Matt Willadsen: "I'm Going To Give Everything I've Got"

NC State pitcher Matt Willadsen met with the media to discuss his return, the upcoming season, and much more.

NOTE: Click the video above to watch the interview.

Do you kind of feel like the grandfather of this team right here, possibly? 

Yeah, a little bit. It's my sixth year here, so not my first rodeo. So, yeah, definitely a little bit.
 

Everybody's talking about how young this team is. What, a leader like you, what do you have to do to get these guys... How will you help lead this team this year? 

I just want to kind of, bring the energy, bring the experience. Just kind of show all the young guys the way around here, and just have fun with what I'm doing. It's my last year out here, so I'm going to give it everything I got. 
 

You didn't have to come back. What led you back? 

Baseball. It's just, it's a game. I was tossing and turning. I didn't know if I'd come back or not for my last year, but that's just something I couldn't do to this team, this program. I just had to come out here for one last year. 
 

What might be your expectations for you, your final year here? 

Not too many expectations. I mean, I just want to go out there, feel what it's like to compete again. Yeah, just have fun. 
 

How much did that Omaha trip last year maybe spark you to come back ? 

Yeah, 100%. We went to Omaha last year, we went to Omaha in 2021, and I wasn't able to pitch in either of those. So, I mean, that's one of my big goals this year. I want to be able to touch the dirt over there in Omaha. 
 

How was the recovery process? 

It's been good. It's been good so far. Everything's been pretty smooth. I think I'm at like 11 months now or something like that, but I'm throwing two innings this Sunday and just going to ramp it up from there.
 

What do you like about this team? Everybody says this is a young team. What do you like about this team? 

We just got a bunch of different guys. We had some people that got drafted last year, but that's how it is every year. You're always going to lose new pieces, but you're always going to gain new pieces as well. 
 

What was your first time back like for you being back in that stadium?

It was pretty surreal. I had forgotten what it felt like to compete, and just to be out there was amazing. Very emotional. It was awesome. 
 

What was it like for you last year to be able to do all that? 

Yeah, it was definitely tough watching. Watching the game, you can learn a lot of stuff. I just try to take everything I can and just watch it. 
 

How did that change you? Did that give you more appreciation? 

Yeah, for sure. I think it's just another stepping stone. We had a quote today. Where you want to go is... There's something about where you want to go. There's fear, and to get over that line, you've got to cross the fear. I felt like that's part of what I do. Face the fear.