As a former All-State baseball player at St. Paul’s Episcopal with two sons who are already all-stars on the diamond, throwing out the ceremonial first pitch for a game would seem to be something that St. Louis Battlehawks quarterback AJ McCarron would take in stride.

But the former Alabama football All-American said that wasn’t the case when he took the mound again before the St. Louis Cardinals’ National League game against the Arizona Diamondbacks on Monday night at Busch Stadium in St. Louis.

“I told (teammates) Trav (Feeney) and Darrius (Shepherd) I was more nervous throwing out the first pitch than any football game,” McCarron said. “It’s almost like when I do something like that or I play in a golf tournament in front of people, which I can play golf. If I just worry about my ability, I’m fine. But for whatever reason in these other sports, I get nervous as hell. I told them if I pass out just from anxiety, just drag me off the field. Please don’t leave me there and make it a scene.”

In a Cardinals jersey and cap, McCarron delivered the baseball across the plate before St. Louis defeated the Diamondbacks 5-3 on second baseman Nolan Gorman’s home run in the bottom of the ninth inning.

“It was fun,” McCarron said. “It was an honor to go out and throw the first pitch. The Cardinals organization was great to us. I had a blast, and, hopefully, we can do it again. And we brought them some luck, it seems like. They won, so that’s a good thing, too.”

McCarron was an All-State selection by the Alabama Sports Writers Association in Class 5A in the utility slot in 2009, when St. Paul’s reached the AHSAA semifinals during the playoffs.

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McCarron will get back to throwing footballs in the Battlehawks’ Week 5 game against the D.C. Defenders on Sunday. The United Football League contest kicks off at 11 a.m. CDT at Audi Field in Washington. ESPN will televise the game.

St. Louis has won its past three games to move to 3-1.

McCarron has completed 97-of-138 passes for 838 yards with eight touchdowns and one interception and run 10 times for 46 yards and one touchdown this season.

Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.