Introduction:

Nicholas, or Nico, is now an overseas veteran. Beginning his journey in 2018, Nick has played parts of 4 seasons internationally and has developed immensely, both on and off the field. Nick is the hardest worker on any team he is a part of and integrates himself as part of the baseball club as much as he can through his personality, ability to connect and coach all ages, and passion to share his knowledge of baseball to global communities. Since beginning his overseas adventure, Nick has become trilingual, fluent in French 🇫🇷 and Spanish 🇪🇦and his passion for languages extends to German 🇩🇪 and Italian 🇮🇹 as well.

Baseball Journey ⚾️:

On the field, Nico’s journey has been eventful. After graduating High School in Toronto, Canada in 2015, he had an opportunity to study and pursue a degree at several Canadian universities, but instead took an opportunity to walk-on at a little known Junior College in Northern California, Yuba College. It sounded crazy, and to a point, it was! With a little more perspective now, he said about the decision: “I was leaving a life of comfort and certainty behind for one of the unknown, but I knew that as long as I had baseball, I would be happy”.

He ended up playing for 2 Junior Colleges in California, Yuba College and Ventura College near Los Angeles, before beginning his overseas journey with BBJO.

In 2018, Nico moved his baseball journey from the USA to France and lived there for 2 years, settling down as a student to learn French full-time at the University of La Rochelle, located in the beautiful coastal town of La Rochelle on the Atlantic Ocean. Through the COVID-19 pandemic, Nico was fortunate to still be in Europe and transfer from France to Switzerland where he found the most team success thus far in his career, capturing the National Championship in 2020 while batting nearly .500 in the playoffs. After getting a taste of championship glory, his goal is to continue to pursue championships overseas. In 2021, Nico headed to Germany to play with the Fussen Royal Bavarians where he aided in the construction of a brand new ballpark (see this link for a preview) and contributed mightily to the development of the youth program. While there, he picked up German to a conversational level and is currently working to improve further. Most recently, from September of 2022- July of 2023, Nico was in Brisbane, Australia playing for the Western District Bulldogs of the Division 1 GBL.

Most Recent Season in Australia 🇦🇺:

Quite simply, Nico had the most complete season of his career. Hitting over .300 while being among the leaders on his team in Batting Average, On-Base Percentage, Slugging, Walks, Home Runs and Stolen bases, he is a true power-speed combination offensively. He is also coming into his own on the mound. Apart from two rough outings where the weather was a factor, Nico’s ERA on the season was respectable and is got stronger with every appearance down the stretch.

“I take great pride in contributing in all aspects of the game: as a Pitcher, Hitter, and on Defence” he says, speaking about his on-field impact. “I know my talent can help clubs get a lot better, especially ones looking to get the most value for their limited import slots”.

Coaching 🎓:

As a coach, Nico has an impressive amount of experience for someone who is still just 25. Professionally, he worked as a camp coordinator and private instructor for 3 years while still living in Canada. Since beginning his overseas adventure, he has coached with every club he has played for. In France, he aided in coaching youth camps. In Switzerland, he was the Head Coach of the Women’s Softball Team for the Therwil Flyers, the most storied franchise in Swiss Baseball. In Germany, he was the U18 Head Coach despite only being 23 himself at the time. And lastly, he was the Head Coach of the Rookie League Wests Bulldogs team in Brisbane, Australia.

This wealth of diverse experience with different ages, boys and girls, men and women, has really provided sense of added purpose to each one of his overseas stops. Being able to teach the game and share my passion with such a diverse array of athletes is incredibly rewarding. John Baum, the Head Coach of Nico’s NLA Championship-winning Therwil Flyers, said “the feedback (from the girls on the team about Nico) was fantastic”.

Overseas Goals ✈️:

Nico wants to continue his passion for baseball and exploring the world. He says “I feel my best playing days are ahead of me. I am putting all of my hard work and skills together and I am as excited as ever to continue my playing career.” Finding a home where he can continue to excel on the field while also pursuing his passions for travel, fitness, and languages is what matters most.

Nico is open to a variety of different opportunities, from signing for 1 season to settling down and becoming a longer-term member of an organization.

Conclusion:

Over 8 years after deciding to pursue his own baseball path, it’s safe to say things have worked out well, and only getting better. “I am so glad I took this route.”, said Nico. “This road I took has helped me see a future in the sport that I didn’t know existed and as a result, I have developed immensely both as a ballplayer and a person. I can’t wait to continue this journey in 2024”.