713 games in his coaching career from 1963 to 1988, making him the winningest coach in Illinois State history. The award is presented to a junior or senior baseball player who demonstrates the competitive spirit exemplified by coach Bass during his time at Illinois State as a student-athlete, teacher and coach.
Bolt, a Willow Springs, Ill., native has been a model of consistency during his time in a Redbird uniform. He has played in all 161 games during his career, earning starts in all but one of those games, and has posted a career .298 average in three seasons. In 2006, the left-hander played in all 53 games for the `Birds and led the team in runs scored, walks and on base percentage on the way to being named an All-Missouri Valley Conference Honorable Mention selection in the outfield.
The management major has been named the Student-Athlete Advisory Council (SAAC) community service chair for the upcoming school year, and was last year's recipient of the Fairchild Memorial Award, an endowed scholarship given to a junior baseball player each year. For Bolt, this year's scholarship means a lot after the hard work and time he put in during the 2005-06 school year.
"It's a great honor for me to earn an award named after coach Bass," said Bolt. "Coach Bass is a Hall of Fame coach at ISU and he always put an emphasis on winning. I am just going to keep working as hard as I can both on and off the field to achieve my own goals and help the team realize our goals."
Redbird head coach Jim Brownlee, who played on Bass' 1969 NCAA College Division National Championship team at ISU, believes his senior outfielder embodies everything coach Bass and the Illinois State baseball program stand for.
"Matt has been with this program for three years now and has proven that he is a leader in this program," said Brownlee. "He works hard in everything he does and approaches the game, school and life the way all student-athletes should. Matt is truly deserving of this scholarship and I am looking forward to him having a great senior season."
The Duffy Bass Endowed Scholarship is one of 14 endowed scholarships available to Illinois State student-athletes funded by private donors. Though not one of the eight fully-funded endowed scholarships at ISU, the Duffy Bass Endowed Scholarship provides significant support for the recipient.
For more information about supporting this, or other Illinois State University endowments for student-athletes, call The Redbird Club office at (309) 438-3803.
