Battle-Tested Sophomore Leads Abingdon To Southwest District Tournament Win

ABINGDON, Va. – Alexander Nadler underwent a freshman initiation last spring.

The scene was historic Calfee Park in Pulaski, Va., and the situation was the Region IV baseball championship game.
Much to his surprise, Nadler was summoned in the fifth inning to pitch for Abingdon against powerful Hidden Valley.

Nadler, who had thrown just five innings all season, survived the experience in style as the Falcons earned their first regional title since 1987.

“I wasn’t thinking a whole lot because it was such a big shock to me as a freshman to get to play in such a big game,” Nadler.
“I definitely remember that day, though. It was a great experience.”

In a classic struggle which lasted three hours and 34 minutes, the Falcons shocked Hidden Valley, 11-10.

Nadler gained confidence from that test of fire, and he showed it on Wednesday, when the Falcons opened the Southwest District tournament with a 4-2 decision over the Grundy Golden Wave.
Locating his pitches with intelligence, Nadler did not allow a base runner until the fifth inning en route to a 3-hitter.

Abingdon coach Mark Francisco wasn’t surprised by the savvy effort of his sophomore. In fact, the AHS coach referred to Nadler as “ice water.”

“Alexander is the kind of kid you trust in pressure situations,” Francisco sad. “He’s level-headed and calm.”

Abingdon (17-4) faces Richlands (10-7) tonight at 5 in Tazewell in the SWD semifinals. The Falcons have already secured a berth into next week’s regionals under the expanded playoff system.

While the Falcons were held to four hits, there were some constants. Shortstop Josh Barker and senior centerfielder Nathan Hagy played flawless defense, and leadoff batter Luke Hilt ignited the offense with a single and four stolen bases.

Francisco has been delighted with the overall development of his squad, which features just two seniors.

“To compete with a young team like this, we have to come out ready to compete,” Francisco said. “We’ve done that for the most part, but I don’t feel like we came ready today. A lot of that had to do with the effort of Grundy. They played excellent.”

The lineup for the Golden Wave (4-14) included just one senior along with three freshmen. Sixth-year Grundy coach Scotty Bostic was a two-sport at Grundy, playing on a state tournament baseball team as a sophomore.

Bostic has extolled the big picture to his youthful squad.

“Being so young, we knew that we were going to take our licks this year,” Bostic said. “We just went out and had fun the past two games, and finally played like we’re capable of.”

Freshman pitcher Chris Kelly kept the potent AHS hitters off-balance over the first five innings, while John Kelly recorded two strikeouts in the sixth. John Kelly, the cousin of Chris, is a standout quarterback for the Golden Wave football

“Chris works on his [pitching] mechanics year-round. He makes it easy for me to coach him,” Bostic said.

Sophomore Cody Justus became the first Grundy player to reach base in the fifth inning with a line single.  Sophomore Ben Rife supplied a triple, and Jonathan Rife added a run-scoring single.
It was not enough to rattle Nadler or the Falcons, who were coming off an emotional 6-5 loss to SWD champion Tazewell Monday.

Nadler, who struck out six Grundy batters, said the Falcons were eager for a fresh start.

“There was a lot was a lot of drama there, but you can’t dwell on things,” Nadler said, referring to the Tazewell game. “We just wanted to clear our minds and hopefully get rolling along again.”

Nathan Hagy drove in two runs for AHS Wednesday, while Bobby Webb and Kenny Pope provided doubles. Nadler also drove in a run with a ground out.

“We have shown a lot of maturity this season,” Nadler said. “That [Region IV title] game last year helped me to see what things are like to play at the varsity level.
“I know what to expect and how to deal with it now.”

Earning the victory was far more important than a perfect game, according to Nadler.

“I was just trying to hit my spots and let my defense to the work,” Nadler said. “ I trust those guys behind me 100 percent.”

Grundy 000 010 1–2 3 2
Abingdon 111 001 x–4 4 0
C. Kelly, J. Kelly and O’Quinn. Nadler and Pope. W–Nadler (2-0). L–C. Kelly. HR–none.
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