WAVERLY - Matt Thede, a 1997 graduate of Gladbrook-Reinbeck, was inducted into the Wartburg College Athletic Hall of Fame during Homecoming festivities?on Oct. 20.
Thede was a four-year member of the Wartburg baseball team, playing in 156 games and compiling a .410 career batting average. He is the Knights' all-time leader with a .715 slugging percentage and 28 home runs.
A four-time all-Iowa Conference selection as a catcher, Thede was twice named the league's Most Valuable Player. He was a two-time All-American and Regional MVP and still holds the Iowa Conference single-season record with 45 RBIs in 2000.
Thede was an honorable mention all-state selection by the Iowa Newspaper Association as a high school senior at Gladbrook-Reinbeck. After college he signed a minor league contract with the Montreal Expos in 2001 and played three years in their minor league system. He is currently a biology teacher and the head baseball coach at Cedar Rapids Prairie.