Athlete of the Week

Matthew Purke

This week's Athlete of the Week is none other than the nation's top high school baseball pitching prospect, Matthew Purke.

Pitching for Klein High School, Purke pitched the team to a 12-0 victory over Tomball. And as if that wasn't enough, he hit a pair of three-run homers to go with his 14 strikeouts in a five-inning no-hitter.

When asked to pick which was better, pitching a no-hitter or the two homeruns, Purke had a difficult time.

"They both were pretty exciting," Purke said. "I've been used to pitching. I've had some really good games pitching-wise but hitting, I've never really had a game like that before. It was great to be able to produce on the mound and at the plate."

This 6'3" lefty is definitely producing. His fastball ranges from the low to mid-90s and has been clocked as high as 96 mph.

And in 40 innings so far this season, Purke has 81 strikeouts with a 0.53 ERA.

"He's very talented," Coach Barry Smith said. "He's still got a lot of room for growth. He doesn't have a lot of muscle on him right now. He's got a lot of room to fill in. When he puts 25 pounds on him, I think the sky's the limit on what he'll be able to do."

Purke attributes some of his pitching success to molding himself after another left-handed pitcher, Tom Glavine.

"I grew up watching Tom Glavine," Purke said. "So I try to mold everything after him. He really showed it doesn't take velocity to be successful. It's about where you can place the ball and that's what I work on."

Purke has had plenty of opportunities to continue working on his pitching. For the last three years, he's played international baseball as a starting pitcher for the USA Junior National Team. And with the MLB draft coming up, he's expected to be a top 10 pick overall.

"I'm handling it pretty well," Purke said. "It adds a lot of pressure to me. A lot of people expect a lot out of me. I use it every day to motivate me and make sure I keep working and keep doing well and keep my eye on what's important."