Former Blue Valley High player off to finals in College World Series

STILWELL, Kan. — Erin Nicklaus has said it to his son Jackson plenty of times.

“Always want the baseball, he’s probably heard me say that 1,000,000 times.”

In the opening game of the College World Series, former Blue Valley High and current Oklahoma Freshman Jackson Nicklaus stands in and hits a Grand Slam in the biggest stage of college baseball and in the second game he produced a RBI single to help the Sooners advance to being one win away from the CWS finals.

“The minute he hit it, I was like, that didn’t happen. And then it did,” Erin said.

“It overwhelms me and it takes my breath away and I have a really hard time putting anything into articulate description how I feel .. I’m happy every day,” mom Kim Nicklaus said.

He’s not stranger to coming up big in big stages at Blue Valley he had a two out double in the state championship game in route to a one run game.

“He got everybody’s best shot on top of that. So it made him tougher. By the time state happened he finally relaxed,” Erin said.

And his decision to go to OU also a clutch decision.

“He told us, very matter of fact, I’m going to commit to OU and we’re like, ‘Oh OK, and we asked him why? He said it was really my best chance to get to Omaha,” Kim said.

And Omaha is a place he’s been dreaming about ever since he was 8-years-old, when he and his youth team watched the College World Series. His parents say it’s a dream come true.

“Jackson’s started that day, in 2011, he was 8 years old and you could just see the light go on he wants to play professional baseball at some point but I think if had to pinpoint a goal, he’s living it right now,” Erin said.

Jackson is one of a handful of players from the Kansas City area in the College World Series. Notre Dame’s Carter Putz (Miege) and Arkansas’ Robert Moore (SM East) Jade Putz (Miege) Kendall Diggs (Aquinas) Brady Slavens (Olathe Northwest) Mark Adamiak (SM Northwest) and Zebulon Vermillion (SM East) are all participating

“Kansas City is overlooked, it is a hotbed of talent. And it’s only getting better,” Erin said.