Little leaguer waits for his pitch

By Laura Clark

Published: June 11, 2008

The Oriole runner rounded first and looked out to where Nathan Quick had fielded his hit in right field.

“Throw it in, Nathan!” his teammates yelled.

Nathan moved toward the infield, eyeing the Oriole runner, who trudged back to first base as Nathan threw to the pitcher.

“I was kind of teasing him, toying with him so he wouldn’t go,” Nathan said.

Quick, 12, and his Athletics team, of the Nelson County Little League Organization, topped the Orioles 7-2, mainly scoring runs on wild pitches. The final game of the regular season was called short by two innings on June 4 due to an incoming thunderstorm.

Through his second year playing Little League at Lion’s Field, Nathan eased any apprehension his parents had about him playing organized baseball.

Diagnosed with pseudoachondroplasia dwarfism before age 3, Nathan stands about 42 inches tall. His love of sports made him determined to play.

“We just encourage him to try anything in sports or academics,” his mom, Cindy Quick, said. “He usually finds a way to do it, even if he has to do things differently.”

At Nelson County Middle School, Nathan plays trumpet in the band. That, he said, is more like homework, while the guitar is challenging but fun. He even wrote and recorded his own rock song, Every Day’s a Monday, for his teacher’s album.

The recording studio was intimidating, Nathan said, but his guitar riffs are loud and clear throughout the song. Maybe the biggest challenge was choosing to skip the state basketball championships to record in Lovingston.

“There’s not a lot of opportunity you have to record a song in a real studio,” Nathan said.

Most of this summer, though, Nathan will spend outside. The heat doesn’t bother him, his dad, Greg said, and he’ll spend hours riding his bike or playing basketball, his favorite sport. He can spin a basketball on his finger for about a minute. Nathan likes to explore the woods behind his house in southern Nelson County, or hit golf balls with his older brother, Josh, around the yard. Golf is the newest sport Nathan has taken up, but driving and putting don’t hold the same reverence as playing baseball - yet.

“When it’s up in the air, it’s like a lot of adrenaline. Everything is on you to make the play,” Nathan said of playing defense.

His favorite part of the game is fielding, especially second base, where he has a chance to turn a double play.

In the championship game on June 8, Nathan and the Athletics were down 6-1 to the undefeated Red Sox. In the top of the sixth inning, the Athletics got on a hitting streak and tied the game.

With two outs and a runner on first, Nathan stepped to the plate. He was ahead of the pitcher 3-1.

“Gotta be pretty Nathan!” head coach Scott Folsom yelled.

“Since my strike zone is not that high, it’s hard to tell if it’s a ball or a strike usually,” Nathan said.

So Nathan sat back, and the fifth pitch was a walk. He and his teammate advanced on a pass ball to open up first base. The next Athletic batter was walked to load the bases.

Then the Red Sox brought back their ace pitcher, who struck out the next batter for the final out.

The Red Sox answered in the bottom of the sixth with a hit to centerfield, which scored the winning run, advancing the team to the championship game on June 11.

Nathan and his teammates weren’t too upset. In fact, they were still in awe that they’d come back on the dominant team in the league.

“We were down by a lot, and my team, they pulled it together,” Nathan said. “We didn’t think we could do it, but we did a good job and played well.”

As a 12-year-old, Nathan’s reached the age limit for Little League. After receiving his gold trophy, he reflected on the two years playing baseball.

“I like the sport so much, and I got to actually do it,” he said. “And just being with my teammates. We had a good time.”