By Rick Assad
Baseball is notorious for being an emotional rollercoaster. One game you’re on top and the next outing not so much.
One exhilarating moment for Gunnar Nichols was his last season pitching for Burroughs High when he stood on the mound at Cal State Fullerton’s Goodwin Field and helped lead the Bears to a 1-0 victory over Moreno Valley for the CIF Southern Section Division V championship in 2022.
That campaign, Nichols went 10-2 and finished with a 0.89 earned-run average, struck out 107, walked 17, tossed five complete games and delivered four shutouts across 78 and two-third innings.
During that postseason run which saw Burroughs capture its only baseball title, Nichols fashioned a 3-0 record, fanned 30 and tossed three complete games and finished with 21 innings.
Nichols spent two years at Pepperdine University mostly trying to find himself where as a freshman he appeared in 16 games, tossed 30 and two-third innings and had three starts and struck out 21 batters.
As a sophomore on the sprawling Malibu campus, Nichols fanned 40 across 17 appearances and had three starts and worked 36 and two-third frames.
Nichols spent the last two seasons at the University of Washington and the results were mixed.
In 2025 as a junior, Nichols went 1-1 with one save, posted a 2.18 earned-run average over 33 innings and had 17 appearances and this season he went 2-3 with a 5.59 ERA, fanning while striking out 42 over 39 frames.
The numbers could have been better but Nichols also shined late in the season when he faced visiting UCLA, the No. 1 team in the nation, and walked away with a save after tossing three shutout innings.
“I want to say I have loved both schools. Pepperdine and the University of Washington were great opportunities at different times,” he said. “Pepperdine gave me a shot when I was a wild card for them. Had it not been for the coaches there I may not have been able to have some of the success I have had up to this point.”
Nichols continued: “I developed a lot in my two years there and I am very grateful. When I transferred to the University of Washington, I needed more fine tuning and I was able to get that. It gave me an opportunity to play against better competition,” he said. “I found a renewed sense of love for the game in my time at the University of Washington.”
For Nichols, there’s no point in having regrets because it doesn’t alter what’s already happened.
“I wouldn’t change a thing about my first three years of college baseball. I learned a lot and developed and all that work finally paid off in my third year,” he stated. “I had higher expectations for my fourth year but I had some setbacks.This doesn’t mean I can’t make a strong finish to the year though.”
What were the highs and lows like?
“There are no words to describe the journey I’ve gone through pitching at the college level. I have been on the extreme of both ends. The good times are smooth sailing, but the bad times are difficult,” Nichols said. “I thank my parents (Brian and Kate) for being there no matter what I do performance wise. It is nice to have someone to talk to about what I am dealing with and how to approach it.”
Nichols added: “I’ve come to learn that baseball is a hard game and there will almost always be another opportunity to do better,” he said. “Keeping this in mind keeps me working hard every day in training to make the most of each opportunity I am given.”
Brian Nichols also pitched for Burroughs and graduated in 1996 and also played for Azusa Pacific University when he was drafted in 1999 by the New York Mets and began playing in the minor leagues in 2001.
The elder Nichols has his keen memories of his son that he holds dear.
“After an underwhelming start, he posted a 0.90 ERA over his next 17 appearances, recording 45 strikeouts across 30 innings against teams like Iowa, USC, Oregon and Oregon State,” he said of his son’s junior season.”
Nichols recalled one game that really stood out and it also came in 2025.
“My personal favorite was watching him pitch against USC during the Big Ten Tournament last season,” he said. “He entered the game in relief and pitched four and one-third innings, allowing only one run on two hits while recording six strikeouts. It was incredible watching him compete in Omaha, Nebraska, on the biggest state of his college career.”
Nichols went on: “This season he had the opportunity to start against San Diego State, pitching six innings while allowing just one run and striking out a personal-best 10 batters,” he stated. “A couple weeks later, he came out of the bullpen against Ohio State and threw five scoreless innings, striking out seven to help his team secure a pivotal conference win.”
Being able to experience two colleges is incredible and it’s also been very helpful for Nichols.
“I learned what it is to love something even through challenges and hardships,” he said. “Over my four years in college, baseball has been both good and bad to me. There is a high pressure to succeed, which feels amazing when it happens. But with that, the lows feel very low.”
Preconceived notions are good and bad.
“I honestly had no idea what to expect going into college baseball,” Nichols stated. “It was both better and worse than in high school. The competition was the best part and better than what I envisioned. However, the politics of the team and coaches can at times take away from the overall experience.”
The difference between prep baseball and the college game are worlds apart.
“The skill level of the teams you play makes it very hard to transition to college baseball,” Nichols admitted. “You have to relearn how to compete at an elevated level that is similar to when you become a freshman playing the best upperclassmen in high school.”
Nichols said that winning is paramount at the college level.
“The biggest difference that I have noticed is that there is far more pressure for teams to win in college,” he said. “College baseball is a business and if you don’t perform you won’t play. It’s a hard truth about college baseball, but it rewards the guys who are consistent in their performance.”
Even with some difficult times, having played college baseball is important for Nichols.
“I would choose to play baseball in college every single time,” he said. “It is one of the biggest time and emotional investments that I could’ve made, but the experiences I got out of it are irreplaceable.”
Nichols’ time in college is coming to an end, but it’s been worth taking on the challenges.
“I would say that I have met and even exceeded some of my expectations of playing college baseball, and have fallen short on a few,” he offered. “Baseball is a hard game, but I have learned a lot during the times that did not go as planned.”
Nichols added: “The pressure to perform for me this season is really high, and I haven’t delivered on that as consistently as I did last season,” he said. “The lesson there is that I have to acknowledge that fact but not let it define me. My mindset each day is that I am going to make the last few weeks of college baseball worth it.”
The Major League Baseball draft is July 11 and 12, and Nichols will find out if he’s among the lucky ones whose name is called or whether he’s signed as a free agent.
