By Bob Sutton
Special to The Alamance News
Nathan Teague’s long-awaited comeback included a flashback as well.
Teague, a Southern Alamance graduate, had gone more than two years since pitching in a game when he went to the mound for the Sanford Mainers, a summer team in the New England Collegiate Baseball League.
At the other end of his pitch was Cole McGinnis, an Eastern Alamance alum.
“It was wholesome,” Teague said. “A full-circle moment.”
Teague is a pitcher for national power Vanderbilt. McGinnis is a catcher for UNC Asheville.
So that’s far removed from when they had been youth teammates with the Burlington Sporting Goods Black Sox, a 10-and-under team.
“The first guy I ever threw to,” Teague said of McGinnis as a batterymate.
They graduated from high school in 2023 and went off to college.
Teague’s career stalled because of an injury, so time with the Mainers proved vital in his comeback efforts.
Going to the mound for a June 18 game in Sanford, Maine, against the Vermont Mountaineers was a bit of a milestone.
“It was the first game I had thrown in a really long time,” Teague said.
McGinnis said he knew Teague had been eager to be back in action.
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“It’s such a small world,” McGinnis said. “Was God’s plan to get back together. … It was fun catching him. It was amazing, just so cool.”
Long climb back
Teague was a decorated high school pitcher. He arrived at Vanderbilt and went through 2023 fall practices while gaining confidence and sensed he would be slated “to eat some good innings” the following spring.
He returned home after the first semester. A week before Christmas, he went to Dirtbags training center in Burlington. Afterward, something felt amiss with his right arm.
Attempts at rehab in the following weeks didn’t prove helpful enough. He needed Tommy John surgery.
“It became an inevitable thing,” Teague said.
Dr. Keith Meister, a team doctor with the Texas Rangers, performed the surgery in February 2024 in Dallas.
Teague said he was determined to be available for the 2025 season for Vanderbilt. He was back on the mound in February for team workouts, but it was taking time to get the right feel.
“Trying to settle back in and find that confidence on the mound,” he said.
He was granted another redshirt season. He returns to Nashville this month still with four years of college eligibility remaining.
Teague said legendary Vanderbilt coach Tim Corbin, who has led the Commodores to two national championships, and pitching coach Scott Brown have been supportive and strong influences during the rehabilitation.
In the spring, Teague stayed with the Vanderbilt team until it was an upset victim in the NCAA regionals. Soon after, he reported to the Mainers.
Teague and McGinnis had learned a few months earlier that they had the same summer destinations. Brown is a former coach of the Mainers, so it was through that connection that Teague landed his summer assignment.
Teague, who had an 0-1 record, said his 15 innings this summer were valuable, recording 22 strikeouts along the way. He worked up to throwing three innings in a postseason game.
“Just get a lot of confidence back,” he said. “It’s definitely a check mark, a stepping stone.”
He’s excited that there’s more ahead.
“I want to prove a lot of people right,” Teague said. “A lot of people still believe in me.”
Teague said he’s more than halfway to completing coursework for a degree in human organizational behavior. He’s also pursuing a minor in the Department of Medicine, Health and Society.
McGinnis batted .128 in 17 games with the Mainers. Yet in some ways, he didn’t miss a beat as a participant in team promotional activities at just about every turn.
“Every theme night, he was a part of it,” Teague said.
Friends at Fenway
The Mainers had an off day June 10, so McGinnis and teammates considered a trip to see the Boston Red Sox. The opponent was the Tampa Bay Rays.
At the time, Mebane’s Zack Littell was pitching for the Rays. McGinnis had served as Littell’s catcher for some offseason sessions, so he reached out to the big leaguer. Littell hooked up McGinnis and a few of the Mainers with tickets.
“Just how Zack is, one of those humble guys and all that,” McGinnis said.
It was McGinnis’ first visit to Fenway Park. He connected with Littell near the visiting dugout after the game.
During the game, they saw Boston’s Roman Anthony, baseball’s top prospect, post his first major-league hit.
Teague had yet to join the Mainers when McGinnis and some of his new friends made the trip to Boston. But the pitcher heard about that venture.
“Definitely a lot of brownie points for that,” Teague said of McGinnis building relationships with his summer teammates.
McGinnis said it was a rewarding summer overall.
“You grew as a person and grew as a ball player,” he said. “Got to see a part of the country I hadn’t gotten to see.”
