CLEVELAND -- Former Old Dominion baseball star Matt Quatraro ('96), now the Assistant Hitting Coach for the Cleveland Indians, helped lead the Indians to an American League Central crown on Monday.
With a victory over the Tigers, Cleveland locked up its first division title since 2007. The Indians (91-65) are in a close race with the Boston Red Sox (92-64) and the Texas Rangers (92-65) for the top seed and home-field advantage in the American League.
Quatraro has helped lead an Indians' offense that ranks fourth in the majors in total runs (758) and fifth in batting average (.263) this season. In his third year with the organization, Quatraro has played a key role in the development of Cleveland's top young stars such as Francisco Lindor, Carlos Santana and Rookie of the Year candidate Tyler Naquin.
At ODU, Quatraro was a second team All-American and helped lead the Monarchs to three consecutive NCAA Tournaments from 1994 to 1996. In his final season, he hit .416 and was named the 1996 Old Dominion University’s Alumni Association’s Male Athlete of the Year and Male Scholar Athlete of the Year. A 2004 Hall of Fame inductee, he is one of only two Monarchs to hit .400 for their entire career.