Inside the Clubhouse: Nolan Stevens

In his three years at Franklin High School (Elk Grove, Calif.), senior Nolan Stevens has made his presence felt on both sides of the game. A two-way player, Stevens has proved that he’s capable of impacting a game, whether it’s pitching deep into games or hitting a timely homerun in the clutch.

“As long as I keep it a kid's game, I'll be able to do both (pitch and hit at the next level),” Stevens said. “I'm trying to do that as long as possible."

Stevens is a physical left-handed pitcher, first baseman and outfielder that has the body of an elite athlete at 6 foot 3 and 210 pounds. Prep Baseball Report ranks him No. 21 in the state.

The Northern California native has a high leg kick from the left side and can hide the ball well. He’s got a fastball that sits in the low 90s, as well as a slider and a changeup to throw into the mix. Offensively, he has plenty of power from the left side, utilizing a balanced lower half and his size to always be a threat to leave the ballpark. 

In 2022, Stevens helped the Franklin Wildcats go 24-7 overall, finishing atop a tough Delta League and making a trip into the CIF SJS Division 1 semifinals.

The big lefty was sensational on the bump, going 9-1 in 12 appearances with an ERA of 0.83. In the 58.2 innings he pitched, he struck out 86 hitters. He allowed only seven earned runs and an opponent batting average of .150. 

In the batter’s box, Stevens showed his ability to knock in runs with 32 RBIs in 123 plate appearances and 88 at bats. He had an OPS of 1.026, while hitting 12 doubles, one homerun, one triple and went down on strikes only seven times.

When the dust settled last season, Stevens earned a myriad of recognitions, including being named Delta League MVP and The Sacramento Bee’s Large Schools Player of the Year. 

“He's one of the better two-way guys that we've ever had,” Franklin Head Coach Bryan Kilby said. “The kid looks the part for sure. He knows the game and he’s good at what he does. He's got the arm, he can hit for power, he can hit for average and he can run.”

With his final season on the horizon, Stevens’ future is pointing toward the highly-competitive SEC. He’s signed to play baseball at Mississippi State under Head Coach Chris Lemonis.

Stevens has been living and breathing baseball for most of his life. He comes from a family that’s always been immersed in the game.

Nolan’s got two older brothers, twins Grant and Carson, who both graduated from Franklin in 2019. Before Nolan was even old enough to play, he’d serve as the bat boy on his brothers’ teams. Grant is now a pitcher at the University of the Pacific, while Carson is a catcher at Cal Poly. His father Mike also spent many years as a coach for the boys growing up. 

Nolan remembers what it was like being raised in a household where everything was baseball all the time, especially with Carson and Grant. Much of Nolan’s youth was spent looking up to both of them and wanting to follow in their footsteps.

"Everything was pretty competitive, even when we played wiffle ball outside. We’d see who could hit the ball the furthest over the house,” Nolan said. “I grew up watching them and I always wanted to be better than them. Whatever they were doing when they were 12, I was doing when I was 8. It helped me mature a lot as a baseball player.”

Maturity has been a trait that Nolan has carried with him for most of his young baseball career. Aside from growing up with his brothers, he’d also play up in age by a year, going back to his days playing Cal Ripken Baseball.

Kilby watched Nolan come in as a ninth grader at Franklin and make an immediate impact. Part of that is because of that distinctive maturity that Nolan brought with him.

“Not only do the numbers speak for themselves, but so do the intangibles, which we call the sixth tool. We've seen the growth, as far as maturity is concerned, with him communicating better with his coaches and his teammates,” Kilby said. 

The physical attributes Nolan brings to the table is a noticeable aspect to his game when you see him. But it wasn’t always something he was completely aware of. There was a moment in Area Codes where he’d hit a pitch the opposite way. To his surprise, the ball left the yard.

“You know when you grow into your body, you realize you're able to do stuff you didn't think you could do? Going into junior year that stuff started happening,” Nolan said.

It was that moment at Area Codes where Nolan realized he had what it takes to go somewhere with baseball and his confidence began to shoot through the roof.

“I started getting offers (from colleges) before that but I thought I was always seen as a projection guy, like I was going to be good in the future,” Nolan said. “Then, I started realizing I'm not only going to be good later, but I'm solid right now."

Andy Lopez is Nolan’s hitting instructor and has seen his fair share of players. One thing Lopez says that sets Nolan apart from others is the work ethic, attention to detail and eagerness to get better.

“He works like a very high level big leaguer and hits everyday. He doesn't just wack the ball. He's always working on something and staying in and under control,” Lopez said. “You won't see him fall off balance the whole hour we're hitting. And if he does, he's pissed off. He knows what doing it right is.”

As far as playing under pressure, Nolan’s no stranger to seizing the moment, even if he was one of the youngest on the field.

Mike recalled when Nolan had played outstanding in the few games he had as a freshman in 2020 before the season was cut short due to the pandemic. Nolan had a teammate by the name of Chase Davis (who is now playing at the University of Arizona), and scouts would come out to see Chase play.

“Every game, there were about 30 scouts who came because they're out there watching Chase,” Mike said. “And that's how Nolan got noticed as a freshman and selected for Area Code. They couldn’t have tryouts because of COVID, but they offered him a spot. It was good timing—the right place at the right time."

Another instance of Nolan’s knack for coming up huge in the right situations occurred during his junior season. Kilby referenced a pivotal league game in 2022 against Elk Grove High School.

“He doesn't see a whole lot of pitches to hit, but when he does, he hits the ball hard,” said Kilby. “He had a big home run late against Elk Grove to give us the lead late. We ended up holding on to win it."

That game ended up playing a vital role in the Wildcats clinching a Delta League title. Elk Grove finished league play with a 14-4 record, one game behind Franklin at 15-3. The ball was also estimated to have gone about 440 feet.

“That was the coolest thing to happen all season because of how clutch it was,” Nolan said. “I think it was the farthest ball I’ve ever hit.” 

However, there are growing pains that can come along with being in the limelight. Without struggle, there’s no progress. 

“I think he was feeling the pressure as a sophomore. A lot of people were videotaping him, and there were some failures. I think mentally it messed with him a little bit. A lot of the guys who go through that are juniors or seniors,” Mike said. “So his junior year, he turned the page and didn't worry about anything other than being on the field. He was able to mature a little younger, because he was exposed to it younger.”

As Nolan often does, he makes it really simple for himself, understanding that there are factors that he can control, and others he can’t. 

“If I'm sitting there worrying about how I'm playing in front of certain people, I won’t play my best,” Nolan said. “I'm just going to focus on baseball and not everything around me."

It’s not just performances and mentality on the field that exemplify the character of a player, it’s also how they carry themselves off of it. 

Mike talked about how Nolan would go to Lopez to get some hitting in. Lopez would often teach in groups, and in certain cases, the groups would have kids of all ages, some being as young as ten years old.

“For Nolan, he puts the time in to be a mentor. He'll do pictures, then he follows those kids on Instagram and likes their posts. To me, that's huge for a 17 year old to take the time without anybody telling him to do it,” Mike said. “I've seen a lot of good players in Elk Grove, and some of them are ‘me guys,’ and they don't take the extra time.”

Lopez feels that Nolan is the way he is with those younger players because it reminds Nolan of himself. It’s sort of Nolan’s way of giving back to the game he grew up loving. 

“One thing about those kinds of athletes like Nolan is that they’re ready to be mentors and role models,” Lopez said. “They like to hang out with those younger kids because they were that kid looking up to the older guys."

With Nolan gearing up for his final season, there’s plenty to ponder about in regards to what will come after high school, including potentially getting drafted. But in Nolan’s fashion, he says he’s going to take things one step at a time, as he’s set out a specific goal for he and his teammates this year.

“I'm taking it day-by-day,” Nolan said. “No matter what, going to Mississippi State is going to be what lies ahead of me. Obviously, the pro stuff, that's later to figure out. I’m just focused on winning a section championship, and I’ll be alright.”

Whether it’s getting it done on the mound or at the plate, Nolan knows that he’s got to keep baseball a kid’s game to sustain the success he’s had so far. Nothing is 100 percent certain for Nolan as far as plans after high school, but it’s a win-win situation no matter the route he takes.