RELENTLESS: Nolan Stevens Set Out To Do Everything In His Power To Lift Franklin-Elk Grove To Its First Section Title — And Delivered •
PHOTOS: David Gershon
Franklin baseball coach Bryan Kilby estimated he heard it at least 50 times.
Nolan Stevens made a habit of telling his coach the same thing.
“Whether it was in the weight room in January, or while getting water off the field in February and March, he was constantly telling me, ‘Coach, we’re winning Section this year,’” Kilby said. “You could tell he meant what he said.”
Then he went out and proved it with a dominant season as one of the state’s most complete players.
The Mississippi State commit was a difference-maker at the plate, on the mound and in multiple defensive positions for a Wildcats team that produced a school-record 30 wins — and yes, brought home a section title. Stevens’ wide-reaching effect on so many aspects of the Wildcats’ success put him over the top when considering him among other talented players for SportStars’ top NorCal baseball honor.
“His ability to impact games in so many different ways: On the mound, at the plate, in the field… He just had a relentless, competitive attitude that he brings to the game every day,” Kilby said. “I just love that about him.”
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The Wildcats coach has known Stevens for close to eight years. Kilby coached Nolan’s twin brothers Grant and Carson from 2016-19, and Nolan was always hanging around the field.
“What caught my attention was that he’s just a gamer,” the coach said. “He was always wanting to jump into workouts with the varsity players and willing to take any challenge head-on.”
This season, the challenge he zeroed in on was clear. He wanted that section title.
After a pair of losses at the Northern California Boras Classic in early April, the Wildcats reeled off 16 straight wins to capture the program’s first Sac-Joaquin Section Div. I title and reach the CIF NorCal Div. I semifinals.
“I think just over the course of the season, we learned to trust each other more,” Stevens said. “You can’t win every game with just one player. We had a lot of guys. As Kilby woud say, we had ‘a lot of dudes.’”
Kilby and the coaching staff had purposely kept their star from pitching much during the first month of the season, protecting his arm a bit and keeping him fresh for the second half. After the Boras tournament, they turned him loose.
Stevens went 5-0 on the mound with a 1.29 ERA. Those numbers are nice, but don’t nearly reflect the left-hander’s dominance. He allowed two hits or less in seven of his nine appearances, and struck out 62 batters across just 39 innings of work. He allowed just two extra-base hits all season.
At the plate, Stevens was just as good. He batted .360 with team-bests in hits (40), runs (35) and home runs (4). He had 23 RBI and finished his season on 13-game hitting streak, including a home run against eventual NorCal-champion De La Salle-Concord in his final high school game.
Over seven postseason games, Stevens was 13-for-24 (.541 average) with 11 runs scored, two homers, and six RBI. He was 2-for-3 with a double and 2 RBI in the team’s section championship win over Whitney-Rocklin.
“Winning that title meant a lot to me,” Stevens said. “I know a lot of former Franklin players were there too and how much it meant to them.”
Stevens now follows in the footsteps of his brothers into the collegiate ranks. Grant played for University of Pacific and Carson played at Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo. Nolan will head for a slightly bigger stage by venturing into the SEC — the most competitive Division I conference in the country.
Mississippi State signed him with the idea of making him a two-way player.
It’s a challenge he’ll take head on. It’s what he does.