Albritton gives Rex calmness, leadership -- and power

Jul. 19—One of Matthew Albritton's biggest assets for the Rex was being put to the test Wednesday afternoon while he was being interviewed by the Tribune-Star.

"The biggest thing that Matthew contributes is calm demeanor and leadership," Rex coach Jacob Harden said. "We could have won a lot more games, but Matthew has been the voice of assurance."

Harden was speaking on the player's behalf Wednesday because the Rex were in the midst of a leadership change. West Vigo High School coach Culley DeGroote was named Wednesday to replace manager Harry Markotay for the rest of the summer — and Markotay was the reason Albritton and his three roommates (Payton Howard, Joe Hamilton and Bryce Miller) were playing for the Rex in the first place.

Albritton, a 6-foot-4, 250-pound corner infielder, will be a junior this fall at Jacksonville (Ala.) State and looking forward to his first season in Conference USA. His path there — where he took a redshirt year this past season — has been anything but direct, and has also included labrum surgery on both shoulders from a high school football injury.

"He's a guy I look up to," Harden said, "the way he's handled some adversity."

Two of his previous seasons were spent at Jefferson College in Hillsboro, Mo., where Howard, Hamilton and Miller were three of his teammates and where Markotay was their hitting coach.

"We went through some growing pains there," Albritton said, noting that the school had just 17 players at times during his first season there but improved to a 33-24 record in 2022. "[Markotay] helped us get to the schools where we're at [Howard at Campbell, which was 46-15 and lost to South Carolina in an NCAA regional championship game; Hamilton to Pittsburg (Kan.) State; and Miller to Northern Kentucky], so we wanted to be there for him as well [when the Rex were seeking players prior to the season]."

Albritton got the clutch hit that could have clinched a win for the Rex on Monday, except that the team gave up four runs in the ninth inning to lose 12-11.

"If we played seven-inning games, I think our record would be a lot different," the player said Wednesday,"but the last step is learning how to finish."

Albritton has played previous summers in the P3 League near St. Louis (Premier Pitching Performance, a league whose alumni include major league relievers Pete Fairbanks of the Rays, Jordan Hicks of the Cardinals and Devin Williams of the Brewers) and the Carolina Collegiate League. He seems to like the Prospect League the best of the three.

"There are definitely better [crowd] turnouts," he said. "The position players are better, the pitching is pretty comparable . . . and I like the cool setup that we've got [with the Rex, including the use of the Indiana State locker room and the consistency of traveling on Turner Coaches]."

Now, after his redshirt season, it's just a matter of getting back in the swing of things, pun only partially intended.

"I have to find myself a little bit [this summer]," he said. "I didn't get any live at-bats in the spring, and unfortunately baseball is not like riding a bike."

Albritton wasn't in the starting lineup later Wednesday, but he's made an impression.

"He can flat-out hit," Harden said. "All the tools are there. And just like Monday night, if you put him at the plate in a tough spot he's gonna put you in a good situation."

There aren't many third basemen who weight 250 pounds. Former Minnesota Twin Miguel Sano was heavier than that — but also a defensive liability — but new Hall of Famer Scott Rolen is listed as weighing 240 during his career and was definitely not a defensive liability.

"You've got to be able to field the bunt at third base," Albritton said. "And I lose weight real fast in the summer months anyway."

Harden doesn't see a problem, no matter how much Albritton weighs.

"It's a lot of muscle," the coach pointed out. "He's built like a brick house, and he has athleticism because of his pre[game] work."

For his part, Albritton looks willing to play wherever his team puts him.

"I want to play as long as I can," he said. "Not everybody gets to do this."