Fisher Cat Kevin Nolan Puts 'Home' in Home Team

Baseball season is in full swing across New England, for players and fans alike, from the truncated Little League T-ball diamonds to Boston's Fenway Park.

Somewhere in between, Kevin Nolan is living the dream and making New Hampshire history.

Nolan has gone from standout baseball player at Nashua High School South to starting short stop for the New Hampshire Fisher Cats – and already made Fisher Cats baseball history, as the first home grown New Hampshire kid to play for the home team in its 10-year history.

His former high school coach, Will Henderson, has followed Nolan's progress for years. Long before he hit the Double-A big time, Nolan caught Henderson's eye with his above average junior high athleticism.

"Back then we still had the one high school, and as a ninth grader, Kevin would've played on the junior high team at Elm Street. I was JV coach at the high school at that time and I can remember speaking with varsity coach BJ Neverett about Kevin. I told him we had a kid who should be playing at JV level, if not the varsity level, for all four years of high school," Henderson said.

Neverett hadn't met Nolan yet, but he agreed to take a look.

"So I brought Kevin to a practice, and by the end of the night he was starting second baseman at his first varsity game. By game two, he was starting short stop," Henderson said.

Although he'd like to take credit for Nolan's skills, he can't.

"Kevin's success isn't really a lot about the coaches he's had. Kevin always focused and practiced hard, and to this day he's continuing to work toward his goal," said Henderson, who now serves as Athletic Coordinator at Nashua North.

What sets Nolan apart is that his interest and skill level never waned.

"Kevin has continued to develop and grow those talents that were evident, even as a young player. The player he was by his second or third year at Winthrop wasn't the kid who left Nashua South," Henderson said.

Right out of Winthrop Nolan was selected by the Toronto Blue Jays in the 20th round of the 2009 first-year player draft.

Sports writer Kevin Gray, who has covered the Fisher Cats extensively over the past decade for the New Hampshire Union Leader, describes Nolan as "special," a well-rounded player with a good bat and and excellent arm strength.

"In 10 years of covering the team, I'd never seen a Granite Stater play for the Fisher Cats, until Kevin Nolan took over at shortstop. What makes him so special is that he's one of us. He's the 10-year-old kid who can't wait for the snow to melt and get outside. He grew up in Nashua and dreamed of playing in the majors and now actually has that chance," Gray said.

"Just reaching Double-A is a major accomplishment. Lower skilled and less motivated players have already been weeded out in the minors," Gray said.

"He's a team, team, team guy. That's what the Blue Jays like about him the most. When you talk to him and ask him about personal success and returning home to play in New Hampshire, he always manages to shift the conversation to the overall team goals," Gray said.

Fisher Cats President Rick Brenner also recognizes the excitement Nolan brings to the game for the hometown crowd.

"What an exciting announcement for baseball fans across New Hampshire," said Brenner of Nolan, quoted right before opening day on the team website.  "Not only do we get to see a player from our own state, but the Blue Jays have once again provided us with a talented bunch of prospects who will help us create a magical summer for our fans."

So far for Nolan, so good, according to Gray, who reports that Nolan delivered the first hit of the season for the Fisher Cats, a laser single off the wall in right field.

That kind of momentum is good, said Henderson, and as long as Nolan's star continues to rise, he could very well find himself playing in a Major League uniform.

"The older you get the harder it is to live off the potential of your youth, but the bottom line for Kevin is he's still moving up; he hasn't gone backwards – when athletes start to stall out or go backwards, the writing is on the wall," Henderson said. "This is a huge move for Kevin toward being a Major League baseball player."