Stoddart Signs Professional Contract to Play in Germany
ETOBICOKE – Two-time OCAA champion Matt Stoddart is taking his talents to Europe where he will continue his baseball career at the professional level. The 2018 NCBC champion inked his first professional contract and will be leaving for Germany in April when he concludes his exams at Humber College.
"I'm very excited to be signing my first professional contract," said Stoddart. "I'm grateful for this opportunity, and for the support of my family, friends, and the Humber community that has helped me get to this point."
Stoddart signed a baseball contract with the Tübingen Hawks of the Baseball-Bundesliga. Last season, the Hawks ran the table in Division 2 and got promoted to Division 1 for the 2020 season.
Tübingen is located in southwest Germany and is a traditional university town in central Baden-Württemberg. For the first month or so, Stoddart will live with a host family as he makes the transition to living in Germany. When he's not playing, Stoddart will work as a coach for Tübingen Hawks junior teams.
As a member of Humber baseball, Stoddart joined North Baseball in the summer, partaking in a trip of a lifetime. The North Baseball club competed in Germany, Czech Republic, and Austria, and that's where Stoddart met Tübingen's assistant coach Allan Attridge. Coach Attridge, a native of Vancouver, reached out to Stoddart about joining the club as they make the jump to Division 1.
"Without the support I received from Ray Chateau, I would not have played for North Baseball, and I may not have gotten a chance to sign a professional contract in Germany," added Stoddart.
In five seasons with Humber, Stoddart began as a two-way player before joining the Hawks' pitching staff fulltime. He concludes his career with the tenth-best batting average in program history (.348) and is Humber's all-time leader in pitching appearances with 22.
"I'm excited to start my career overseas," continued Stoddart. "By living in Germany I will be able to learn and experience a new culture and language, meet new people, all while playing the sport I love."
