Mclean is a 21-year-old native of Newberry, S.C. He is currently the starting shortstop and active president of the UNCW club baseball team. The team finished this season 2-12, with both wins coming in a series win against Appalachian State University.
Q: When did you start playing baseball?
A: I’ve been playing since I could walk, and I played for my varsity team from eighth grade through my senior year of high school.
Q: Why did you choose to play club baseball in college?
A: Well, I got a couple of JUCO (Junior College) offers and a couple D2 offers, but nothing that excited me enough to make me want to play. So, when I came to UNCW, I was like, I still want to play the sport. I decided to join the club baseball team, and last year was my first year playing for the club baseball team.
Q: How did you become the current president of the club?
A: Last year like I said, was my first year, and I became good friends with the president from last year. So, he brought it to my attention…He was like, “Yo, Anthony, I think you should run to become president for the following year.” He graduated this past December. He put my name in the election that we had at the end of the [fall] season. And then, the guys elected me, and I was excited to become the president for this year.
Q: What are some of the responsibilities you have as the president of the club?
A: Communicating with my team is definitely my number one priority; They need to know where they need to be and when they need to be there. I also make sure they have jerseys and stuff like that.
Q: Do you handle ordering the equipment?
A: Yep. Anything behind the scenes, I am the one that handles that. My VP and I handle everything like that. My vice president is Tate Mickey. He was one of my roommates last year. I got him to join the team last year, and now he’s the vice president. Anything through NCBA, which is the league that the club baseball team is in, everything through them, I’m the one who they contact.
Q: So, what does the annual schedule of the club baseball team look like?
A: In the fall, we start practicing, and you can play out of conference games in the fall. Last year we played against a JUCO team in the fall. This year we decided not to schedule any games, so it just depends. We practice all fall though to get ready for the spring. You could join in the fall or the spring.
Q: What does club sports mean to you?
A: Other than the fact that I grew up playing the game, and I still love the game, I would say it’s the team itself. I have friends that go to UNCW that don’t play, but when you are on a team, that’s more friends that you then gain. I truly love every guy that’s on my team right now. It’s a new group of people that I could hit up someday, or they can hit me up. They know I’m a safe guy to hang with, or a safe guy to talk to about some of their personal life. So, I would say the friendship and team aspect of it.
Q: What does playing for UNCW mean to you?
A: I mean I know I am not on the varsity level, but I still get to represent my school. We go to big universities, I mean, like NC State and Chapel Hill. We go out there and represent UNCW all the way to some of the highest levels and I’m proud of that.
Q: Who’s your favorite superhero?
A: Superman, I know it’s basic but it’s Superman.
For more information about UNCW’s club sports, visit their website.
