By Darren
Steinke
Gordie Howe Sports Complex
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| Nolan Machibroda hit 17 homers in 47 games for the Phoenix. (Photo courtesy Nolan Machibroda) |
Going into
his final season of college eligibility in 2022, Machibroda joined the
Cumberland University Phoenix Baseball Team in Lebanon, Tenn. The Phoenix play
out of the Mid-South Conference in the National Association of Intercollegiate
Athletics (NAIA).
In 2021,
Machibroda, who is a graduate of Saskatoon’s Holy Cross High School, played for
Lubbock Christian University Chaparrals Baseball Team in Lubbock, Texas. The
Chaparrals play in the National Collegiate Athletic Association’s Division II
ranks. In 2020, Machibroda was with the NAIA’s Southeastern University Fire
Baseball Team in Lakeland, Florida.
With
Lubbock Christian and Southeastern University, Machibroda felt that the joy of
playing the game had left him. Thinking he might be down to his final at bat
for playing competitive baseball, Machibroda wanted the memories of his final
college season to be positive ones.
“I just really went out there and tried to have fun my last
year,” said Machibroda, who plays first base and a little bit in the outfield.
“I’m trying to play to the best of my abilities and not really care about the
box score or how I played at the end of the day and just go out
there and have fun.
“It was my last year. I was like, ‘You don’t want to not go
out there and look back at it and regret that you didn’t have fun.’ I wasn’t
having fun the previous two years before that.
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| Nolan Machibroda sets up at first base for the Phoenix. (Photo courtesy Nolan Machibroda) |
Machibroda
went out and had a career season. In 47 games with the Phoenix, the left-handed
hitter went 69-for-150 at the plate for a .460 average, 17 home runs and 83
RBI. Thanks to those outstanding numbers, Machibroda, who stands 6-foot-4 and
weighs 220 pounds, was named the player of the year for the Mid-South
Conference and an NAIA first team all-American.
After his
season wrapped up with the Phoenix, Machibroda joined the Weyburn Beavers, who
play out of the Western Canadian Baseball League summer circuit. Playing in his
third summer campaign for the Beavers, Machibroda went 60-for-209 at the plate
for a .287 average, seven home runs and 44 RBI. The 23-year-old was named the
team MVP for the Beavers.
Machibroda
earned an invite to the 2022 WCBL all-star game played at Seaman Stadium in
Okotoks, Alta. He won the WCBL’s home run derby and was awarded a golden bat
for the victory.
On December
20 shortly before 2022 closed out, Machibroda received an early Christmas gift
signing as an amateur free agent with the MLB’s Minnesota Twins.
“It is just another opportunity to play the game I love at
the end of the day, and I’m super thankful for it,” said Machibroda. “It just
happens to be with an MLB team, which makes it even more cool.
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| Nolan Machibroda set to bat for Team Saskatchewan. (Photo courtesy Baseball Saskatchewan) |
Machibroda
reported to Fort Myers, Florida, on Monday to take part in a required training
plan with the Twins minor league players. Fort Myers, Florida, is home to the
Twins single-A affiliate the Mighty Mussels. Spring training activities begin
in earnest on March 2.
One aspect
of Machibroda’s game that went to another level in 2022 was his power hitting.
Machibroda said the home runs started to come after he changed his approach at
the plate, where he looked for fastballs and held off from swinging at
off-speed pitches.
“I always kind of had power,” said Machibroda. “In batting
practice, I could hit a lot of home runs.
“Really last year, I just kind of put it all together and
went out to the plate with a better approach. I think that really helped me see
a lot more pitches that I could drive out of the yard. I was swinging at those
pitches more consistently.
“In my younger years, I would probably get too over
aggressive and swing at some pitches that I wasn’t able to do damage on. I
think last year the big for me was just refining the strike zone and swinging
at big pitches I wanted to swing at instead of swinging at the pitches the
pitchers wanted me to swing at and get me out that way. I always had power
growing up, but once I figured out my approach and kind of stuck with it that
helped me out tremendously.”
After his summer season with the Beavers was complete, Machibroda returned home to Saskatoon to train under the watchful eye of the instructors at the Going Yard Training Centre at the Gordie Howe Sports Complex.
Going Yard instructor Matt Kosteniuk was Machibroda’s head coach with the Saskatoon Diamondbacks under-18 AAA team and an assistant coach when Machibroda was a member of Team Saskatchewan in 2015 and 2016.
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| Nolan Machibroda (centre) played at the Baseball Canada Cup twice. (Photo courtesy Baseball Saskatchewan) |
Pitching and playing first
base, Machibroda helped Saskatchewan win a silver medal at the 2015 Baseball
Canada Cup held at Cairns Field and Leakos Field on the Gordie Howe Sports
Complex grounds and gold at the 2016 Baseball Canada Cup held in Fort McMurray,
Alta.
The soon to
be first year pro enjoys when he gets to come home and work with his former
coaches.
“I got to know them really well,” said Machibroda, who has
lots of good memories playing at Cairns Field and Leakos Field. “It is always
fun going back there,
“I respect their input. It is always nice to hear what they
have to say and help me out for sure still. They are people I still look to for
guidance.”
Machibroda enjoys being able to use the battling cages, the
field turf and all the amenities the Indoor Training Centre has to offer, when
he returns home.
“I’m super thankful for that facility to go back to during
the winter when I’m not able to get outside and do the things I want,” said
Machibroda. “You can go in there and pretty much do whatever baseball wise, so
it has been awesome.”
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| Nolan Machibroda (#24) enjoys a seniors day moment. (Photo courtesy Nolan Machibroda). |
“I just know that there is a long road ahead,” said
Machibroda. “I just take it one day at a time here.
“I take every day knowing that I am still blessed to play
baseball and go out there and have fun and leave it all on the field, because I
get to play the game that I love for a living now and just try and play as long
as possible. I know it is going to be hard, but there is nothing I would rather
be doing than playing baseball right now with my life. I’m really excited to be
able to have this opportunity.”
