Former Sulphur baseball star Mat Wolf thrills kids and adults alike with a unique passion for the game. Wolf is shown standing with Sulphur hat in the air.
Thirty-three isn’t an age you think one would start a career as a pitcher for The Savannah Bananas, which was at that time coming out of a college-league organization. Mat Wolf isn’t just an ordinary pitcher.
Wolf is from a small town in Oklahoma, first in Wynnewood, then in Davis and finishing his high school days in Sulphur.
In 2004, Sulphur won a state championship in baseball. It was Wolf’s sophomore year and the following year they finished runner- up. Mat and Tanner Chitwood went on to play ball at North Texas Central College, Mat then transferred to Southeastern in Durant for a year before finishing at East Central University in Ada, following his family ties to ECU.
Once Mat finished his baseball college career, he received his Physical Education Degree, then coached the sport which he loves. For two years he helped Corey Cole with the baseball program at Sulphur High School. Wolf then got his first head coaching job at Chattanooga, OK. From there, he went on to El Reno as the assistant coach under Coach Keanon Simon. Mat ended his coach career with a small stint in Mustang. He had to make one the hardest decisions of his life, leaving the game of baseball to save lives on a different scale to become a firefighter.
Little did Mat know that baseball wasn’t through with him though.
Mat and Tyler Gillum, head coach of the Savannah Bananas, are friends from way back to Legion ball, playing against each other and growing up and maintaining a good friendship throughout the years. Mat’s family went to visit them in Arizona one spring break where Coach Gillum’s main job was at the time. At that time, the Bananas only had one city tour, but now it’s a Worldwide Tour!
Mat and Tyler were talking about tryouts and Mat thought, “Man, that’s right up my alley because I love to have fun,” he said. He thought his age would hinder him from fulfilling a childhood dream. Megean could see the wonder and the daydreaming in Mat’s eye, although Mat wanted it too, he felt there was no way. “I wish I wasn’t too old,” he said.
If there was any way possible, Mat thought he would have to incorporate all those tricks he learned just messing around on the dugout for few laughs and smiles of his players. Mat was still hesitant, but hopeful at same time. Time was creeping up on Mat and although he had thrown at few ballpens, he thought his age might slow him down because these guys are in their early 20s, all fresh out of college, minors and some major league players. But Megan knew her husband had it.
She booked his Air BNB so he had to go! The rest they say is history. The Savannah Bananas Rodeo Trickster Extraordinaire was born!
Ten years removed from the game of baseball, he knew he had to do something to stand out from the crowd, so he went back home to his roots! His dad was a rodeo clown back in his day and Mat wanted to honor him and his family by sticking with something that meant something to his heritage. Mat had his father’s old baggy rodeo pants from rodeo legend, Rex Dunn.
Mat and his sister, Madison, wore them on Halloween when they were growing up and just for fun like most kids do wanting to be like dad. The rodeo clown gave Mat a character and it went along with his tricks and helped him stand out. The big thing for Mat was that it gave him a bit of a home feel.
Growing up in small town Oklahoma where rodeo is the thing you do on weekends in the summer, gave Mat an identity. He believed it would honor everyone in small town Oklahoma, a little piece of them is with him in every big stadium he played and represented his roots and his dad!
Mat thought that everyone would know what a rodeo clown is because that’s his favorite part the rodeo, the bull riding and the rodeo clown entertainment. He found out not everyone knew what a rodeo clown is! So, he put on the baggies, climbed into his barrel (by the way it is a real rodeo barrel) and the coaches would roll him out to the mound.
Mat starts out with back flip off the top the barrel then does some amazing trick pitches to please the crowd. He’s one of the fan favorites with all he does! If you’ve been to a rodeo and saw a rodeo clown out there entertaining the crowd, Mat does the same thing, but instead of a rodeo arena, it’s in grand stadiums with thousands and thousands of people in attendance.
Mat’s been the Banana’s trickster pitcher for three years now, but like most major league teams he has been selected to go play now for the firefighter team. For you Mat Wolf fans aka Wolfies, time to put on some new colors of red, orange, and yellow.
Mat’s been reborn in his new team and new character. The rodeo clown will always remain close to our hearts and Mat makes his hometown proud. He has always had those hometown hero vibes, he just didn’t know it. He represents that no matter what, and when you go through in life there’s always a path God has for you, he said.
When something such as a tornado tears apart your town and seems like things are finished for you, like Mat thought baseball was over, something always comes along to pick you back up. Mat wore a Sulphur Strong shirt and Sulphur baseball hat and dedicated his first pitch to the town of Sulphur and all those affected by the tornado.
There was brief moment of silence followed by Mat throwing STRIKE on the first pitch. The Bananas went on to win the Oklahoma City series against the Party Animals, 2-1.
Mat chases those dreams that many little Bulldogs and others across the world dream of, playing
PHOTO BY BLAKE SEALE
in big stadiums, in front of big crowds, screaming his name, and asking for autographs. No matter what is thrown at you, whether it be a tornado, or just life, don’t let it slow you down keep pushin’ and strive for what God’s plan is!!
MAT WOLF is SULPHUR STRONG!
