And he arguably saved his best season for last.

This past spring, the standout senior ended up hitting .467 on the season. He collected 29 hits, including two home runs, six doubles and four triples. He was also a run-producing machine, collecting a total of 29 RBIs.

In addition, Kruszka thrived on the mound, where he compiled a 5-2 record and pitched to an ERA of 3.42.

He helped lead the Panthers to an impressive overall record of 15-7 and a league record of 7-3.

Matt Kruszka P-J file photo

Gowanda took down Akron, 12-2, in the Section VI Class B2 quarterfinals but then fell in a tightly contested matchup to second-seeded Tonawanda, 5-3, in the semifinals.

Kruszka was named the Division I East’s Most Valuable Player in the 2017 Chautauqua and Cattaraugus Counties Senior All-Star Classic at Diethrick Park after he roped a triple and a double.

Thanks to his stellar campaign, he was honored by the New York State Sportswriters Association as a Fourth-Team All-State selection in Class B. He was recognized as an All-Western New York First-Team selection and was a Chautauqua-Cattaraugus Athletic Association Division 1 East First-Team All Star.

“I think first and foremost I can say that I don’t think that I’ve had a player who truly loves the game of baseball more than Matty does,” Gowanda coach Tim Smith stressed. “A lot of kids like baseball, a lot of kids enjoy playing baseball. He absolutely loves baseball. Baseball is his life. … You know, a basketball player is a ‘gym rat’ well if you call a baseball player a ‘field rat’ he is exactly what that would compose. … He just simply loves the game. Like I said, there’s just nobody that I’ve (coached) and very few people I’ve been around in my life in baseball who love the game (like Kruszka). And I don’t think anybody loves it more than he does.”

Not only was Kruszka extremely talented on the field, but his attitude, his work ethic and his pure love for the game will undoubtedly leave lasting impression on the Gowanda baseball program.

“In seventh grade he comes in and it’s been nothing but enjoyable to have him around,” Smith emphasized. “In school every day, he’d come into my room and talk baseball. … When you talk about the opportunity tho have kids like that who absolutely love the sport, it makes it very easy (as a coach). I think the worst part about it is that he won’t be there next year. … I think he was a part of just under 100 (wins) in his six years of playing. You win games because of some of the talent that you have and having a player like Matty around, that’s (a big reason) why we were able to win as many games as we did during his career at Gowanda.”

Due to his superb statistics this season and his prosperous career overall, Kruszka has been named The Post-Journal’s 2017 Baseball Player of the Year.