Matt Roberts ready to take over as catcher

For two seasons junior Matt Roberts has waited, quietly biding his time on the North Carolina bench.

His talent has never been in question, baseball coach Mike Fox said.

But he was blocked on the depth chart by Jacob Stallings, a veteran catcher who had been a fixture in the middle of UNC’s batting order for the past few years.

Now, with Stallings in the Pittsburgh Pirates organization, that roadblock has been cleared.

The position of starting catcher is Roberts’ for the taking, and in the Fall World Series he showed his head coach just how much he wants it.

“What’s gotten into Matt Roberts? It’s just that big C word. It’s his confidence … All of a sudden you get out here and you realize, ‘Hey, I have a chance to get on the field,’” Fox said last week.

“And then you start swinging it. You start feeling good, and you’re doing better in the classroom. All of that just exudes that confidence, and there’s nothing bigger out there than having confidence.”

And Roberts undoubtedly has it.

His teammates have all been quick to point it out this fall.

“I think he’s recommitted himself in all facets of the game — on the field, off the field,” senior pitcher Chris Munnelly said. “He’s pushed himself because he knows he’s the guy this year. And he’s got everything that it takes to fill that role.”

In the last two seasons, Roberts has started just 15 games, picking up 66 at-bats while batting .167.

Many of those at-bats came in the form of pinch-hit appearances, which makes it more difficult to get into rhythm. But that might not be an issue next season.

Fox said he hasn’t officially named a starting catcher yet, but he said that Roberts has put himself in a position to play.

And he’s done so, in part, through an arduous offseason workout regimen.

“I stayed here this summer and took classes, got in the weight room with (strength and conditioning coach Greg) Gatz everyday,” Roberts said.

“Just been working on my body, getting in better shape, getting bigger, stronger. I tend to go back in the bag, get a couple extra 50, 100 cuts a day.”

Still, it takes more than pure physicality to be a catcher, and Roberts said he’s worked closely with pitching coach Scott Forbes in the past two years to learn how to handle a pitching staff.

Roberts has had the opportunity to call a couple of games on his own this fall, and he said he’s been encouraged by how closely his own gameplans have matched up with Forbes’.

Roberts has also tried to apply the skills he picked up from observing Stallings for two years.

“I learned so much from him,” Roberts said. “You have to build a relationship with your pitcher, and not just one, all of them because you don’t know who’s coming in when … Knowing how to talk to each guy is different as well.”

One of those hurlers is Munnelly, who threw to Stallings for the last three years.

Munnelly has also shared a battery with Roberts in the past, and if Roberts does get the starting role, he said he expects it to be a smooth transition.

“I played with Matty growing up in high school on the same travel ball team, so we have a little bit of the same chemistry that I had with Jacob,” Munnelly said.

“I think our coaches say the same thing, that we had the best two catchers in the nation the last three years, but you just haven’t been able to see it.”

For two years Roberts has been one of the best-kept secrets for the Tar Heels.

Now, the secret’s out.

Contact the desk editor at sports@dailytarheel.com.