Highlights: Castle vs Memorial baseball
Castle defeated Memorial 2-1 to clinch at least a share of the SIAC title
EVANSVILLE — Matthew Fisher has earned a spot among a rare group in Evansville baseball history.
The Memorial High School graduate was selected 221st overall in the seventh round by the Philadelphia Phillies in the Major League Baseball draft on Monday, June 14. He is the first Tiger chosen since 2002 and only the third in program history to be drafted straight out of high school.
Fisher was viewed as a Day 1 selection by numerous publications. He was rated a top 50 prospect by MLB.com and ESPN, the former ranking him as the fifth-best prep pitcher in the country. Evansville has produced only four first-round draft picks in MLB history: Tony Moretto (Harrison, 1975); Andy Benes (Central, 1988); Steve Obenchain (Memorial, 2002); Preston Mattingly (Central, 2006).
Why was Fisher made the highest selection by an Evansville athlete in over a decade? He has an elite right arm.
The 6-foot-3-inch pitcher went 6-0 with a 0.76 ERA this spring in his senior season. He registered 61 strikeouts to only 11 walks in 36⅔ innings. Despite being limited to a pitch count in April and May, Fisher allowed only 16 hits and four earned runs. The Indiana Gatorade Player of the Year throws multiple pitches for strikes: a fastball that routinely touched 95 miles per hour, a low-80s slider, an upper-70s curveball and a mid-80s changeup.
Teams were also intrigued by his overall athleticism. Fisher was an All-State quarterback for Memorial and guided the team to an undefeated regular season in 2024. He compiled 2,779 passing yards and 42 total touchdowns during his final season. He was named the Southern Indiana Athletic Conference Player of the Year in both football and baseball.
“This is a seven-figure guy,” Jim Callis said on the MLB Draft telecast. “This guy is not signing cheap. The Phillies obviously have some money. They’ve figured out what it’s going to take to sign Matthew Fisher. This is a steal in terms of talent. This guy could have been a top 40 pick (on Sunday).”
Fisher becomes the ninth Memorial graduate to be chosen in the MLB Draft. The only others in program history to be chosen straight from the prep ranks were Don Mattingly (1979) and Mark Wezet (1973). Mattingly played 14 years with the New York Yankees; Wezet pitched in college at Murray State.
The next step for Fisher is choosing professional or college baseball. He could sign with the Phillies or report to Indiana University. The deadline for any player to sign a contract, unless they’ve exhausted their collegiate eligibility, is July 30. The slot value for the 221st overall pick is $257.70k– the actual signing bonus could be higher or lower depending on negotiations and Philadelphia’s entire bonus pool.
One connection between Evansville and the Phillies? Their general manager is Preston Mattingly.
