Tim Nicholson Feature Story
George Washington University’s Tim Nicholson Discusses Baseball Career
By: Aidan Butler
October, 24, 2023
When the George Washington Revolutionaries baseball team takes the field come February 2024, they will be guided by junior starting catcher, Tim Nicholson.
“I started playing when I was eight years old, my best friend in elementary school played and his dad was the coach", Nicholson said. “They put me at catcher right away, and I was doing well at it, so it kind of just stuck.”
Nicholson is coming up on his third season of playing at the collegiate level. His love for the game and sports in general is easy to see. “I was always super competitive so I played a bunch of different sports growing up like basketball and flag football. But I really liked the intricacy of baseball, I liked all the little rules. It kind of came easy to me from a young age. I skipped teeball and I went straight to coach pitch, and I was doing well with that. Then all my friends were playing with me growing up, so I just kind of kept going with it.”
As is the case for any college athlete, there is a balancing act between practice and school. “I always try to prioritize a couple things first, definitely sleep. It's funny, the difference between high school and college, I definitely just need more sleep now than I did in high school” said Nicholson. “When we are out on the field, like I'm probably at the field from eight to three. So I need to prep lunch, I need to get breakfast in the morning. So sleep and eating, definitely prioritizing that. And then the rest kind of comes from there.”
Nicholson recapped his packed daily schedule, “A Tuesday, or even today, we had left at seven in the morning. And then we get out at 8 am. And I have a class at 9:30, which ends around 10:50. And then I gotta go straight to practice from 11 to two. And then I have another class after that. So it's kind of a lot of running around.” Despite the hectic schedule, Nicholson still sees the upside in it and how formative it can be. “But I love that part, I think it demands a lot of time management, which is a really good skill, and I love the grind of it.
When choosing where he would play college baseball, Nicholson always had his sights set on George Washington University. “ I grew up in the DMV area. I grew up in Maryland. So already, I knew what George Washington was. My mom went there for graduate school, and then I went to a couple of basketball games. They were really good when I was growing up.” Nicholson added, “I always was interested in going to GW and in the recruiting process I was always looking for a couple of things. I was looking for the best school that I can get into with a good baseball program. That's always what I wanted, and GW kind of fit that bill for me as I was getting recruited and I really have enjoyed it since I've been here. I have a really good relationship with the coaching staff, and some of my best friends are here.”
Like many college baseball players do, Nicholson spent his 2023 Summer playing in a collegiate wooden bat league. Looking to stay local, Nicholson found himself in the Cal Ripken League with the defending champions, the Alexandria Aces. “That was an incredible summer, one of the best summers I've had. Just from an enjoyment standpoint, I played really well but I really enjoyed playing for (Chris) Berset. He was an awesome coach, kind of perfect for me that he was a catcher, and then he had a relationship with GWS coaches as he had coached at GW earlier.”
With the Aces, Nicholson took on a leadership role with the team, and became a glue guy for a ball club that went on to win thirty-eight regular season games and make the championship series across only a two month season. “I think as a catcher, naturally you are a leader, you are the only player that sees the whole field. And you're the only player that deals with the pitchers and the hitters. As a catcher, I'm dealing with every single person on the team. So you kind of naturally have to be a leader. And if people don't respect you as a catcher, then it's gonna be tough to have a good team.”
Assistant Coach of the Aces Jen Hammond said of working with Nicholson, “It was an absolute bonus to work with Tim Nicholson this summer. He brought great energy to the club, and a combination of maturity and passion. Very much dedicated to bettering himself and his teammates, he was often one of the first to arrive and one of the last to leave.”
Nicholson’s high school coach, Rob Begin of Georgetown Prep School spoke of him highly as a clubhouse player, stating “Guys gravitate to him not cause he’s doing anything intentional, it's how he is. He's a friendly guy but he's also a competitor. He has no ego, his ego is the team.” Begin added, “That’s a dream to coach and like minded players will respond to that. He does it in such a pure of heart way that he's a notch above other guys his age because of the approach that he brings.”
With the 2024 season on the horizon, Nicholson is excited to get back to work and show the progress he made at the plate from playing with the Aces. “I'm most excited about getting that consistent at bats. My freshman and sophomore year, I was used more as a pinch hitter, or a situational guy, I would get some spot starts here and there. It's harder to get in the groove there. But if you even see my numbers from summer ball, where I'm playing every day, I'm starting every day, they're just kind of jumping up just because I'm getting better every day and I'm much more consistent.”
On Nicholson’s development, Coach Begin said, “I’m not surprised, he’s always such a student of the game and such a natural, mentally and intellectually he was always elevating it. His knowledge of the game has always been incredible.”
As Nicholson works to get more consistent at the plate, one of his favorite memories of the game came last season against the Dayton Fliers, where he hit the first home run of his career. “First of all I've ever hit. I mean, I'm more of a speed guy, a contact guy. I led the team in sac bunts last year off the bench”, Nicholson said. "It was really cool to see my teammates' reaction to me hitting the ball that far because I never hit a ball that far in my life.”
While Nicholson still has time to think about his future, he is certain that it will involve baseball and helping out those that need it. “I would love to play professionally. You know, that's always been a goal of mine. But I also want to do something that helps people, my dad has always instilled that in me” Nicholson said. “Whatever I do is make sure that I'm doing something that helps other people.”