Nick McLain shows promise for Arizona State in collegiate debut

(Photo Courtesy: Sun Devil Athletics)

PHOENIX – Arizona State Baseball’s first game as a top-25 team under head coach Willie Bloomquist was one for the ages.

Trailing crosstown rival Grand Canyon (18-14) 9-2 in the eighth, the No. 24-ranked Sun Devils (24-9) put together a nine-run inning to take a lead they wouldn’t relinquish. During the contest’s final two frames alone, ASU totaled 10 hits – four more than it accumulated through the previous seven innings – escaping Brazell Field at GCU Ballpark with an unforgettable 13-10 victory and sweeping the two-game season series against the Lopes.

But before any deficit was created or erased, the Sun Devils made a lineup decision that seemed improbable just a week prior. Sidelined with multiple injuries for the first 32 games of the 2023 season, it was announced that outfielder Nick McLain would make his collegiate debut on Tuesday, getting the start in right field.

“I think we’ve all, the coaching staff especially, have known what this young man is capable of doing,” Bloomquist said. “We’ve just been anxiously waiting for him to get here and play… I wanted to get him in there, get some at-bats and see what we can do, and he didn’t disappoint.”

The redshirt freshman showed he belonged almost immediately after his first game got underway. With GCU runners on first and third during the opening inning, freshman utility player Zach Yorke knocked a single into right field, scoring a run with ease. But junior utility player Tyler Wilson – who began the sequence at first base – wasn’t content with only advancing 90 feet and went for the extra bag. However, McLain launched a long throw to freshman Nu’u Contrades, who made the tag at third and accounted for the first of three straight outs.

This moment proved to be a turning point for McLain, as the defensive gem was all it took for him to get settled into the game.

“Honestly, on the bus, I was a little nervous,” McLain said. “I had my first AB, still a little nervous, and then after I threw [Wilson] out, I was all good to go.”

His prowess in the field was evident straight away, but McLain’s bat came alive as the night progressed. When he stepped into the batter’s box with one out during the eighth, ASU trailed 9-5 and had men on first and third. After going down 1-2 in the count, McLain singled down the left side to drive in a run and continue the Sun Devils’ miraculous rally.

He wasn’t finished just yet, however, and struck again during the contest’s final frame. With an 11-9 advantage and sophomore outfielder Will Rogers at first, McLain sent a 110-mph line drive sailing over the right-field wall, providing two insurance runs that almost seemed essential in a contest where the teams combined for 34 total hits.

And for the redshirt freshman, this memorable first impression at the collegiate level was a long time coming.

“I expected [my performance], I’m not gonna lie,” McLain said when asked about his emotions during the game. “I’ve been waiting to play for a year and a half.”

Ranked California’s third-best high school outfielder by Perfect Game in 2021, McLain elected to stay home and commit to UCLA. He already had ties to the program – his eldest brother Matt, an Arizona Diamondbacks 2021 first-round selection, spent three seasons as an infielder for the Bruins. However, Nick didn’t play at all during his freshman year due to a back injury, and decided to enter the transfer portal before eventually landing at Arizona State, another school his family is quite familiar with.

Sean, the middle McLain brother, was a vital member of the Sun Devils’ 2021 and 2022 squads, ending his three-year career in Tempe with 142 hits, 71 RBIs and a .328 batting average. The Los Angeles Dodgers liked what they saw from the young infielder and decided to give him a chance, taking him in the fifth round of last year’s draft.

With an almost completely overhauled roster from 2022, Nick was viewed as one of the leading candidates for a starting role in ASU’s outfield. But Sun Devil fans would have to wait to see a second McLain brother suit up in maroon and gold, as it was revealed on opening night that he would miss the first “five to six weeks” of the regular season with a broken hamate bone in his wrist.

A potential return date continued to be delayed until Bloomquist provided a pessimistic update on McLain’s status. Following ASU’s April 4 victory over Seattle, it was revealed he had experienced discomfort in a “different area” and was awaiting test results.

However, the Sun Devils’ skipper had a much brighter outlook for the outfielder’s potential return just two days later.

“There could be a light at the end of the tunnel,” Bloomquist said after ASU walked off Washington State on April 6. “I was not optimistic the last time I talked to you guys about Nick McLain, but now I’m cautiously optimistic. We got some good news on that front, so now it’s just a matter of getting him ready to go.”

McLain seemingly being back at full strength adds yet another asset to an ASU lineup that has already been explosive of late. But more importantly, Tuesday’s win was the culmination of a year-and-a-half journey that certainly yielded frustration along the way.

“Yeah, there were some low points,” McLain said. “I mean, I got the brothers making fun of me that I still haven’t played because I like to talk – I’m still better than them. But yeah, it’s nice to do this tonight.”