Brice Matthews, a proud product of Atascocita High School, made headlines in July with a performance that turned heads across Major League Baseball.
On Monday, July 21, the 23-year-old second baseman hit his first and second big league home runs and drove in five runs in a breakout game for the Houston Astros. With the team fighting to stay in the playoff hunt, Matthews delivered when it mattered most, powering the Astros to a season-critical 6-3 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Phoenix.
From a star at Nebraska to an MLB rookie summoned up in an emergency, Matthews came through with the pressure being extreme. The star athlete demonstrated the raw power and potential that led to his being drafted in the first round.
Just weeks before, Matthews had been preparing to play in the All-Star Futures Game. Instead, a last-minute promotion changed his trajectory.
Originally scheduled to play in Atlanta, Matthews flew from Oklahoma City to Houston after being summoned to the majors by his hometown team. On July 5, he made his Major League debut at Daikin Park—just minutes from where his journey began at Atascocita High School.
A two-sport standout in high school, Matthews was the starting quarterback and star shortstop. He credits his time at Atascocita with building the mental and physical toughness that prepared him for the demands of pro sports.
After an impressive collegiate career at the University of Nebraska, Matthews was drafted by the Astros in the first round of the 2023 MLB Draft. His rise through the minor league system was fast and fierce—he hit for the cycle in May and was named the Astros Minor League Player of the Month in June, posting a .283 batting average with 10 home runs and 25 stolen bases for Triple-A Sugar Land.
The Astros brought him up in response to a roster injury and manager Joe Espada emphasized that this was more than a temporary patch.
Matthews quickly proved he could rise to the occasion. In just his sixth Major League game, he smashed two home runs and drove in five runs—a rare feat for any player let alone a rookie.
"Growing up here and seeing so many different moments from this team in all different facets and now being here," Matthews said with a smile as he spoke to reporters prior to his first Major League game. "From being a fan to being a player, I couldn't have asked for anything more than this."
While his power and poise are now making headlines nationwide, Matthews hasn’t forgotten his roots. He regularly returns to Atascocita High School during the offseason where he trains and reconnects with the coaches who helped shape his early career. Several of them were in the stands for his MLB debut, celebrating the hometown hero’s arrival on baseball’s biggest stage.
From Atascocita to Nebraska to Houston, Brice Matthews’ journey is marked by grit, heart and timely heroics. With his first two home runs under his belt and a pivotal win already behind him, the rookie is wasting no time making an impact.
And for the community that raised him, he’s already a legend in the making.
Growing up here and watching this team…to now being here as a player, I couldn’t ask for more