Nicholson family shares softball, sports talents at Elyria South Baseball Club clinic

The clink of aluminum bats, the thump of kickballs and shouts and laughter of children echoed off the walls at the Thomas O. Shores South Recreation Center in Elyria on Saturday morning and afternoon as children in the Elyria South Baseball Club got first-hand lessons on the basics of the diamond sports. A special treat came from coaching, teaching and life lessons from members of the Nicholson family, one of the most elite families in Elyria sports history, particularly softball. A graduate of Elyria High School and member of the Elyria Sports Hall of Fame Class of 2017, Angie Nicholson has been the Georgia State University Panthers softball coach since 2021. A standout softball player at Cleveland State University, she graduated there in 2000 and later coached the team, winning several titles while also coaching current Elyria High School softball head coach Megan Bashak, Angie Nicholson also coached at Cuyahoga Community College, Ursuline College, Butler University, Cleveland State, Eastern Illinois University and Hampton University. Her husband, Rick Nicholson, an Elyria High School and Cleveland State graduate and wrestling standout, is her assistant coach for Georgia State softball, where their daughter Payton plays. Daughter Taylor plays softball at Arizona State University after a stint at the University of Missouri, daughter Mackenzie is on the Jacksonville State University softball roster after time at Arizona State with her sister, and son Darian, a sophomore in high school in Georgia, is a multi-sport athlete. The family of six was in Elyria for the Thanksgiving holiday, and took time out of their vacation opportunity to volunteer to coach the 30 young athletes who showed up at South Rec on Saturday. Elyria South Baseball Club organizer and coach Aric Bowens said he played football at Elyria High School with Rick Nicholson and was happy that his former teammate and family took time out of their holiday to pass on their sports knowledge. "They're a world-class softball family," he said. Angie Nicholson said the clinic was about fundamentals: Running bases, throwing, catching, hitting, all the basics for children of various ages and talents. The young people played kickball, the skills for which translate to softball and baseball, just with different tools, according to the volunteer coaches. The youths also took swings off tees and tossed footballs to warm up and help with catching. Hand-eye coordination is challenging, but there were some young athletes who, with the right focus and coaching, "could be good," said Taylor Nicholson. Angie Nicholson said it was great to see the young athletes learn and listen and for her family to give back to her and her husband's hometown. Bowens said he wants the young athletes not only to get exercise, but have a good sports IQ. He hopes to get more classroom time with them, and was excited about the city building a new field at South Park for the children to play on as they start to outgrow their current field. Every child who showed up Saturday got a T-shirt, breakfast, pizza and snacks. There were 175 children on 14 teams last year, said Bowens, who said he specifically tries to keep registration costs low to allow more children to take part. Bowens said clinics are being run every Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. through the end of the year. Skill ranges are from T-ball to coach-pitch to competitive leagues. There are more opportunities for children to get involved: Coach Amanda Coleman said she's looking for more girls interested in playing softball. "We plan to continue to grow," reach out to more children and invest in the community, Bowens said. For more information, to learn how to register or get involved, like or follow the Elyria South Baseball Club on Facebook. Contact Dave O'Brien at (440) 329-7129 or dobrien@chroniclet.com.