Round 19 | Nate Rombach | C | Legacy HS (TX)

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6'4 215 Committed to Texas Tech

Ranked #284 by BA

Drafted for his bat and probably has to move to 1B eventually

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On most nights, after practice and after additional training, you'll find Mansfield Legacy catcher Nate Rombach in his family driveway with a baseball bat in his hands. He takes hundreds of swings. There's no ball, no tee, no batting cage -- just a ballplayer practicing one of the prettiest swings in the state, over and over again.

"He probably started doing that in seventh or eighth grade," said Nate's father, Deron, who works as a national scout for the Atlanta Braves.


"He has never felt burnt out or the need for a day off."


Nate probably wouldn't tell you about this scene. His coach, Chris McMullen, probably wouldn't depict it, either. The reason: Nate doesn't look at the swings as extra work. He loves the game, his father says. He always has. Taking extra swings is just another chance for him to be around it.


The extra work has paid off. The Legacy catcher and Texas Tech signee has been dominant at the plate, hitting 0.507 with five home runs, five triples and 34 RBIs so far. He's been a major reason why Mansfield Legacy is off to a 21-2 start.


"Words don’t say enough about him," McMullen said. "Just the influence he’s had on other guys as far as work ethic. People from the outside just don’t understand how much work this guy has put in the past three years, and you probably wouldn't believe it if we told you his goals, his weekly goals as far as how many cuts he wants to get in."


It's Nate's work ethic that's made him a college-bound baseball player and probably an early pick in June's Major League Baseball Draft. But his talent, as well as his love for the game, should come as no surprise.


Nate comes from a baseball family. His grandfather is Bob Rombach, who left Duncanville in 2007 as one of the all-time winningest coaches in state history. He passed away in 2015.


"It was really a blessing having him in my life and obviously having my dad who has been around the game for so much," Nate said. "They’ve had a major impact on me."


With baseball all around him, Nate naturally fell into the sport. Deron said Nate started tagging along to practice with his older brother, Dane, when Nate was three years old. A year later Nate picked up a glove of his own.


"I could play catch with him," Deron recalled, "and I wouldn't have to hold back."


Nate's talent was obvious from the beginning. Deron remembers when five-year-old Nate went to tee-ball practice for the first time. Deron, feeling bad about being one of those dads, told the coach to tell his players to move back for Nate. The coach obliged, but it wasn't enough, Deron said. He was embarrassed to do it, but Deron told the coach to tell his players again. It still wasn't enough.


"The first ball Nate hit off that tee it went over everybody’s head and went way down the street," Deron recalled.


The coach told Deron that Nate should probably play in a league with older players. He did, but it wouldn't be the last time.


McMullen's first season at Legacy was Nate's freshman season. Nate started on the junior varsity team, but by the end of the year was playing for the varsity and getting key at bats.


"Just seeing that the coaches believed in me and they wanted a freshman going into playoffs was big," Nate said. "But ever since then i never tried to get too ahead of myself and just keep the same work ethic every single day and not think I’m too good ... for all these people."


And if you ask McMullen, Nate has done exactly that, becoming a model the last three seasons for the rest of the program.


"It's one thing to say you want to be great, but it's another thing to put in the work and actually mean it," McMullen said. "He's just had a tremendous impact all the way through the program. Guys have seen him work. I just can't say enough good things about him."


Nate, when it comes to himself, isn't very talkative. He's quick to deflect praise to his teammates. There's a reason for it. Even with all his personal accomplishments, there's still something more he wants out of his high school career.


"I’m trying to win that state championship here," Nate said. "We definitely have the talent, the skill the work ethic, the chemistry. Our guys, they put in work every day and go 100 percent in practice everyday. We have some of the best coaches in the state, if not the country, so we definitely have a chance."


And when the season is over, Nate will either head off to Lubbock or choose to play professional baseball. No matter how his life changes, those around him expect his work ethic to stay the same.

https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/hig...h-leaving-mark