Pottsville, Penn State-bound Nabholz no-hit Spring Grove

PINE GROVE >> Minutes after Pottsville put an end to Spring Grove's baseball season, the Rockets' players and coaches huddled in the outfield of Walter Stump Stadium, arms around each other, reflecting on their 2015 season.

"I told these guys, 'Everybody, when you get to states, there's only one team that's gonna be happy when it's done,'" Spring Grove coach Kevin Stiffler said. "'I want you to look back and remember the memories this year.' We were so close to winning our first district title last week, that game could have gone either way. Tonight, we just ran into a buzzsaw on the mound. But I really feel like we've shown we can play with anybody."

The name of that buzzsaw is Eli Nabholz, the Pottsville senior who is committed to play baseball at Penn State next spring. He showed why he's Big Ten material by throwing a complete-game, no-hitter and striking out 13 batters in the Crimson Tide's 1-0 win in the first round of the PIAA Class AAA state playoffs. Spring Grove's only base runner came when Nabholz hit Cam Sterner in the back with a pitch in the sixth inning.