#28

Nate LaRue Season 2022

#28

Nate LaRue Season 2022

PositionC/RHP
Weight217 lbs
Height6-3
ClassJunior
HometownMobile, Ala.

2023 - SENIOR SEASON
Played in 48 games and made 45 starts behind the plate … was named to the Buster Posey Catcher of the Year Award preseason watch list … scored 17 runs with two doubles, five homers and 15 RBI … was 4-for-6 in stolen bases … turned in a .993 fielding percentage … led the league with six pickoffs and was tied for third with nine runners caught stealing … drove in a run on a sacrifice fly in the season opener vs. Indiana (Feb. 17) … went 1-for-3 in the SEC opener at Arkansas (Mar. 17) … went on a five-game hitting streak from Mar. 25-Apr. 4 … hit his first homer and collected his first multi-hit and multi-RBI game in the series finale vs. Mississippi State (Apr. 23) … homered in back-to-back games  at South Carolina (Apr. 29-30) … drove in a pair of runs in a win vs. LSU (May 6) … hit a three-run home run in the series opener at Ole Miss (May 12) … doubled and homered in the regular season finale vs. Missouri (May 20), his fifth homer in a span of 13 games … walked twice and scored a pair of runs in the SEC Tournament win vs. Missouri (May 23) … reached base three times in the two regional games … signed with the Toronto Blue Jays as an undrafted free agent.

2022 – JUNIOR SEASON
Turned in a .211/.272/.382 slash line in 52 games and 42 starts, including 39 behind the plate … threw out 12 of 22 base stealers, tied for the third most in the league … turned in a .995 fielding percentage, committing just two errors in 442 chances behind the plate … collected a career best eight doubles, six homers and 34 RBI … six of his doubles and four of his homers came in SEC play … started behind the plate in 25 of the last 26 league games … ranked second on the team with 10 multi-RBI games … was 2-for-2 in stolen bases … also made five appearances on the mound, allowing one run in 5.1 innings … started as the designated hitter and went 1-for-4 with two RBI in his season debut vs. Kansas State in Arlington (Feb. 20) … pitched a scoreless inning with a strikeout in the home opener against Troy (Feb. 23) … drove in another run as the designated hitter against Yale (Feb. 25) … pitched a season-high 2.0 scoreless inning against Alabama State (Mar. 1) … didn’t allow a run in his third straight outing against Tennessee Tech (Mar. 9) … entered as a defensive replacement and went 1-for-1 with a double in the SEC opener vs. Ole Miss (Mar. 17) … made his SEC pitching debut and turned in 1.2 scoreless against Ole Miss (Mar. 18) … started his first game behind the plate in the series opener at Texas A&M (Mar. 25) … went 3-for-5 with a double, homer and career best five RBI in the series finale against the Aggies (Mar. 27) … collected a pair of hits against UAB (Apr. 5) … went 1-for-2 with a two-run homer in the middle game against Vanderbilt (Apr. 9) … got Auburn’s scoring started with a solo homer in the series opener at Mississippi State (Apr. 14) … homered for the fourth time in a span of 14 games against South Carolina (Apr. 22) … went 4-for-8 with five RBI in the series against the Gamecocks … collected a pair of hits in the series opener at Tennessee (Apr. 29) … got Auburn’s ninth inning comeback the following day against the Volunteers started with a leadoff single (Apr. 30) … finished the series 4-for-9 … hit a career-high two double against Arkansas (May 6) … went 2-for-3 with three RBI vs. Samford (May 17) … hit a pair of solo homers in the regional openers vs. Southeastern (June 3), marking the first multi-homer game of his career … drove in three runs in the regional final vs. UCLA (June 5) … was named to the Auburn Regional All-Tournament Team … drove in a run in Auburn’s comeback win in game one of the Corvallis Super Regional (June 11) … started behind the plate all three games in Omaha.

2021 – SOPHOMORE SEASON
Made 16 appearances and 10 starts at catcher, while also making one appearance at pitcher … became Auburn's first player since Josh Donaldson in 2007 to start behind the plate and make a pitching appearance in the same season ... hit .219 (7-for-32) with eight runs, two doubles, two home runs and five RBIs … made his first start of the season and went 2-for-4 with a double, home run and two RBI in a win over Presbyterian (Feb. 20) … was 1-for-2 and reached base three times against Alabama A&M (Feb. 23) … drove in a run on a sacrifice fly at Arkansas (Apr. 1) ... made his collegiate pitching debut and struck out a batter in an inning of relief vs. Jacksonville State (Apr. 21) ... hit his second home run of the season and his career vs. North Alabama (May 18) … started behind the plate in the regular season finale at Missouri (May 22) and went 2-for-4 with two runs, and a RBI double … started at catcher in the SEC Tournament vs. Ole Miss (May 25) ... turned in a perfect fielding percentage with 89 put outs.

2020 – FRESHMAN SEASON
Played in eight games and made three starts behind the plate … hit .294 (5-for-17) with six runs, one double and two RBI … made his Auburn debut and went 1-for-5 with a run vs. Illinois-Chicago (Feb. 15) … came off the bench and went 1-for-1 the following day … made his second start vs. Alabama A&M (Feb. 26) and went 1-for-3 with a walk and two runs … drove in his first career run on a sac fly vs. Wright State (Feb. 29) … went 1-for-3 with a double and run vs. Chicago State (Mar. 7) … made his final start and went 1-for-3 with a walk and RBI vs. Wofford (Mar. 11) … caught three of nine would-be base stealers ... named to the 2019-20 First-Year SEC Academic Honor Roll. 

HIGH SCHOOL
Rated the No. 118 overall player and No. 11 catcher in the 2019 class according to Perfect Game … tabbed the No. 2 catcher and No. 3 overall player in Alabama … named a 2018 Perfect Game Preseason Underclass Second Team All-American and 2019 Perfect Game Preseason Third Team All-American … invited to the 2018 Perfect Game National Showcase, where he was named to the Top Prospect Team … took home Tournament MVP honors at the 2017 WWBA Labor Day Classic at LakePoint … named to the All-Tournament Team at the 2017 WWBA National Championship as well as the 2018 WWBA National and World Championships … earned 2018 ASWA Second Team All-State honors at McGill-Toolen … career .365 hitter with a 1.41 ERA at the high school level ... tabbed by Baseball America as the No. 148 overall prospect entering the 2019 MLB Draft ... was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 25th round by chose to come to school. 

PERSONAL
Son of Cheril and Barry McAleer … has one sibling, Cole LaRue, who played basketball at Kennesaw State ... enrolled in the College of Business ... born July 27, 2001.