Mateo looks to become only the 13th Lynn native to play for the Navigators in team history and the first since 2020 as he joins the club following his freshman year at Alabama A&M. Seven of his 14 appearances for the Bulldogs were starts, and his 30 strikeouts over 38.2 innings ranked third on the team. A season-high six strikeouts came during a seven-inning start against Bethune-Cookman in May. Five innings of two-run ball helped him beat Mississippi Valley to end the year.

Prior to arriving on campus, Mateo was the No. 15 overall prospect in Massachusetts and No. 5 right-handed pitcher according to Perfect Game. He is a product of Redan High School in Georgia.