After appearing in all of the first 34 games for San Diego State, infielder Nevan Noonan sent his first career collegiate home run over the left field wall. Noonan sent not one, but two home runs into the SDSU campus en route to the Aztecs win over Fresno State.
The pair of home-runs from Noonan were a capstone on his first three months in a SDSU uniform, finding himself top three on the team in batting average with one month remaining.
“I told him early in the recruiting process ‘If you’re anything like your brother we’re going to be happy to have you here’,” said head coach Shaun Cole. “He’s playing out of position right now out of team need, for him to slide over says a lot about him, his maturity, and his desire to win for his team. Whatever it takes he’s been willing to do it, I wish I had 10 more of him in this program.”
Noonan isn’t a stranger to big league dreams. His older brother, Nick Noonan, was a first round pick to the San Francisco Giants in the 2007 amateur draft before eventually appearing in seven games for the San Diego Padres.
“It’s definitely a big help having his insight and knowledge a text and call away, his guidance has been a big factor,” said Nevan. “[I go to my brother] All the time, whenever anything comes up he’s the first person I go to.”
The road to the show is a treacherous one, but for Noonan, he’s still appreciating his opportunity to play division one baseball close to home.
“Being close to family and having them able to come out to these games has been huge,” said Nevan. “Family is a big thing for me, having them around is amazing.”
Outside of his brother, Nevan idolizes players like Derek Jeter, Brandon Crawford and practically “Every big league infielder.”
Prior to his breakout year at SDSU, Nevan spent two seasons at Grossmont College in San Diego. Availability has been Nevan’s strongest asset, appearing in all 43 games his freshman season at Grossmont. In those 43 games, Nevan slashed .268 with eight home runs. In his second season, Nevan boasted all-Pacific Coast Conference accolades while batting .319 with four home runs.
“[Going to JuCo] was the best decision for me playing-wise,” said Nevan. “Being able to grow and develop as a player and be somewhere I had coaches and teammates that would help develop my future was big, I still keep in touch with a lot of my teammates.”
The junior college route for athletes is rarely a glamorous one, but has become a common route that can build character and serve as a midway point between players and their ultimate goal.
“You don’t have as many resources, it’s a lot grittier. The long van rides and bus rides were definitely tough but it always works out for the better,” said Nevan.
The impressive JuCo numbers were enough for Nevan to take the next step and become a division one infielder, but for Nevan, the goals have been sky high since he was a kid.
“It’s always been my goal to take the sport as far as I could,” said Nevan. “In high school it became a bigger goal once I looked into colleges and got some interest.”
The goals will certainly continue to rise for Nevan, as he’s batting .336 with two home runs in 36 games for the Scarlet and Black. Nevan leads the team in RBIs, total bases, hits, doubles and total at bats.
“Sticking to what I know, trying to not overcomplicate it has been helpful so far,” said Nevan. “There’s really good pitching up here, the strike zones are a lot smaller, you have to use that to your advantage.”
Nevan transferred to SDSU with a trail of success behind him, winning a Coast Conference championship as a senior at Francis Parker High School and earning a spot in the CIF SoCal Division III playoffs before heading to Grossmont.
“I definitely want to bring a winning culture here [At San Diego State], make a regional and win the conference. I just want to play as much as I can and help my team,” said Nevan.
