Nic Nottingham didn't pitch a lot while he was playing for the Wood River High School baseball team for three spring seasons from 2000-02. But he's making up for lost time as a senior for the Willamette University Bearcats this spring.
With pitchers like Ryne Reynoso, Jeff Bolton, Riley Nash and Matt Beck on the hill for Wood River in his Hailey high school days, Hailey resident Nottingham played mostly at second base and in the outfield. He had a pretty good bat.
Since, the 6-2, 215-pound righty has spent his college summers logging a bunch of innings in the Sun Valley Adult Men's Baseball League. It has paid off for Nottingham and the Division III Bearcats from Salem, Ore. in the Northwest Conference baseball wars.
Nottingham has become Willamette's go-to guy in the bullpen. He nearly single-handedly threw the Bearcats into first place in the Northwest Conference Sunday during an exciting come-from-behind league win over the host Pacific University Boxers at Forest Grove, Ore.
With his team trailing 5-3 in the fifth, Nottingham entered the game and threw four strong innings of one-hit ball. He allowed one earned run, walked one and whiffed three Boxers. Willamette tied it 6-6 with two runs in the ninth and won 8-7 in the tenth—Nottingham picking up his second win of 2006.
Nottingham in 10 appearances is 2-1 with a 2.70 ERA. He has allowed just 15 hits and 6 earned runs in 20 innings, with 5 BB and 12 Ks.
Sunday's victory kept the Bearcats (13-6, 8-4 NWC) in first place in the league with a half-game lead over George Fox. Pacific dropped to 9-9 and 6-5 in league play.
Willamette (9-3 road) will host George Fox in a league twinbill Saturday, March 25 at Spec Keene Stadium in Salem. The Bearcats will play 10 of their final 16 games at home (11 league) through the end of the regular season April 23.
A 2002 Wood River graduate, Nottingham spent his junior and senior years in high school playing for the 22-10 and 23-7 Wolverine baseball squads.
