The contingent of former Felician University baseball players in the professional ranks grew by two during Memorial Day weekend. Pitchers Michael Gutierrez, a right-hander, and lefty Darwin Matos signed independent pro contracts and made their professional debuts shortly thereafter. Gutierrez and Matos were both members of the 2022 Golden Falcons and are 2022 graduates of Felician.

Both men are local products and are currently toiling professionally in-state. Gutierrez, a native of Garfield, signed with the High Point (N.C.) Rockers of the Atlantic League, but after one start was traded to the New Jersey Jackals of the Frontier League. Matos, a graduate of Clifton High School, is a member of the Frontier League’s Sussex County Miners.

“I’m very happy for both guys,” said Felician head coach Chris Langan, who recently completed his 19th season with the Golden Falcons. “Darwin can throw a fastball and slider as plus pitches and I believe is just scratching the surface of what he can do on the mound. For Guti, it was nice to see him get this opportunity and possibly turn some heads on a bigger stage. Both players are big-time workers who love to compete.”

Gutierrez was the fourth Felician baseball player, and first pitcher, to earn All-Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference honors four times. The 2018 CACC Rookie of the Year, he completed his college career with a 17-21 record. His 328 strikeouts and 11.71 strikeouts per nine innings are both school records.

Gutierrez was a starter in his professional debut for High Point in May and allowed one run on four hits over five innings and earning a win.

“By taking this opportunity to play pro baseball, my younger self is extremely proud,” Gutierrez said. “After elbow surgery, I never would have seen myself in this position. It was mentally exhausting, and I pushed through with the encouragement from my coaches and teammates.”

Matos joined the Golden Falcons after two seasons at Rowan College-South Jersey at Gloucester. In two years with Felician, he went 5-5 with two saves. Matos struck out 82 batters in 66 2/3 innings. During four relief appearances for the Miners, he pitched for about 6 innings.

“I’m extremely grateful and I don’t take this opportunity lightly,” Matos said. “I know that the chances for baseball players to compete after college are very slim. To think that coming out of high school I couldn’t throw a baseball more than 78 miles per hour and to now be in this position is very humbling. A lot of hard work through adversity has led me to this point. I’ve gotten a good feel for the professional experience these last few weeks and continue to soak it all in.”

During the Felician baseball program’s 23-year history, 29 ex-Golden Falcons have signed professional contracts, all but one under Langan’s watch. The complete list can be viewed here.