After taking game to new level at Justin-Siena, Nelson to continue playing baseball at William Jessup University

By Kyle Foster

kfost91197@gmail.com

Twitter/X: @NapaKyle @NapaSportsNews

There are times when transferring to a new school can make it hard to get noticed. But when you believe in yourself and your abilities, this can be a breeze. 

For Justin-Siena’s Spencer Nelson, this is what he did as he ascended his game to the next level to sign a National Letter of Intent to continue playing baseball and going to school at William Jessup University next fall. 

One of the main factors in Nelson getting to the next level is his massive improvement since transferring to Justin-Siena as a junior. Once joining the Braves, Nelson quickly ascended to a trusted reliever as a junior before slotting into the rotation as a starter as a senior.

Before coming to Justin-Siena, Nelson spent his first two seasons at St. Helena. But it was the decision to come to Justin-Siena that took his game to the next level with a combination of weight room work and player development time put in to get his game to become the player he is now. It also helped that the family atmosphere made it a place where he wanted to come and play. 

“So it was my sophomore year, St. Helena just finished up, and I played fall ball here with the same coaching style, with the same guys,” Nelson explained of what drew him to Justin-Siena. “I told my dad one day, ‘I was like this feels like family. I feel like this is where I’m supposed to be at.’ Coach Tayson and all the coaches they took me under their wing, and they did everything they could to get me here. Best decision I’ve ever made. It’s paid off.” 

In his senior season, Nelson was the Thursday starter. But he was also a co-ace on the staff, which helped him finish with a very impressive 5-1 record and a 1.11 ERA. He struck out 64 and walked just 15 in 63 ⅓ innings as a senior while also recording a pair of saves. 

During his two seasons at Justin-Siena, Nelson has a very impressive 1.41 ERA in the two seasons spent at Justin-Siena. He also has a combined 8-3 record in 23 total appearances. In the 89 ⅓ innings he worked, Nelson was also very much working from ahead in the count as he struck out 87 batters and walked just 24. All of this led Nelson to be named to the first team All-Vine Valley Athletic League in his senior season. 

On top of all of that, Nelson can slide in and play third base. This is something he did throughout his senior season when he didn’t start on the bump. This made constructing a lineup very easy, having someone who can be such an asset in the field when they’re not pitching. Nelson has also been a very good defender as he has an .806 fielding percentage in the field in two years at Justin-Siena. He was also a second-team All-VVAL player as a junior, too. 

During his time, Nelson has always played second base. His versatility made it easier to pencil him in the lineup each game, too. 

“I think he’s earned the confidence he has,” Justin-Siena head coach Jeremy Tayson said. “I think any adolescent guy is kind of trying to make their sense of the world, and sometimes that leads them to a little bit of self-doubt. As he was working his way through that part of his, you know, maturation, having done the work, I think he looked back and realized, like, ‘Yeah, I’ve I have reasons to be confident. I have good people around me, and I feel good about myself.’”

With the bat, he was also a difference-maker. He showed this off in his senior season, where he was the No. 7 batter on the lineup card. In 27 games this season, Nelson hit .333/.432/.397, and he had a very solid .829 OPS. To go along with that, he had 11 RBIs and 9 runs scored. The defining moment of Nelson’s season batting came on April 15th when his 9th inning single gave Justin-Siena the lead to beat Vintage on the road. 

All of this was a product of hard work. Once he got to the North Napa campus, he put his head down and got to work, and earned a spot in the starting lineup every day as a senior. 

“He’s worked,” Tayson explained. “He came here with some big-picture goals in mind. You just got to credit a guy that lives in their vision of their life, and much like Noah (Giovannelli), he had to be really patient in the weird recruiting world that it is right now, but he worked. He had the humility to understand the things, physically, emotionally, and spiritually, that he needed to grow in, and he did it.”

Another thing that helped Nelson get to this point was the support of his family. However, he also saw a great example of how to get the most you can out of his career with his older brother Stacy, who graduated from St. Helena in 2021. Nelson also grew up going to games at Cleve Borman Field and watching his older brother play before he got the chance to do so. 

“He planted the seed completely for me,” Nelson explained. “I mean, ever since I was little, we would be throwing the ball in the yard. He introduced me to the game in general because I never knew what I was going to play when I grew up, but he pushed me to do my best. He’s always reposting my stuff and posting about me, but he’s one of my biggest supporters, so I love him.” 

Throughout his time playing baseball, Nelson has played for Saint Helena Little League, St. Helena Red Devils, 707 Premier, and Napa Valley Baseball Club.  

Once Nelson gets to William Jessup, he will be just a little over an hour away from home, which makes the decision easy. 

“It’s gonna be awesome to come back,” Nelson said of how close it is and how that makes things easier. “My dad and I took a visit up there in February, and we just, we kind of knew, after being there for a little bit, this is the place we went and watched one of the baseball games, talked to talk to the coaches. It’s Christian University, which I’m very strong about, and everything just fell in place.”

When he gets to Jessup, he hopes to keep pitching because that is his main position all these years. 

“Pitching for sure,” Nelson explained. “I feel like that’s what I’m able to compete the most, because my adrenaline kicks in a lot. But when I’m playing in the infield, I mean, I’m just smooth, calm, and collected out there. They have a bunch of seniors graduating, so if they need me to play infield, I’ll be there for that, but I’m mainly going as a pitcher for now.” 

William Jessup is a member of the PacWest conference. This past season, they finished with a record of 36-20 and 28-16 in conference play. This was good enough to finish in third in the conference. They didn’t make the NCAA Division 2 tournament this past season. When Nelson gets to Jessup, he will be a member of the pitching staff while also being able to fill in around the infield as needed.

Another thing that makes it fun for Nelson is the fact that he will be competing against his teammate from both Justin-Siena and Napa Valley Baseball Club in Noah Giovannelli, who is set to play at Point Loma in San Diego, also a member of the PacWest. 

“It’s always been me and him,” Nelson said of his relationship with Giovannelli. “If I didn’t get invited to things or he didn’t, he was always my best friend at my side, and we put in a lot of hard work together. The fact that it’s us two out of anybody who can go do this is just really special, and it warms my heart.” 

The ceremony on May 2nd at the Clark Gym saw 8 other athletes celebrate playing their sport at the next level.