Senior, Andrew Nesson has been playing baseball since he was five years old, or in other words, for 13 years straight. Nesson is a pitcher. This is the position he has fallen in love with over time and wishes to pursue in college. Nesson says he enjoys all positions but has strayed toward pitching because “it’s a sport within itself…People think you’re just throwing with your arm and that it all lies within the arm strength, but it’s not and it doesn’t. Your arm is just the ball carrier and your body is the source of strength the pitch relies on”, he added, “Pitching is an extremely personal position, it’s you vs. the hitter…it feels very intense”.
Baseball is no easy game. Nesson shared, “High schools play year-round, practicing 3-4x times a week plus games, and when spring comes around it begins to be every day”. Although this may sound like a drag, when you are doing what you love it’s difficult not to enjoy it, especially when you have the motivation and mindset that Nesson possesses. He states, “My favorite part about the sport is winning. It takes a lot of time and effort simply to get good, so once you get there it’s the best feeling..there’s an extra triumph to it…I’m very competitive, I crave success”...“Baseball just came easy to me in the beginning…I never minded putting in my time and effort…It’s always been an outlet for me”. It’s difficult not to admire Andrew for not only loving what he does, but also having such an intense motivation to succeed and improve.
Andrew’s ability to commit to his sport and success mindset has earned him the ability to attend the College of the Holy Cross in Massachusetts. He says that everything about the school was the absolute best fit for him, not only on the field, but also off. He says he thoroughly enjoyed meeting the coaching staff, loved and fit in with the whole life and energy of the campus, and couldn’t keep himself away from everything the school itself offered. He says it was most definitely a “no-brainer”. Additionally, Andrew has had the opportunity to travel to a plethora of beautiful places due to baseball. He says he’s gone to Georgia, Arizona, Las Vegas, Florida, Texas, New York, and more. He shared that his favorite out of them all is New York.
Although he isn’t even a player of the sport, Nesson says his biggest baseball inspiration is his father because he always taught him to keep a good mentality, mental toughness, and hard work. “I think that’s played the biggest role in baseball for me”. When asked, “What’s helped you prevent burnout?”, Nesson responds, “The progress in baseball is not linear, It’s taught mentally tough, and once you kind of break through that first plateau the success is addicting”. I think I speak for all of us when I say I am excited to see what Massachusetts has in store for Andrew and his baseball career.
Author: Maxine Gable
