RADFORD 鈥 Breckin Nace arrived at Radford in the fall of 2023 viewing himself more as a pitcher than a hitter. Even Highlanders coach Alex Guerra projected the left-handed Jefferson Forest High School graduate as a pitcher who had the potential to develop into a starter.
Nace鈥檚 first start in a Radford uniform didn鈥檛 come on the mound. Sure, there were a couple of relief appearances sprinkled over the first two weekend series of the 2024 campaign, but the first time his name appeared on Guerra鈥檚 lineup card came as a designated hitter in the 10th game of his freshman season.
Nace went 2 for 3 in his first college start. Not too shabby for someone who expected to make his initial contributions on the mound rather than in the batter鈥檚 box.
鈥淚 did not think he would be a two-way guy, and I surely did not think he would be as good as he has been up to this point,鈥 Guerra said in his office before a practice last week. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been a game-changer for our program in so many different ways.鈥
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The 6-foot-4, 205-pound Nace has flourished during his sophomore season this year. He鈥檚 been an everyday staple in the lineup 鈥 whether at first base or designated hitter 鈥 and he has been the Highlanders鈥 Friday starting pitcher since the middle of April as the Highlanders head into this week鈥檚 Big South Conference tournament.
Nace and fourth-seeded Radford open the double-elimination tournament against fifth-seeded Winthrop on Wednesday at 11 a.m. at Truist Point in High Point, North Carolina.
鈥淲e definitely exceeded expectations. I know I took it personal, and a lot of people did when the pre(season) rankings came out and we were picked second to last,鈥 Nace said. 鈥淚 know that kind of fired us all up. We knew in our building that we were a really good team, and I think we鈥檙e just showing that now.
鈥淭he tournament鈥檚 going to be a really cool experience,鈥 he added.
Radford infielder Breckin Nace follows the flight of one of his three hits against Georgetown on March 23.
Nace鈥檚 biggest contribution this season has come at the plate. He was named to the All-Big South second team as an infielder and was named to the all-academic team on Tuesday after leading the team in hitting (.371) and on-base percentage (.484) to go along with 19 extra-base hits (five homers), 40 RBIs and a .554 slugging percentage.
Nace spent the offseason working with assistant coach Tanner Biagini on refining his stance at the plate. He arrived at Radford as a batter who bent his knees and had an unorthodox swing, and Biagini got Nace to stand up straight in the batter鈥檚 box and be able to attack pitches at any point in the strike zone.
Nace struck out 14 times in 75 plate appearances (18.7%) as a freshman. His strikeout percentage has dropped to 15.1% (33 in 219 plate appearances) this season.
鈥淭hat helps me with the high pitch a lot, which is what I struggled with,鈥 Nace said. 鈥淣ow I鈥檝e gotten pretty good at hitting it.鈥
Radford infielder Breckin Nace runs to first base after recording one of his three hits against Georgetown on March 23. Nace enters the Big South Conference tournament leading the Highlanders in hitting (.371) and on-base percentage (.484).
Nace had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder last July. The surgery, performed by Dr. Winston Gwathmey at the University of Virginia, was successful, and Nace was cleared to hit in January.
鈥淚t was a very clean surgery,鈥 Guerra said. 鈥淚 don鈥檛 think it was a huge tear. I wasn鈥檛 really totally concerned. I felt really good about the timing of it and the rehab and Breck since he鈥檚 stepped on campus. I felt pretty good about him having success.鈥
Guerra said he spent a recent evening comparing Nace to other players Guerra has coached. The first player who came to mind was former James Madison star Chase DeLauter, who was selected by the Cleveland Guardians with the 16th overall pick in the 2022 MLB draft.
鈥淭hey both did very similar things. They didn鈥檛 strike out, they didn鈥檛 chase, they control the strike zone and they have the ability to hit to all fields,鈥 Guerra said. 鈥淗e had the ability to stay on a left-on-left breaking ball and hit it the other way. They never gave away at-bats, ever. I think Breck is in a very similar situation.鈥
Since the surgery was performed on Nace鈥檚 non-throwing shoulder, he was able to get into an offseason throwing program with pitching coach Christian Bourne and work on developing his changeup.
Nace only made one start as a freshman, so he was able to rely on his fastball and his slider in the relief appearances.
He needed to add a third pitch to his arsenal. He admitted the changeup 鈥渨as awful when I first got here,鈥 so refining the off-speed offering to give hitters a different look was needed if he wanted to find his way into the rotation.
鈥淗is development with his changeup, we knew he needed another pitch to be able to get righties out, and he鈥檚 always had that slider with left-on-left,鈥 Guerra said. 鈥淗e鈥檚 been able to throw that slider to righties for strikes. He鈥檚 really a true three-pitch mix to both guys.鈥
Nace is 2-2 with a 4.95 ERA in 11 appearances this season. He opened the season in the bullpen and has made seven straight starts.
How did Nace find his way into the rotation?
It actually came at the turning point of the Highlanders鈥 season.
Radford was swept by High Point in the final weekend series of March. The Panthers outscored the Highlanders 57-13, and Radford fell to 12-14 on the season and had road games against Virginia Tech and East Tennessee State up next.
鈥淲e鈥檙e coming off that High Point weekend and we鈥檙e playing two top-30 teams, and it鈥檚 like, who hadn鈥檛 thrown against High Point, and Breckin hadn鈥檛 thrown,鈥 Guerra said. 鈥淎nd so it鈥檚 like, all right, we鈥檒l give him the start, and he kind of got us rolling.鈥
Nace scattered three hits over 5 1/3 scoreless innings to lead the Highlanders to an 8-1 win over the Hokies, and Radford followed that up the next day with a 10-8 win at ETSU.
Radford snapped a 32-game skid against ranked foes.
鈥淚t was in that moment that we said, 鈥榊ou know what, we鈥檙e going Breckin on Friday night.鈥 And we needed to get off to a better start on the weekends from a pitching standpoint,鈥 Guerra said. 鈥淚 thought the guys that were starting on the weekend, we needed to be able to get them in the bullpen and they were going to be better in those roles. Breckin鈥檚 been phenomenal and he鈥檚 been as consistent as you can possibly be. Other than some first inning lulls of giving up some runs, he鈥檚 been great. He鈥檚 done a great job.鈥
The Highlanders are 2-4 in Nace鈥檚 starts since he took over as the Friday starter. Fourteen of the 22 runs he鈥檚 allowed in his six starts as the Friday starter have come in the first three innings before he鈥檚 able to settle into a rhythm.
Radford starting pitcher Breckin Nace, a Jefferson Forest graduate, walks off the mound after pitching 5 1/3 scoreless innings to pick up the win against Virginia Tech on April 1.
The early struggles haven鈥檛 prevented Nace from pitching deep into a start. He has pitched at least into the fifth inning in five of his last six starts to give the team a chance
鈥淚 think a big switch from last year to this year is the confidence in myself and everything, because last year I was still a little timid and I didn鈥檛 fully believe in myself,鈥 Nace said. 鈥淏ut now I鈥檓 more confident than ever in what I do, and I just go out there and let it rip and whatever happens, happens.鈥
