HOUSTON - Brice Matthews has had what some would consider a meteoric rise through the Houston Astros farm system, leaping from Single-A ball to the perspicuous of a Major League call up in less than two years.
Ironically, it was two years to the date of Matthews being taken with the No. 28 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft by his hometown Houston Astros, the Atascocita High School graduate was told he'd made it.
Brice Matthews was heading home.
"Growing up here and seeing so many different moments from this team in all different facets and now being here," Matthews said with a smile as he spoke to reporters prior to his first Major League game. "From being a fan to being a player, I couldn't have asked for anything more than this."
Matthews made his MLB debut on Friday against the Texas Rangers inside Daikin Park in front of a crowd of more than 40,000 fans.
Amongst that were some of Matthews' former high school baseball coaches.
During the past offseasons, Matthews has returned to Atascocita High School on multiple occasions to work out and throughout the years has stayed close to the coaches who helped him from the beginning.
"I see how they help others, they help me, they help the community," Matthews said. "So it's great to be able to experience this moment with them."
Matthews wasn't just a baseball star at Atascocita High School.
The now-Houston Astro was the starting quarterback for Craig Stump's football teams. In his senior year, Matthews earned the District MVP nod for his play.
Playing both football and baseball in Texas through high school, Matthews said prepared him for moments of adversity that he has faced during his rise to the MLB.
"Toughness," Matthews said about what was instilled in him. "Being ready to go at all times. Things aren't going to go your way. But it's how you fight, how you push back and get ready for the next moment."
Matthews finished his debut 0 for 4 at the plate with three strikeouts. In his final at-bat, Matthews drove a pitch to the warning track just in front of the Crawford Boxes, which was caught for the first out of the ninth inning.