There’s being a pilot and then there’s being a Pilot.
Matthew Tran aspires to being both and will soon fulfill one of those dreams when he suits up for the University of Portland Pilots after he graduates high school this spring.
The young righthander has been on a rapid ascent in the eyes of baseball watchers after growing up in Regina and representing Baseball Sask at a handful of events.
Ahead of his grade 12 year, he made the move to Okotoks to join Dawgs Academy, where he was part of their record-setting 18U Black squad. He finished the year by heading to the Canadian Futures Showcase in Toronto.
Driven in everything he does, the Regina native plans to take a gap year so he can go to a private school to get some certification for his other future aspiration: airplane pilot.
Tran took some time recently to answer a few questions from us for our latest installment of “1 Thru 9.”
1. How excited are you to keep the baseball dream going at Portland?
I’m extremely excited to continue my baseball dream at Portland. It had a great atmosphere on campus. When I had my visit, the older fellas treated me like family. It also is awesome because there are four other Dawgs (Austin Collins, Xander Guedes, Landon Kaufmann and Will Labonte) that will be on the team next year, who I already have a tight bond with.
2. What made you want to go to that school?
What made me want to go to Portland is the balance between a very competitive and proven team with amazing coaches, along with great academics that will leave me with a very respectable and prestigious degree.
3. Any plans from an academic perspective (what do you plan on taking)?
I plan on taking finance, as it’s always a great degree to have and getting a degree from the University of Portland gets the big companies to take more interest and makes you stand out. Although I’m taking finance, I am actually planning to be a pilot after my baseball career. In fact, right now I am taking private pilot school to get my PPL (Private Pilot Licence) in my gap year. Being in finance, you can earn millions, but it’s very hard to climb to the top of the big companies like BlackRock. A pilot is all about seniority and a captain in the U.S. who works for United can earn north of $500,000 USD. I just have to find a way to get my green card, and, who knows, maybe I will find my future wife down there.
4. How did you get into baseball way back when?
I got into baseball when I was 11 years old and my dad signed me up for Kiwanis Little League. My brother and I didn’t go to tryouts, so we were put in the single-A program. We actually ended up winning the city championship in a game where both of us pitched. My dad and coaches knew I had a live arm since I was a young kid, as the ball just came out of my hand differently with an effortless look.
5. Did you play other sports growing up?
I played a lot of sports growing up like football, volleyball, tennis, ski, golf, motocross, track, almost everything you can think of except hockey. My dad always called me a natural athlete because everything I did, I was good at and would learn very quick.
6. Any highlights or favourite moments of your journey so far?
One of my favourite highlights was being on the 18U Black team in Okotoks and being part of a historical season where we went 60-4 and won six out of seven tournaments. All of us contributed and the team had so much chemistry. It was truly the best season and group of friends I’ve played with.
7. What’s been the biggest challenge or hurdle you’ve had to overcome?
The biggest challenge I had to overcome was moving away from Regina at 16 years old to join Okotoks. It was a lot of sacrifice including leaving my friends and family at home, giving up my grade 12 year at Campbell Collegiate, and starting fresh and having to prove myself. The thing is, if I didn’t leave Regina, I would not have gotten where I am today. You must go where you aren’t the best, to become your best self.
8. Any advice or words of wisdom for those young kids just starting out on their own journeys?
I would say the best advice I have for the younger kids starting out is to play a lot of sports before you pick baseball. I think my other sports helped me a lot with explosiveness like volleyball and being athletic. I also want to emphasize that you must be competitive in everything you do, I truly tried to beat everyone in everything I did. “If you’re not first, you’re last” kind of thing. And throughout my career so far, I’ve learned that success is the greatest revenge.
9. What does the game of baseball mean to you?
The game of baseball means that, in life, you’ll have different people built for different things and each have a role to play. You’ll learn that baseball isn’t just a game, but a way to enrich your life by meeting new friends, building discipline, and staying consistent in life to become successful.
