The Star-Studded Romcom Marc Blucas Was In Before His Hallmark Days

On the must-watch Hallmark channel, Marc Blucas is known for starring in made-for-TV movies like "Miss Christmas," "Season for Love," "Good Morning Christmas!" While we love seeing the actor in these feel-good roles, they are far from his first foray into acting. In fact, in the early days of his career, the Hallmark star appeared in a big-budget, star-studded romcom.

"Summer Catch" is a 2001 baseball-themed teen movie starring the insanely glamorous Jessica Biel, Freddie Prinze Jr., Matthew Lillard, Wilmer Valderrama, and Christian Kane. "I had a good role. It was a good little part that was a lot of fun to play," the Hallmark star told News & Record in 2001. "Fortunately, all of my scenes were shot in bars, bedrooms, or baseball fields."

If you're unfamiliar, "Summer Catch" stars Prinze Jr. as Ryan Dunne, a blue-collar baseball player who lands a coveted role on Cape Cod's high-profile summer team. However, while holding out hope of landing a big-league athletic contract, Dunne finds himself involved in a star-crossed romance with Tenley Parrish (Biel), a girl whose wealthy family vacations in the area. Blucas appears in the movie as Miles Dalrymple, one of Dunne's fellow baseball players.

While Marc Blucas has made a career for himself in acting, the Hallmark star actually has a background in sports. The Pennsylvania native attended Wake Forest University in North Carolina on a basketball scholarship, playing alongside future NBA star Tim Duncan. He then went on to play professionally for a year for England's Manchester Giants. Blucas' athletic background made him a great fit for "Summer Catch," as he was able to put his experience to work as a fictional baseball player.

"Blucas was a stud," Matthew Lillard told Hollywood when asked about his co-stars' baseball abilities. "[He] was an athlete through college–-played Wake Forest." However, Freddie Prinze Jr. had a little bit of a different perspective on his fellow actor's athletic performance. "Marc threw like a woman, first of all," the "She's All That" star lightheartedly shared. "He can hit but ... he's horrible at throwing, horrible."

Based on their good-natured ribbing, the star-studded cast of fictional baseball players definitely seemed to have fostered real comradery while filming. Blucas, for his part, spoke fondly of the experience. "It was great fun," he told News & Record. "It was set in Cape Cod, but it was actually shot in Southport. It was great to get back to North Carolina."

Marc Blucas might've put his athletic abilities to use while starring alongside Freddie Prinze Jr. and Jessica Biel in "Summer Catch," but this wasn't the only time that the actor appeared in a sports-centered acting project. In fact, one of his earliest gigs was the 1996 basketball movie "Eddie," which stars Whoopi Goldberg.

The Hallmark star caught wind of the movie through John Justus, the sports information director at Wake Forest University, who mentioned it would be filmed in their town. "John told me they needed a baby-faced guy who could play basketball," Blucas told News & Record. "I had that down, half of it anyway." After "Summer Catch," the former basketball player went on to star as NFL athletic trainer Matthew Donnally in the drama series "Necessary Roughness."

While the show focuses on football instead of basketball, the role once again allowed Blucas to combine his background in sports with his passion for acting. "It was nice to read a script and read a character that I responded to," the actor told Collider about the show. "I thought I could bring something different to the role, but also offer a different perspective to the show because I could be a sounding board since I've been in this world, in real life." With Blucas' athletic background in mind, we'll be patiently waiting for Hallmark to cast him in a sports-centered romcom.