Badgers pitcher Alex Nolan to play in prestigious Northwoods League

Brock Badgers pitcher Alex Nolan (Burlington, Ont.) will pitch in the prestigious Northwoods League this summer. Photo: Stephen Leithwood

*This story was originally published on the Brock Badgers website on April 10, 2019. You can read the original version here.

By Brock Badgers Athletics

Ontario University Athletics may not come to mind as a breeding ground for talent bound for professional baseball, but as it happens in many facets of life, the exceptional few find ways to shatter the proverbial glass ceiling and turn heads of those involved in the higher ranks of the game.

Alex Nolan, a right-handed pitcher for the Brock Badgers of the OUA, is hell-bent on being one of those players.

An imposing six-foot, four inch figure on the mound, Nolan began his career with the Badgers in 2015 after a brief junior college stint in Arizona, the state where he spent most of his life until that point. He joined a Badgers program coming off its first OUA championship in 12 seasons, and quickly established himself as an up-and-comer despite not getting significant innings until his sophomore year. The experience of joining the Badgers left a lasting impact on the now 23-year-old, and it sparked a desire to master what had only previously been a past time.

"Being a Brock Badger has been everything to me. It's what I embodied when I first stepped onto campus and when I first stepped onto George Taylor Field - a truly humbling experience in my life," said Nolan, reminiscing about how his career at Brock began. "Arriving in St. Catharines from Tucson, Arizona, I had to learn how to put time into something and really want it, I mean, truly get after it. No one was going to come to my student house and offer me a chance to chase my dreams."

Despite the strong start and fond memories, times were not always easy for Nolan. As is with all student-athletes at one point or another, the call for hard work, accountability and professionalism provides what can be the biggest test for a young adult both on and off the field. Nolan was no different, and when he found himself hearing that call, to grow as a player and a young man or to squander his opportunity, the choice was abundantly clear.

"Brock University is what allowed me to find out who I'm going to be. I still remember the exact moment in my Brock career when someone doubted what the game means to me, what being a Brock Badger means to me, and that lit a fire beneath me. After that, I was going to forge my own path," Nolan said.

As he pushed forward into the latter half of his university career, Nolan did not just forge his own path, he also defined himself as a premier starting pitcher throughout the entire OUA. A significant contributing factor to this was a stint in the Western Major Baseball League in 2017 with the Fort McMurray Giants. Andrew Bradbury, Head of Scouting and Recruiting for the Giants, admits he was not sure what to expect from Nolan when he joined the team, but was more than convinced of his potential by seasons end.

"When Alex joined the Giants in 2017 we really weren't sure what to expect. We knew he had some good success at Brock and in the IBL, but we weren't sure how that would translate against Division I college players," said Bradbury.

"I really liked his passion for the game and desire to get better and compete against a higher level of talent. I knew he would be a fit from our conversations before the season, just not sure where. I didn't expect that he would grow into one of our most reliable starters that season and carry a no-hitter into the eighth inning against one of the best hitting ball clubs in our league that summer. He was the perfect example of what we like our players to be both on and off the field. He was great with his teammates, coaches, and was even better with the fans.

"The sky is the limit for Alex and with his hard work and dedication there is no surprise in the success he has had in this game," Bradbury added. "I believe also with Alex a success in our league, and in the Northwoods League, he has blazed a trail for more players from the OUA to play high-calibre summer collegiate baseball."

After a solid third season that ended in playoff heartbreak, Nolan went on to post an incredible campaign with the Thunder Bay Border Cats of the prestigious Northwoods League, a summer collegiate league that has seen the likes of MLB Cy Young Award winners Max Scherzer and Chris Sale compete during their formative years. Nolan's efforts in 2018 garnered him all-star honours thanks to a 4-1 record with a 2.36 earned run average and 21 strikeouts over 38 innings at the time of selection.

With a wealth of experience pitching against many of North America's best prospects, Nolan returned for his fourth season with the Badgers in 2018 and rhymed off complete game victory after complete game victory, with strikeout totals often exceeding double digits thanks to a highly effective split-finger fastball and knockout slider. Had he not injured his thumb on a comeback ground ball to the mound mere weeks before the 2018 OUA playoffs, he could have gone on to set program records.

Much like his tenure with the Badgers, Nolan will not rest on his laurels in the Northwoods League heading into 2019, as he has already signed to pitch for the Kalamazoo Growlers and head coach Cody Piechocki, who also happens to be an area scout for the Texas Rangers of the MLB.

"We are excited to welcome Alex Nolan to Kalamazoo this summer. Pitching is always a premium in college baseball. To land a young man who not only has experience in the Northwoods League, but excelled to the point of being named a 2018 All-Star, we are extremely fortunate to be adding Nolan to our staff. A big strong strike thrower who knows what it takes to succeed. He enjoyed his experience in Kalamazoo at the NWL All-Star Game, and we are more than excited to turn that into a full time stay in 2019," Piechocki said.

Nolan's desire to not only compete at the highest level possible, but the measures he has taken to create that opportunity for himself, have not been lost on his coaches. Brock University co-pitching coaches Fabio Del Rio and Dylan Perego have seen Nolan's work ethic and progress up close, and neither are surprised at the results.

"Alex is a very talented pitcher with a strong muscular frame, but his greatest asset is his desire to get better and day-to-day commitment to his craft," Del Rio said. "In the past year he has learned how his body works and he has re-built his delivery which created a whole new ceiling for himself. I think he has real a chance to get to the next level."

Perego, co-pitching coach for the Badgers as well as a former teammate of Nolan's during his rookie season in 2015, believes his approach to the mental side of the game has been the difference in making the transition from a talented thrower to a more complete pitcher.

"One thing I will always remember about Alex in 2015 is he was always talking ball and always asking questions," Perego said. "As a senior member of the staff, I remember him specifically seeking the senior pitchers out and picking their brains. That says a lot about a kid at that age. Not everyone is confident or driven enough to do that. Everything Alex has accomplished, and will accomplish, is directly connected to his commitment to the game and to himself, plain and simple."

So, after a career that has lasted four years to date as an integral part of one of the most consistently relevant programs in the OUA, how much more could Nolan possibly achieve in the game of baseball? The answer, proven more by actions than words, is as much as he can possibly squeeze out of it.

The idea of climbing into a car after a full day of classes and driving nearly two hours in the middle of the school week would not be considered by many student athletes as enjoyable, but that is exactly what Nolan has done every Wednesday since late January. He has taken it upon himself to carve the time out of his schedule (which includes Sunday morning and Wednesday afternoon practices and Tuesday and Thursday morning team workouts in the gym) to make the commute from St. Catharines to Blue Chip Sports in Kitchener to hone his craft and give himself a legitimate chance to move beyond the university level, something not many have historically had the opportunity to do from the OUA.

The man responsible for refining Nolan to maximize his potential on the mound is Dr. Andrew Robb, a sports chiropractor with a specialty in working with pitchers and a direct tie to the Brock Badgers program. Robb was a member of the 1998 national championship Badgers team, as well as former teammate to current Badgers co-pitching coach Fabio Del Rio. Robb's experience working with professional pitchers also made the working relationship a no-brainer for Nolan, as Robb has previously worked with such MLB organizations as the Toronto Blue Jays and Arizona Diamondbacks, as well players within Baseball Canada.

Having worked with a diverse group of professional talent, Robb not only sees potential in Nolan's talent, but perhaps and even greater potential in his mental approach.

"Athletic and sport performance development are not all about outcomes (i.e. velocity, strikeouts, WHIP, etc.) as so many young pitchers envision. The process of developing one's athletic ability and to harness the potential that hard work and commitment bring, Alex has become a student of this process, the process of being aware and understanding of his athletic foundation to attain greater development in the necessary skills to become an elite pitcher," Robb said.

"The hardest skill to learn as an elite athlete is being told to reconstruct your process to allow your efforts in training to optimize health and ultimately performance. Alex has been humble and a consummate professional to dedicating himself to being better. I know it sounds contrived, but he gets the process. Deconstructing an athlete and him remaining unfazed through it all is a remarkable feat."

The experience of working with Dr. Robb has not been lost on Nolan either. After just a number of sessions, the right-hander has already noticed improvement thanks to Robb's guidance, he has a new ceiling in regards to the velocity on his fastball, which sat comfortably at 88-89 miles per hour and reached upwards of 92 miles per hour last season.

"My experience with Dr. Robb has truly been eye opening. He has so much knowledge of the body and pitching mechanics that he has taught me how to be more body aware and how to be more body efficient as well. I'm honoured to have him in my corner," Nolan said.

As he reflects on his career at Brock, which will come to an end at the conclusion of this school year, he has a lot of positive takeaways in regards to the impact the program has had on him as both a player and a person, specifically his relationships with the coaching staff.

"Coach LePage takes our well being as students and athletes very seriously. He has reshaped our program and imposes standards to make you a better player and human being. He has had a major impact on me as a man and as a leader. We have spoken about how being a leader is sometimes a lonely position. You might have to make decisions that aren't popular, but are the right decisions. He also says your resume will always speak for itself if you always outwork everyone in the room," Nolan said.

"On the pitching side, Coach Del Rio and Coach Perego are no strangers to the art of pitching and being successful in their time at Brock. Diving into the latest pitching and training philosophies used by the top organizations in the game, they dig deep into 'what's going to make you successful and how can we achieve it?' The coaches use a lot of video analysis and incorporate training methods developed by Alan Jaeger, Eric Cressey and Driveline in training. If you're willing to put in the work, your possibilities are endless."

As he prepares for his next step forward, towards Kalamazoo and beyond, no one can deny that Nolan is fighting to make a name for himself. Whether the road leads to another Northwoods League All-Star nod, or professional independent ball, or perhaps even the MLB Draft this coming June, he can look in the mirror and know that he has put in the work, and as a result, the possibilities are endless.