A Healthy McDonald Looking Forward To Bryant

Nick McDonald RHP / OF / St Johns, MA / 2019

SHREWSBURY, Ma. - What a sophomore year it was for Nick McDonald.

A state championship with his high school baseball team - St. John’s - started it. College interest followed after an impressive outing at a PBR event at Franklin Pierce. More came at the Future Games that August. A visit to Bryant came soon after when an offer was presented. A verbal commitment took place in the fall.

That all came in 2017.

But as great as that year was for McDonald, 2018 has been a bit different for the 43rd-rated 2019 in New England. For starters, an injury put a big scare into the right-handed pitcher’s future.

“I threw four innings and had eight strikeouts my first game,” McDonald reflected about his junior year in high school. “But then my arm started shaking. I had arm pain, the most pain I ever had throwing. I got an MRI a few days later.”

Results were “better than I thought” according to McDonald, but it also brought an end to his junior campaign. Then came the prospects of passing the news on to Bryant.

“I was nervous telling Bryant that,” McDonald admitted about informing his college of choice he was shut down for the season.

However, good news followed for the 15th-ranked senior right-handed pitcher in New England.

“Bryant was more helpful than even my doctors,” the 6-2 205-pounder noted. “It was refreshing to hear that they would help me in any way that I needed it.”

A summer of throwing - though not in game situations - took place before tossing six bullpen sessions in the fall.

“Then I shut it down,” explained McDonald. “I haven’t even pitched a game since the beginning of the spring season.”

It is all part of the plan made by Bryant.