As a senior, Matthew Zmuda ’17 envisioned himself contributing to a Major League Baseball team.
A budding talent evaluator, Zmuda knew he lacked the ability to play at the pro level. He pitched out of the Big Red bullpen, and he wasn’t even the best family member on the Denison roster — that honor belonged to twin brother Eric Zmuda ’17.
But after working two summers as a public relations intern with his hometown Toledo Mud Hens, a minor-league affiliate of the Detroit Tigers, Zmuda was not ready to abandon his dream.
“I just had the appetite to stay in the game,” said the communication major. “I wasn’t exactly sure what I wanted to do, but I wanted to do something that impacted the on-field performance of a team.”
Matthew Zmuda, an area scout for the Detroit Tigers, spends most of his time at ballparks looking for new talent in the Midwest.
He’s realized that goal as a Midwest area scout for the Tigers. Zmuda shared his story with the current Big Red team, serving as guest speaker at the annual First Pitch Banquet in February. He also returned to Denison this spring to scout two draft-eligible prospects, outfielder Eric Colaco ’25 and pitcher Nick Falter ’25.
Denison head coach Mike Deegan, whose Big Red are ranked top-five in the nation, thought Zmuda was an ideal speaker to address his team before the start of the season.
“Matthew is a young alum who can relate to our players,” Deegan said. “He had their attention because he’s made it to the majors coming out of Denison. Matthew wasn’t a star player, but he made it to the highest level because of his work ethic.”
The Zmuda brothers were among Deegan’s early recruits after he was named coach in 2013. The Zmudas wanted to attend a university with strong academics and play for a baseball coach with a clear plan.
“We could see Coach Deegan was a visionary and a leader, and that’s translated into the success this program has enjoyed,” Zmuda said of a coach, who has guided the Big Red to seven consecutive NCAA tournament appearances.
Zmuda is one of eight former Deegan players or coaches who have worked in Major League Baseball. The others are: Danny Brackman ’19 (player development associate, Arizona Diamondbacks); Daniel Kurtzer ’19 (sports scientist, Houston Astros, now with the NBA’s New York Knicks); Ransley Familia ’21 (international scouting intern, Miami Marlins); Ian Walsh ’16 (pitching performance coordinator, Los Angeles Dodgers); Henry Haack ’22 (developmental pitching manager, Chicago Cubs); Payton Burch ’22 (account executive, Chicago Cubs); former Denison assistant coach Kyle Lindquist (baseball analyst, Cleveland Guardians).
Zmuda’s road to the majors is similar to that of players who work their way through the ranks. After graduating from Denison, he served as a player development intern in the Cape Cod League. He spent time in the Arizona Fall League overseeing stadium operations logistics before landing a role as a Tigers’ amateur scouting intern in 2018. Later that year, Zmuda was promoted to a full-time scout in the organization.
In 2024, Zmuda experienced one of the great thrills of a baseball scout — he saw his first pro signing, outfielder Kerry Carpenter, a 19th round selection in the 2019 draft, hit a game-winning home run in an American League playoff series against the Guardians. The Tigers reached the postseason for the first time in a decade.
“At each stop, I learned a lot and was tested in different ways, socially and occupationally,” Zmuda said. “It’s crazy to think I’ve been at this for eight years, but I wouldn’t have skipped a step if I had it to do over again.”
Scouts never know where they will find their next hidden gem. The number of Division III draft picks have dwindled since MLB reduced the draft to 20 rounds in 2021 — just three were chosen last year — but small schools are not lacking for quality players.
It’s why Zmuda is making trips to his alma mater to chart the progress of Colaco, last year’s Division III player of the year, and Falter, a 6-foot-5 pitching prospect
“This group has been on a special journey the last few years,” Zmuda said. “They have some really talented players, and they’re going to be in the postseason again this year. Now, it’s about knocking down that next door and getting to the college World Series.”
