The University of Texas at Austin Athletics
Baseball
- Title:
- Assistant Coach
Tommy Nicholson is in his third season as assistant coach and recruiting coordinator at The University of Texas.
The UT grad is in his second stint as a member of the coaching staff, having served as volunteer assistant during the 2009 and 2010 seasons after a standout playing career with the Longhorns from 1998-2000.
Since returning to Austin, Nicholson has made an immediate impact. His first recruiting haul at Texas – the class of 2013 – was ranked No. 2 nationally by Baseball America, and the 2014 class was ranked seventh by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper. Nicholson, an All-Big 12 second baseman with UT in 2000, coaches the infielders and helped the Longhorns finish first in the Big 12 with a .975 fielding percentage in 2013.
Last season Texas posted a .974 fielding percentage while shortstop C.J Hinojosa and second baseman Brooks Marlow formed one of the best double play duos in the nation. The Longhorns turned 71 on the year which was the second most nationally.
Under Nicholson’s tutelage, Hinojosa was named to the Big 12 All-Freshman Team in 2013 after ranking second on the team with a .309 batting average. Hinojosa showed steady improvement defensively, committing just one error in the final 18 games and none in the last 11.
Marlow, meanwhile, became the first Texas player to win an ABCA Rawlings Gold Glove in 2014 when he had a .991 fielding percentage while helping turn 56 double plays. He also picked up second team All-Big 12 honors.
Before returning to UT, Nicholson spent the previous two seasons (2011-12) as an assistant coach at Sacramento State, serving as the team’s infield and hitting coach. In 2012, the Hornets batted .298 as a team with 30 home runs. Nicholson helped outfielder Rhys Hoskins earn freshman All-America honors that season, as Hoskins hit .353 with 10 home runs, 44 runs scored and 53 RBI.
After compiling a 19-39 mark in 2011, Sacramento State improved its win total by 12 and registered a 31-28 record in 2012. Under Nicholson’s direction, the Hornets finished the 2012 season with a school single-season record .979 fielding percentage, committing just 47 errors in 59 games. The 2011 squad finished with a .969 fielding mark, the third-best in school history.
Prior to his stint at Sacramento State, Nicholson spent two seasons (2009-10) as a volunteer assistant coach at Texas where he worked with the infielders while serving as the first base coach. The Longhorns posted a 50-16-1 mark and finished as runner-up at the College World Series in 2009, before registering a 50-13 record and advancing to NCAA Super Regional play in 2010. The Longhorns batted .286 in 2010 with 87 stolen bases, while the 2009 squad batted .288 as a team with 74 stolen bases. In 2009, Texas ranked eighth nationally with a .976 fieling percentage and a year later, the Longhorns led the nation with a .980 clip.
Before entering coaching, Nicholson played six years of professional baseball. He was selected in the 11th round of the 2000 Major League Baseball draft by the Chicago White Sox. He reached the AAA level during his career from 2000-05 with Chicago and the Colorado Rockies.
For his collegiate playing career, he missed only three starts as a second baseman during his three seasons (1998-2000) at Texas. Nicholson compiled a .327 career average at UT with 147 runs scored, 223 hits, 37 doubles, four triples, nine home runs, 114 RBI and 20 stolen bases. He was named the team’s most valuable player in 1999 and 2000.
Nicholson was an integral part of UT’s College World Series squad as a junior in 2000. He hit a team-best .500 (4-for-8) during CWS play in Omaha and was named to the NCAA Tempe Regional All-Tournament Team and ranked as the top fielding (.974) and hitting (.367) second baseman in the Big 12 Conference. Nicholson earned All-Big 12 first team honors after batting .367 with 60 runs scored, 99 hits, 18 doubles, two triples, three home runs, 43 RBI and 12 stolen bases.
In 1999, Nicholson hit .315 with 55 runs, 73 hits, 14 doubles, one triple, three home runs, 42 RBI and seven stolen bases while earning All-Big 12 honorable mention recognition. As a freshman in 1998, he batted .282 with 32 runs, 51 hits, five doubles, one triple, three home runs and 29 RBI.
Nicholson earned his bachelor’s degree from UT in 2006 and was married to his wife, Marin, in 2013. The couple has a daughter, Shay Elise.
