MSU Baseball Feature: The Powers Of Perspective

Perspective is an important part of being a high-level athlete. For Nick Powers, it’s been the most influential aspect of his life since becoming a Spartan.

Powers, a 6-foot-1 left-handed pitcher from Flushing, Mich., has a pure love for the game of baseball. Throughout his youth, he wanted nothing more than to play at Michigan State. When high school came, and he noticed there were eyes on him at the collegiate level, his No. 1 priority was landing a spot on the Spartan roster.

“I’ve never wanted to be anything other than a baseball player,” Powers, now a senior, said. “I really wanted to come [to Michigan State], so my work ethic changed. I would do extra work that no one else wanted to do, and ultimately that’s what landed me here. I’ve never looked back. This is definitely everything that I thought it’d be.”

A new perspective opened up when Powers was sidelined by a lat injury for about eight months during his freshman year. From the minute he picked up a baseball when he was four years old, it had been a blur. It was a race to the top, always trying to figure out what was next. Taking a step back and watching life go by for the first time in years may have just been what he needed.

“I realized that you’re just one pitch away, one play away, one game away from never playing the game again,” Powers said. “It was eye-opening to me because I was so blinded on having success, doing everything I can to succeed at this level. I feel like I matured as a person and also a player. I’m just not taking it for granted and living life to the fullest.”

The injury helped him realize that perspective, but it was really always there. At Flushing High School, Powers participated in a peer-to-peer mentorship program. He was paired up with someone with autism, who to this day remains one of his close friends.

“It’s eye-opening to realize just how lucky we are to have all the things we have,” Powers said. “There’s people like him who can’t experience things the same way we can.”

NIL was in its infancy when Powers started at Michigan State. Once he was clear to make deals, Charitable Gift America, an organization that facilitates philanthropic uses of NIL money, was on the top of his list. When he found out that Miracle League of Mid-Michigan was a qualified non-profit he could donate to, his choice was made right away.

Miracle League organizes and…