Matthew Cherry started Fishers baseball from scratch. Now, coach has 300 wins with Tigers.
When Matthew Cherry was named baseball coach at the fledgling Fishers High School all he had was a team name, mascot and color scheme.
Cherry and his coaching staff built the foundation of the perennial state title contending team from the ground up. From the jerseys to the fields, Cherry has had his hand in everything, building and expanding upon the facilities and fostering a culture that produced a state championship in 2018.
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Last Friday, Fishers' 4-2 win over New Palestine was the 300th of Cherry's career. For Cherry, looking back on how far the program has progressed helps him appreciate the past 18 years of his coaching career.
"We started the first year without a senior class, won six games that first year," he said. "We had four straight losing seasons to get going. We only had 40 total wins the first four years.
"Everything that we did was built from scratch and we got to do what we thought was best and try things, it didn't (always) work and we had to adapt. It wasn't like we were taking over someone else's program. ... It's just been really cool that we've had our hands in absolutely everything that's gone on here."
Cherry has coached three MLB draft picks and one player who signed an MLB contract. Craig Yoho was drafted in the eighth round by the Milwaukee Brewers last year. He's currently in High-A. Luke Albright was drafted in the sixth round by the Arizona Diamondbacks in 2021. He's in Double-A. Cherry knows a Fishers alum will reach the big leagues someday, but he's had just as many lasting memories with players who aren't destined for The Show. Players like Jacob Banitt on the 2009 team, or Nicholas Podlogar on the 2014 team. Players who weren't travel ball All-Stars but stuck with the sport and went on to be crucial parts of the varsity team.
Cherry credits his wife, Sara, and longtime assistant coach Darren Simms for keeping him grounded and helping him not get overly focused on wins and losses. Cherry said he uses baseball as a way to teach his players about life. Wins and losses will always be memorable, but he cherishes the relationships he's built with his players.
“In addition to my wife, we have an incredible coaching staff that are some of my best friends that have the same mission and goals to teach young guys how to grow and mature in life beyond the baseball field," Cherry said. "Having the opportunity to continue coaching with these guys every year makes it so much fun.”
Follow IndyStar high school baseball Insider Akeem Glaspie on X at @THEAkeemGlaspie.
This article originally appeared on Indianapolis Star: IHSAA baseball: Fishers coach Matthew Cherry reaches 300 career wins
