| Matt Ceriani | |
| Position: | Catcher / Right fielder |
| Birth Date: | 9 October 1976 |
| Birth Place: | Vallejo, California |
| Bats: | Right |
| Throws: | Right |
Matt Steven Ceriani (born 9 October 1976) is an Italian-American baseball catcher who played professionally from 1998 to 2010. He graduated from Vanden High School in Fairfield, California before playing college baseball at Ole Miss,[1] he majored in exercise science and was on the Southeastern Conference's Baseball Academic Honor Roll.[2]
Ceriani was drafted out of college and began his professional career in independent baseball in 1998 with the Evansville Otters. During that season, his contract was purchased from the Otters[3] by the Milwaukee Brewers. He played in Milwaukee's farm system until 2001, reaching as high as Double-A with the Huntsville Stars in 2000. He returned to independent baseball to start the 2002 season, playing for the Solano Steelheads with his brother, Ryan.[4] During that season, his contract was purchased by the Arizona Diamondbacks and he finished the year in Double-A with the El Paso Diablos. He was released during the 2003 season and spent the rest of his career in unaffiliated ball with the exception of a spring training invitation from the Cleveland Indians in 2004. Between 2003 and 2010, he played for ten different teams (including two seasons with the Kansas City T-Bones) in seven different leagues (including three seasons in the Golden Baseball League and two in the Italian Baseball League).
In 2006, he was a member of the Italy national baseball team at the 2006 World Baseball Classic. He is a citizen of both Italy and the United States.[5]
After retiring as a player, Ceriani coached youth baseball players and developed a device to measure catchers' pop times more reliably than a stopwatch.[6]