Matthew Kurata, junior infield and catcher, has been a standout player in his first two years at California State University, Bakersfield. Now the starting catcher for the team, Kurata plans to win big this upcoming season. 

Born on March 13, 2003, in Cerritos, California, Kurata has had a passion for baseball since his early high school days. Kurata played infield and catcher for Gahr High School where he helped the team win the 2018 League Championship. He was awarded that same year All-San Gabriel Valley Honorable Mention and Gahr Academic Athlete of the Year in 2021. 

After graduating high school, Kurata began his college career at CSUB where he played 11 games and started six as a freshman. He batted an average of .273 and scored five runs. For a freshman, Kurata did a fantastic job, but where he really shined was in his sophomore year. 

During his sophomore year, he more than doubled all his statistics and batted an average of .369, which was the highest for the team that year, and gained the 8th best single season mark in CSUB’s history. He was also awarded 2023 All-Big West Second Team Honors. 

When he’s not on the field setting records, he likes to enjoy his time outdoors and with his family. His favorite hobbies range from fishing to going to the beach. When I asked him about his experience on the team, he said, “I love it. It’s been a grateful experience coming in as a freshman and having the guys take me under their wing and show me what to do.” 

With the start of the new season, I took a chance to ask him about his motivation going forward to which he responded, “I think we’re excited. We’ve played some very tough teams in the first two weeks, and we may not have gotten the results that we wanted, but I think our team is going to prove some people wrong.” 

Finally, I asked him what some of his goals were for the season and he said, “The end goal is we want to win the Big West Conference. That’s what we worked towards in the fall and that’s what we’re trying to accomplish here in the spring.” 

CSUB’s Roadrunners so far are 1-2 this season, let’s hope spirits are high and dreams will be accomplished for this year’s baseball season.