June 9, 2005
Beverly, MA -- Late Wednesday afternoon on Day 2 of the Major League Baseball draft, Houston Astros scout, Tim Harrington, called junior pitcher, Matt Bishop, to tell him that the organization had drafted him in the 37th round with the 1,124h pick overall. To Bishop, it was a confirmation call. His Endicott teammate, Kevin Donahue, was watching the draft intently on his computer, and actually notified Bishop on his cell phone before the Astros did. "We were at my aunt's house waiting for the call. There's no computer there, so I actually heard the news first from Donny (Kevin Donahue)." said Matt. "I'm on cloud nine right now. It really hasn't sunk in yet."
Bishop's name was given to several MLB organizations in February and the Astros and Atlanta Braves were the two that showed the most interest. The Astros saw Bishop at least three times, most recently in the ECAC Tournament and two weeks later at the annual Cape Cod Baseball League tryout for New England-area players. Bishop was very impressive and effective in both outings, throwing consistently in the high `80's and low `90's.
As Endicott's first draftee in the 11-year history of the program, Bishop may become Endicott's second player to play professional baseball. 2002 graduate Bryan Caruso (Northfield, NH) played 2 seasons of professional independent-league baseball for the Brockton Rox and North Shore Spirit. Both teams are in what is now the CAN-AM League. Bishop will receive a contract from Houston within the next couple of weeks and will have to decide whether to sign it and become a professional or stay in college to complete his degree.
Bishop, a 6'1", 210 lb right hander, was 5-0 on the mound with a 2.42 ERA and 68 strikeouts in 52 innings pitched. He also hit .368 with eight home runs, 10 doubles and 30 RBI. He was a 2005 first team All CCC selection and a third team All New England selection.