Great Players, Great Champion, Masked Fans: A Look Back at the 2020 NBC World Series
⋅ History
by Jim Kobbe
Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, the tradition of the National Baseball Congress World Series continued in 2020.
Things were different, of course. The tournament was shortened to eight days for a field of thirteen teams. Fans wore masks and were asked to use hand sanitizer prior to entering the stadium. Seating was limited to 2,000, and available seats were spaced every other row.
On the field, there was nothing so unusual. Santa Barbara dominated the tournament, outscoring opponents 33-4. They beat the Cheney Diamond Dawgs 12-3 for their eighth NBC World Series title.
With four future major league players, the Foresters were loaded with talent.
Nick Nastrini pitched ten scoreless innings, striking out fifteen. He was named to the All-American team and was recognized as the “Leading Pitcher” of the tournament. Nastrini returned to UCLA in 2021 and was drafted by the Los Angeles Dodgers in the fourth round. In 2023, he was traded to the Chicago White Sox and made his debut for them in 2024.
Jace Jung was the NBC World Series All-American second baseman. Jung was the Big 12 Player of the Year the following season at Texas Tech. In 2022, he was drafted 12th overall by Detroit and made his debut two seasons later. When the Tigers play the Texas Rangers, he plays against his brother Josh, a former Santa Barbara Forester who was the NBC Graduate of the Year in 2024.
Christian Encarnacion-Strand was the 2020 NBC All-American designated hitter. Strand played the following season at Oklahoma State and was drafted in the fourth round by Minnesota. He briefly played for the Wichita WindSurge, the Twins’ Double-A affiliate, before being traded to Cincinnati. Encarnacion-Strand made his debut with the Reds in 2023 and hit .270 in his rookie season.
In Cincinnati, Encarnacion-Strand plays on the same infield as his Santa Barbara teammate, Matt McLain. McLain was named the 2020 NBC “Leading Prospect to the Majors.” After another season at UCLA, he was selected 17th overall by the Reds in the 2021 MLB Draft. He made his MLB debut in 2023 and was fifth in the National League Rookie of the Year balloting.
McLain’s brother Sean was also on the 2020 Foresters and was the NBC All-American third baseman. He returned to Arizona State, was drafted by the Dodgers in the fifth round in 2021, and is currently in their minor league system.
NBC Hall of Fame manager Bill Pintard called his 2020 team the best he had ever seen at the NBC World Series. The Foresters went on to win again in 2021 and 2022, extending their NBC record to ten titles.