Sean McLain is welcomed by his Arizona State teammates in a game. (Photo courtesy Sun Devil Athletics)
Former Beckman High standout Sean McLain, who recently completed his first full season playing for Arizona State University, was named this week to compete for the USA Baseball 45-man 2021 Collegiate National Team.
The squad will be split into two teams to compete in an 11-game Stars vs. Stripes intra squad series, which started Friday. The team will be led in 2021 by Manager Elliott Avent from North Carolina State, according to a release from USA Baseball.
The team is scheduled to play on the Fourth of July at the USA Baseball National Training Complex in Cary, N.C.
McLain will be joined by Arizona State teammate Ethan Long, an infielder and right-handed pitcher.
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Photo courtesy Sun Devil Athletics
Photo courtesy Sun Devil Athleics
Photo courtesy Rosalene Ledendecker
McLain had a great freshman season this past year with Arizona State and was named to the Collegiate Baseball News All-America roster.
This past season, McLain batted .322 with 44 runs scored, 18 doubles, one triple, seven home runs and 37 RBI in 52 games. He also stole six bases. The infielder will be a redshirt sophomore for the 2022 season.
McLain was a standout player for Beckman and earned all-league first team honors as a senior.
“Sean has been so fun to watch these past few months,” said Beckman Coach Kevin Lavalle. “To do what he did in his first full year at Arizona State, and then to follow it up with the summer he’s about to have playing for Team USA, it really doesn’t get much better than that. The kid is a dynamo.
“He was hitting in the cages at Beckman on Monday, and it’s the same Sean that first hit in those cages as a freshman in 2015. He was smiling, laughing, joking, and then he put his batting gloves on and started to hit. His whole personality changes, and it’s like watching an artist paint. He gets into this zone and it’s all about getting better. He plays the game with that same intensity. He’s just so fierce. There is no doubt he will represent all of us. Playing with USA on your chest, it really doesn’t get any bigger than that. It gives me goosebumps thinking about it.”
McLain committed to playing at Arizona State in August 2018.
—Tim Burt, OC Sports Zone; timburt@ocsportszone.com
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