(At the time of recording, Nolan Clifford was with the Albuquerque Isotopes but was reassigned to the ACL Rockies afterward)

It’s not often that a drafted player makes his professional debut at the top level of the minors. On September 13, Nolan Clifford made his professional debut with the Triple-A Albuquerque Isotopes.

Drafted in the 17th round out of Creighton University by the Colorado Rockies back in July, Clifford helped the Isotopes win a thrilling 16-14 game against the Las Vegas Aviators in 10 innings where he notched his first professional hit, RBIs, and run scored while playing some solid defense. Evan Lang of Rocky Mountain Rooftop sat down with Clifford the day after that game to talk about his whirlwind experience.

“I honestly didn’t believe it at first,” said Clifford, “I was kind of surprised and thought they had the wrong number potentially. It was really cool, I felt prepared so after the initial shock I was just excited to get here and get the opportunity to hopefully get some at-bats and get some playing time under my belt before the season wraps up.”

Due to the amount of injuries to the Isotopes of late, the Rockies turned to Clifford as a utility infielder replacement out of necessity and the 22-year-old made the most of his opportunity. Clifford went 1-for-5 in the game, with his lone hit coming at a crucial moment. Trailing 10-8 in the seventh inning, Clifford laced a bases-loaded single to score two runs and tie the game.

NOLAN CLIFFORD!!! In his first professional game, he ties it up with a two-run single!

Baseball is the absolute best, you can never convince us otherwise.

The nine-run deficit is gone!!

B7: Isotopes 10, Aviators 10 pic.twitter.com/0dj1xYiiKd

— Albuquerque Isotopes (@ABQTopes) September 14, 2024

“Earlier in the game I had an at-bat first and third and I didn’t get the job done,” Clifford recalled about the at-bat, “so I was just really fired up that I was getting another opportunity, especially in a close game to get another crack at it. I was looking fastball and happened to put a good swing on it.”

“There were a little bit of nerves but it’s the same game and I kept telling myself that. I was just really excited I was getting this chance, so I just wanted to make the most of it and not really have any regrets or play scared” said Clifford.

A shortstop primarily in college, the Rockies focused on versatility and athleticism and Clifford fit the bill, sliding over to third base to play 10 whole innings. He looked natural at the hot corner with some slick defensive plays such as a sliding stop of a chopper in the eighth and a strong throw across the diamond to get the first out.

The rookie @Nolan_Clifford2 coming up with defensive gems too! pic.twitter.com/kDXzuV6Hbg

— Albuquerque Isotopes (@ABQTopes) September 14, 2024

Clifford goes on to talk about his time at Creighton and his interaction with Ty Blach, another alumni from Creighton and just preparing for the next season.

Rocky Mountain Rooftop is the Colorado Rockies affiliate of Fans First Sports Network dedicated to covering all things Rockies. Our flagship podcast Affected by Altitude, hosted by Evan Lang and Skyler Timmins, covers all the happenings of the big league club. Other shows under the RMR banner include Every Rockie Ever and Rooftop Mingle featuring player interviews.

Find the full interview below in both audio and video format.

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