Nash Crowell may have had the craziest week any college baseball player could ever imagine.
The Reinhardt University slugger found himself in the unpredictable position of going viral after getting hit in the face by a 100 mile-per-hour fastball in a March 30th game.
Just one hospital visit and six days later, he was back on the field hitting a walk-off grand slam with his parents in the stands.
It was a whirlwind filled with a wide range of emotions, and while the scars are gone, the memories are still very vivid in Crowell’s mind.
“Looking back on it now, it’s crazy,” the Dawgs Academy product told Alberta Dugout Stories: The Podcast. “I still get people coming up to me like ‘you’re that guy who got hit’ and I’m like ‘yeah, that was me.’”
Crowell clearly didn’t let the injury phase him, as he put together an incredible season during what was an historic campaign for the Eagles.
He’s hoping all of those experiences help him lead the Okotoks Dawgs to a third-straight Western Canadian Baseball League championship this summer.
UP AND IN
A lot was on the line when Reinhardt faced the top-ranked Southeastern University Fire on that fateful Saturday.
Both teams had already won once during the three-game weekend series, and neither team had lost a series all year.
Up 7-2, the Eagles were threatening again with runners on first and second with no one out when Crowell stepped up to the plate.
He was facing Colby Martin, a 5-foot-11, 195-pound righthander described as a “flamethrower” who struck out 31 batters in just over 16 innings of relief work for the Fire.
“I think he was up to 101 (miles per hour) in that game,” Crowell recalled. “I walk up to the plate and he throws me a fastball and I’m like ‘yeah, that’s pretty quick.’”
“I load up to get on time for the fastball again and, next thing I know, I’m on the ground, have my hand on my mouth and I’m bleeding a little bit.”
Crowell had taken a fastball right to the cheek and was immediately removed from the game.
As he got himself ready to head to the hospital, the Bismarck Community College grad went to the locker room to collect his things and to call his mom, who was watching the online broadcast.
“I just wanted her to know that I was okay and that I was heading to the hospital,” Crowell said. “I open up my phone and my camera pops up and I was like ‘ohhhh, I am not a very pretty guy right now.’”
He snapped a few selfies of the injury and proceeded to visit with the doctor.
NO WORSE FOR WEAR
Surprisingly, Crowell walked away from the beanball with nothing more than a few stitches, as CT scans and other tests were negative for concussions and broken bones.
He says it was remarkable that he wasn’t feeling worse.
“I thought maybe my jaw, cheek or orbital bone – maybe,” Crowell said. “But I didn’t lose any teeth and just had a couple of stitches in my mouth and a couple on my lip, and I was ready to go.”
The 6-foot, 215-pound junior missed just one mid-week game before coming back the following Friday for a game against Johnson University.
READ MORE: Nash Can Mash
It was a big weekend for a different reason for Crowell, as his parents were making a pre-planned trip to watch their son play college baseball.
Through the injury, he admits he was concerned they wouldn’t be able to see him play, but it turned out to be a good thing as they helped him recover more quickly.
“I’d say having them there helped out a ton, just getting back in the box and playing so soon because I didn’t want them to come all that way and then me not to play,” Crowell said. “You always like to put on a good performance for your parents.”
Little did he know, he was about to go viral for a second time.
THE GRAND COMEBACK
The Eagles found themselves in a difficult situation in the late stages of their April 5 match up with Johnson.
A back-and-forth affair to start, the Royals scored three in the seventh and took a 6-3 lead into the bottom of the ninth.
For his part, Crowell had already put together a solid day with two doubles and a single with two runs scored.
With their backs against the wall, the Eagles started piecing together their comeback, scoring three and then loading the bases for their returning hero.
The Royals brought in reliever Seth Bougher to get the inning back on track, but Crowell had other plans, sending a pitch over the wall in left field for a walk-off grand slam.
He says it was his favourite home run he’s ever hit.
“That was the first time my parents had ever come to watch me play college baseball,” Crowell said. “To be able to do that (hit the home run), it was unreal.”
MAKING MORE MEMORIES
With the injury in his rearview mirror, Crowell continued to flex his muscle at his plate for the rest of the college season.
The first baseman finished the year with a .341 batting average, 23 home runs, 71 runs batted in, 53 runs scored and seven stolen bases.
For his efforts offensively and defensively, he was named NAIA All-Conference Third Team.
Meantime, the Eagles took flight posting an overall record of 44-18, winning their conference and advancing to the NAIA World Series, where they ultimately lost in the semi-finals to Tennessee Wesleyan in an 11-inning thriller.
Crowell says winning the opening round of playoffs and getting to the World Series was, by far, the highlight of his young career.
“I can’t even put it into words,” he said. “We just worked so hard and had talked about it all year. Then to get the opportunity to play in the championship game, show out and win at home with our fans and everyone cheering us on, it was something special.”
It’s a feeling Crowell has brought back to Okotoks as the Dawgs look to three-peat as WCBL champions.
Being one of the many returning veterans from the 2023 squad, he says everyone is working well together as they take advantage of the facilities and opportunities in front of them.
While he admits he does still think about the high-and-inside pitches, Crowell is focused on hitting more home runs and making more memories at a packed Seaman Stadium.
“The goal is to win,” Crowell stated. “People go to summer ball and want to have a good time – we’re trying to have a good time, too, but the end goal is to win a championship.”
It would certainly add to what has already been a memorable 2024 for the pride of Yarmouth, Nova Scotia.
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My nephews son , we are all so proud