Martinsville Mustangs coach Brandon Nania describes his catcher Matt Malone as a “journeyman,” a thought the player couldn’t dispute. “I’m all over. I’m a very cultured man,” Malone said with a laugh during an interview this week. “Dealing with Canadians, North Dakotans, Virginians.”

Malone grew up on New York’s Long Island, and started his college baseball career at a school in New York for two years. But in August of 2020, the school shut down their athletics program, leaving Malone with about seven days to find a new schools where he could play.