Down in Texas, there are two types of young athletes: those who play football, and those who do not. Nick Thornquist was one of those athletes who chose to go a different route.
“I guess just like most young athletes, I wanted to play every sport to find what I really liked,” Thornquist said. “I started playing baseball when I was around five-years-old and ever since then I would say the love of the sport just grew more and more over time.
“Of course, all your high school coaches push you to try football out your freshman year. But after I played my freshman year I knew it wasn’t for me and I wanted to have more time to focus on baseball in the fall.”
Though his parents thought he would have more success in the pool than on the diamond or the gridiron, Thornquist stuck with his passion and the results did not disappoint. His résumé at Flower Mound High School features a .450 batting average his senior year, a two-time first-team all-conference selection, a Texas all-star game nod and a state championship.
“My family always thought I could be a better swimmer than a baseball player, but I had always had a stronger love for baseball,” the Missouri-City native said. “But now, all I can say is thank you. No words could describe how grateful I am for my parents who have drove me hours to games and tournaments and devoted their time and money to get me where I am today”
Despite all his success however, Thornquist did not have any big schools calling his name.
“Out of high school I wasn’t looked at by a lot of Division-1 schools, but I had some of the better community colleges looking at me,” the 20-year-old said. “For me I thought that getting that chance to play my freshman and sophomore years would give me a better opportunity to play at the next level as well as excelling as a ball player in general.”
He put his thoughts into action when he committed to McLennan Community College. In his freshman year, Thornquist appeared in 30 games and finished the season with a .367 batting average and 16 RBIs. The 5’8” righty saw more action this past spring and increased his RBI total by four while batting just under .300, respectively. The Highlanders used Thornquist as their featured catcher when they went on to take first place in their conference.
After Thornquist concluded his sophomore year at community college, Division 1 schools finally noticed his talents and the offers started to come in. For him, it was a tough decision that had multiple factors beyond baseball. Thornquist is very proud of his academic achievement as he was a member of the Mu Alpha Theta math honor society with a 4.2 weighted GPA. When he sat down with his family and considered all his options, Thornquist picked the University of Texas San Antonio.
“This was extremely important to my family and I considering it will be the place I spend my last two years of baseball and education,” he said. “But UTSA was very engaged with me going into my sophomore fall and I had a couple of previous teammates from McLennan that are playing there that helped convince me that it would be a good place for me to be. The coaching staff seems great and I feel like I will be given my opportunities to get on the field.”
If the Roadrunners needed any more reason to be excited for Thornquist’s arrival, the kid is having one hell of a summer in the Hamptons Collegiate Baseball League. He leads the HCBL in batting average with an absurd mark of .536 in 56 at-bats and places first on the Sag Harbor Whalers in hits, runs, doubles, home runs and walks.
“I’ve just simplified my approach at the plate and have fought to work deeper in counts,” Thornquist said when asked about the tear he is on this summer. “I’m trying to make pitchers challenge me with their best pitches and when they make a mistake I’m doing my best not to miss it.”
It isn’t easy spending two months of your summer in a completely unfamiliar part of the country. But for Thornquist, he is soaking up every minute of it.
“I’m enjoying it a bunch, it’s awesome being able to get out and explore a different part of the country. I think that the Whalers and Hamptons League do an amazing job at giving the players the opportunity to play at such a high level, as well as housing and feeding the number of players that they do.
“Everyone here is awesome. I think our team is all starting to mesh together finally which will be a huge component for our success in the second half of the season. Our coaching staff is great as well, they always have a positive outlook on situations and get us prepared for our games. Heck, who wouldn’t want to spend their summer in the Hamptons!”
Thornquist continues to make his case for the HCBL MVP, but more importantly he continues to aid Sag Harbor in its pursuit to make the playoffs. No matter what happens at the end of July, it seems clear that the kid from Texas is making the most of his summer in preparation for his first Division 1 baseball season.
