Sooner State News

An outfielder at Oklahoma State from 2015-17, Garrett McCain was a part of the Cowboys' 2016 College World Series team and posted a .338 career batting average in 130 games.
 
A native of Wylie, Texas, McCain capped his career with a junior season that saw him earn first-team All-America honors after leading the Big 12 with a .388 batting average to go along with four homers, 14 doubles, five triples, 19 stolen bases and a .549 slugging percentage. He led the Cowboys to the Big 12 Championship title and was named the tourney's Most Outstanding Player.
 
Drafted in the 10th round of the 2017 Major League Baseball Draft by Detroit, McCain played 138 games over two seasons in the Tigers' organization.
 
Since retiring from baseball, McCain, who earned his degree from OSU in business management, has enjoyed a successful career in the financial services industry and currently works for FortySix Venture Capital in Tulsa. 

Garrett McCain
Investor Relations Associate
FortySix Venture Capital
Tulsa, OK 

You were drafted and played two seasons of pro baseball. How gratifying was that experience and what made you decide baseball was over for you?
GM: As a kid all I could dream about was playing professional baseball. From a young age, I decided that was the profession I wanted to pursue and was willing to put everything I had into trying to make that dream a reality. While not reaching the ultimate level that I had dreamt of and hoped for, getting to say I had the opportunity and getting to forever have the label of "professional baseball player" is something that I am incredibly grateful for and owe a lot of thanks to those that helped along the way. 

Walking away from the game I loved for so long was obviously an incredibly tough and thought-out decision. I know everyone must hang them up at some point, and oftentimes it is sooner than they had hoped. That definitely was the case for me. However, when assessing where I was in my career and mapping out the personal life I desired to have, my wife and I felt that stepping away and pursuing things in a different profession was going to be the best option for us as opposed continuing to chase my baseball dream with another organization.

What have you done since retiring from pro ball?
GM: After baseball I lived in Dallas a bit until I got married at the end of 2019. My wife and I moved to Oklahoma City and lived there for almost 2 years. While there, I got into the financial services industry helping clients manage their investment and insurance portfolios.  I began that career path with a firm in Stillwater in the beginning of 2020 and then switched to an OKC based firm at the end of 2020. 

My wife and I moved to Tulsa in May of 2021 at which point I moved my practice again to a Tulsa-based firm and began servicing and growing my clientele with a Tulsa focus. 

While still running my planning practice, in February of 2022, I helped start and run the NIL Collective at Oklahoma State formerly known as "Unbridled" now known as "Pokes with a Purpose." I now currently serve on the board of Pokes with a Purpose.

Lastly, in November of 2022, I began a new path in the financial services industry as an Investor Relations Associate leading the capital raise for a Venture Capital Firm based out of Tulsa.
 
What is your role with your current company and describe what you do?
GM: In my current role with FortySix Venture Capital as the Investor Relations Associate, I am in charge of leading and running the capital raise for our venture fund.  My day-to-day is spent meeting with eligible investors, educating them on what we do and how venture capital works, and then assessing if investing in our fund would be a good fit for their investment portfolios. Once in our fund, I manage the communications to and from our fund manager and maintain the relationship with the investor in hopes they will continue to allocate some of their investment portfolio to our future funds.

It is also my responsibility to update our fund investors on the deals we are seeing and investing in so I also sit in on pitch meetings with the potential founders our fund will invest in.
 
How did being a student-athlete at OSU prepare you for life after college?
GM: Being a student athlete at Oklahoma State was a vital part to preparing me for life after college. Not only did it provide me with the skills to be able to efficiently manage my time, perform my responsibilities effectively and produce under pressure, but it also has provided me with incredible relationships that are the only reason I am where I am today. The Cowboy network is wide reaching and filled with incredible people who are willing to get to know you, hear your story and help in any way they can. I saw that as a student-athlete in Stillwater, and I see it every day in the business world with people all over the country.
 
What are your future goals as a business professional?
GM: Professionally, I have some lofty goals for myself. I see myself staying in the world of private investments and desire to become partner and manage my own fund. Fortunately, the firm that I am with aligns with that vision, and I believe I will have every opportunity in this growing venture capital ecosystem to do just that. FortySix is one of the leaders regionally and plans on gaining a national presence in the venture space and getting to help build that from the ground up is inspiring. 
 
Talk a little bit about getting involved with NIL and Pokes With A Purpose and what you do for that.
GM: My NIL journey is quite interesting. I got in on the ground level before really anyone knew what collectives were and if they were going to catch on and be successful. I was approached and was a candidate to start one of the first collectives nationally for another university and once that didn't pan out, I brought the idea to Oklahoma State. Fortunately, I was paired with the right people who at the time aligned with the vision I had for NIL at Oklahoma State and together started Unbridled. As a co-founder and the Executive Director, I helped lay the infrastructure and put into place best practices for raising and distributing NIL funds to our student athletes. 

In May of 2022, Unbridled merged with Pokes with a Purpose, and I joined as a board member. My role and day-to-day activities changed from making organizational and operational decisions to helping with strategies to raise money as well as organize and execute on the payments of our student-athletes. 

Since the joining of my venture firm, I have passed up most of my duties to other board members, but I still plan on being as involved as I can due to my love and commitment to OSU athletics as well as having a good pulse and connections to all things NIL. 

What is your favorite OSU baseball memory?
GM: It would have to be our postseason run in 2016. At the beginning of each season, teams across the country set the goal of reaching Omaha, and to be one of the eight teams to accomplish that in 2016 was special. The path we took wasn't typical, and that added to the excitement and thrill of that postseason. Spending two weeks in South Carolina with your closest friends only to extend the season another few weeks in arguably one of the top sporting events in the world is something I will always cherish.

Is there anything else you want to add about your OSU experience on and/or off the field?
GM: I can't thank everyone enough for making my college experience what it was. I am not the man, nor would I have been the baseball player I was, without everyone who helped me along the way. From coaches, to staff, to academics, to facilities, I firmly believe I had one of the greatest all-around college athletic experiences, and all the support and help along the way didn't go unnoticed. Oklahoma State Baseball brings a rich tradition, and it's an honor to have represented one of the most historic programs in college sports and to be mentioned alongside some of the best to play at the collegiate level. 

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