Virginia Baseball Adds Matt Bernstine To Its 2003 Early Signing Period Recruiting Class

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Dec. 9, 2003

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – The University of Virginia baseball program and head coach Brian O’Connor have announced the addition of Matt Bernstine to the Cavaliers’ 2003 recruiting class. Bernstine, a catcher at Florida Community College at Jacksonville, has signed a National Letter of Intent (NLI) to play baseball at Virginia and will join the Cavaliers next season. Bernstine rounds out UVa’s 2003 early signing period recruiting class at 11 members. Earlier this year, O’Connor and his staff inked a 10-member recruiting class during the NLI early signing period.

“We are very excited Matt has decided to continue his education and baseball career at the University of Virginia,” said O’Connor. “It is important for our program to always have high quality catching. Matt has been catching at a high level of junior college baseball and possesses the catching tools to contribute immediately. He was an excellent student in high school and has continued to excel in the classroom at FCCJ where he has studied Architecture. Matt’s ability as a baseball player and student will make him a great fit here at UVa.”

At Florida Community College at Jacksonville, Bernstine was a member of the 2002-2003 Florida Community College Athletic Association (FCCAA) All-Academic Team and participated in the 2003 Fall FCCAA All-Star Weekend in Winter Haven, Fla. He was the starting catcher last year at FCCJ. At West Orange High School, Bernstine gathered honorable mention All-State honors and was a Orange/Seminole County All-State as a senior. He was a member of the East Florida Scout Showcase Team and the Ohio Warhawks Summer Elite Team. Bernstine was also a member of the Warhawks team that finished runner-up in the 2002 NABF World Series and was the winner of the Allstate Insurance “Good Hands” Award.

Bernstine’s decision to become a Cavalier had much to do with both academics and athletics at Virginia.

“They have a rich tradition in the classroom and on the field, and they have the desired field of study that I want,” said Bernstine. “The excitement of the coaching staff was also a key, in that they have always kept the recruiting process with me very fun and relaxed. Never did I feel pressure to give them an answer. The chance to play in the ACC was very big in the athletic decision. It is one of the best conferences in the country, and I feel that UVa is going to be a force in the conference for some time to come.”

Here is a look at Virginia’s 2003 Early Signing Period Recruiting Class:

Virginia Baseball’s 2003 Recruiting Class

Name		Position	B/T	Ht.	Wt.	High School/HometownCorey Brown	OF	L/L	6-2	190	H.B. Plant/Tampa, Fla.Nick Cruit	C	R/R	6-1	185	First Colonial/Virginia Beach, Va.Sean Doolittle	LHP/1B	L/L	6-2	175	Shawnee/Tabernacle, N.J.Jordan Ellis	RHP/OF	R/R	6-2	190	Radnor/Radnor, Pa.Joe Florio		INF	L/R	6-0	185	Blair Academy/Blairstown, N.J.Brandon Guyer	3B	R/R	6-1	210	Herndon/Herndon, Va.Pat McAnaney	LHP	R/L	6-3	175	Westhill/Syracuse, N.Y.Ryan Ouellette	P/OF	R/R	5-11	170 	Martin County/Stuart, Fla.Robert Poutier	RHP	R/R	6-4	175	Grafton/Grafton, Va.Michael Schwimer	RHP	R/R	6-7	210	St. Stephen's & St. Agnes/Alexandria, Va.Matt Bernstine	C	R/R	5-10	170	Florida Community College at Jacksonville/	West Orange H.S./Ocoee, Fla.

— UVa —