This is the stuff that dreams are made of. This is what makes little kids play baseball under their dads in Little League. This is what fills the hearts and minds of every would-be star throughout their young careers.
Yesterday, Brian Nickerson '00, Dartmouth's career leader in hits was signed to a contract by the Los Angeles Dodgers. Nickerson is from the Los Angeles area and has been a Dodger fan for years and lives 20 minutes away from Dodger Stadium.
"This is like a dream come true," the Big Green third baseman said.
"I don't even know how to register it emotionally yet. I don't think it's really set in," he added.
Normally, graduating seniors cannot be signed to a contract prior to the major league draft, which will be held on June 5 this year. However, Nickerson is a fifth-year senior, which means that he was an official free agent up until the week prior to the draft.
Nickerson had been working out here at Dartmouth along with fellow seniors Mike Levy '01 and Jeff Dutremble '01 in front of 11 professional scouts. Dutremble, a left-handed pitcher, had attracted a great deal of attention, as talented southpaws are not as plentiful as most other types of players.
Nickerson took batting practice, hitting about 30 balls, and then ran a 60-yard dash. The Dodgers regional scout was sufficiently impressed that after a short conversation, he offered Nickerson a contract on the spot.
"I immediately went and called my dad," said Nickerson.
After talking to Dartmouth baseball coach Bob Whalen and his father, Nickerson decided it was best to sign now and not go through the difficult waiting period prior to the draft.
"The draft is an unpredictable thing. All it takes is one team to have an interest in you, but you also have to worry about not getting picked," said the elated Nickerson.
Nickerson will report to the Great Falls Dodgers in Montana, one of L.A.'s two rookie league teams. Great Falls is part of the Pioneer League, the same league that Nickerson's former teammate, James Little '00, played in last season while in the Anaheim Angels farm system in Provo, UT.
Nickerson will graduate on June 10, fly home to L.A. for his brother's high school graduation on June 12 and will report to Great Falls on the morning of June 13. Great Falls starts its season on June 16 and will play a 70-game season that concludes on September 2.
Nickerson has made a name for himself as possibly the best hitter in Dartmouth's history. After an extraordinary freshman season in which he hit .463 in 38 games, Nickerson suffered a season-ending knee injury in 1998 during the first game of the season.
He battled back in 1999, but had a much tougher season hitting only .290 with five home runs and 21 RBI. But starting in 2000, Nickerson was once again primed to tee off on collegiate pitching.
While improving his defense every year while tending the hot corner for the Big Green, Nickerson improved his power numbers to register 10 homers and 47 RBI last year and seven round-trippers and 35 RBI this season while batting .372 and .383 respectively.
Compiling his career statistics, Nickerson looks like an amazing pickup for the Dodgers. In 157 games, Nickerson has hit 27 homeruns, driven in 132 RBI and crossed the plate 127 times. He has also batted an eye-popping .380 while having an on-base percentage over .450.
For Brian Nickerson, this is the best news that could have come to him of all.
"This is what I've worked towards for 12 years. It is an absolutely amazing feeling," said the brand new Great Falls third-sacker.
As well as he fit in Dartmouth Green, rest assured that third baseman Brian Nickerson will fit in even better wearing Dodger Blue.
