Central Washington University Athletics

The best all-around offensive player in the modern era of Central Washington University baseball, Jamie Nilsen was a Wildcat star from the first time he stepped into the starting lineup early in his freshman season in 2005.

A four-time first-team all-Great Northwest Athletic Conference (GNAC) selection -- the only such all-star to date in the league's 17-year history -- Nilsen rewrote numerous school and conference records en route to a star-studded career on the diamond. He achieved multiple all-region and All-American honors, including a pair of first-team NCAA Division II All-American accolades as a senior in 2008, was the GNAC Player of the Year as both a junior and senior, and posted a career .399 batting average. Nilsen also owns school and conference records for batting average, runs batted in (183) and runs scored (242), while establishing CWU marks for with 29 career home runs and 203 career games played.

He signed as an undrafted free agent with the Kansas City Royals following his senior year, playing one season as a second baseman for the Royals' rookie-level affiliate in Surprise, Arizona.

Below is a Q&A between CWU Athletics and the hall of fame shortstop:

CWU Athletics:  Congrats on being selected for induction into the Hall of Fame.  Explain what was going through Your head when Dennis Francois contacted you with the news?
 
Jamie Nilsen:  It definitely caught me a little off guard. It was definitely exciting and very flattering. I was very honored to receive such a high award.
 
CWU Athletics: Were you expecting this at some point?
 
JN:  I never in my wildest dreams expected to receive this honor. I have never been one to chase awards. I do the best I can and let those things shake out on their own. I am a firm believer in controlling what I can control. I do my best not to worry about things that are out of my control. It is definitely something your work toward. As a player, I could have never imagined that I would receive the biggest honor I could possibly get. While playing, I was working hard to win every game we could, but I was also working hard to get signed to play baseball professionally. This induction into the Hall of Fame trumps even that. Getting signed to play pro ball was a huge honor and accomplishment to me, but this Hall of Fame induction definitely trumps that for sure.
 
CWU Athletics:  Desi Storey just picked up his 600^th win recently, and you played a role in many of those victories.  Is there a win you remember that stands out among the others?
 
JN:  I am not the sharpest when it comes to memories. There were a number of walk-off moments that I was able to share Desi. I enjoyed sharing in the excitement and celebrations that come with a dramatic win. It is hard to name just one because there were so many of them. Playing for Desi was a huge honor and his record speaks for itself. Winning 600 times makes you a pretty distinguished coach. It was definitely an honor, but also a pleasure to play for a coach like Desi. He was a great coach and really cares about his players.
 
CWU Athletics:  Speaking of Desi, give us your best story.
 
JN:  When I tried out as a walk on my freshman year, Desi actually omitted my name from the very first cut list. I went and checked the list and thought I was cut. I ended up running into an assistant coach on my way out of the building and stopped to say thanks and it was nice to meet him. The coach said that there was no way I was cut. Sure enough, Desi made a mistake and cut me when he meant to keep me. I was very close to walking out and never coming back.
 
CWU Athletics:  You currently hold 20 career records and 11 single season records.  Which records are you surprised you still hold and which are you most proud of?
 
JN:  To tell you the truth, I didn't realize I had that many records. I am surprised that I have any records that involve stolen bases. You can ask any of my former teammates or coaches, I was never known for my speed. I am also a little surprised that I still hold the homerun record. I wasn't there to hit homeruns and I was very rarely in a situation where I tried to hit homerun. I hit leadoff my entire career and I was also right-handed.  That ballpark is awesome for a lefty and I wish I was left handed when I played, I would have probably hit more homeruns. 

Records are there to set goals for people and are meant to be broken. Part of me wishes some of them would get broken because that means the program is having success.
 
CWU Athletics:  How did you ended up at Central?
 
JN:  I went to Central strictly to go to school. A lot of my friends were going to Central and I liked the location. I was not recruited out of high school for baseball. One of my last days of high school, my math teacher/head baseball coach made a deal with me that I would repay him for everything he did for me by trying out for baseball as a walk-on. I had no idea who Desi was, and he had no idea who I was either. I asked about baseball tryouts the day before the team meeting. The day before the tryout, I remember I was out at the handball court behind the dorms throwing the ball against the concrete wall trying to field some ground balls before tryouts. I hadn't played all summer long and I basically went out for the team as a favor to a high school teacher. I definitely wanted to play, but never thought that I had what it took. I didn't know what to expect, but I gave it my best shot. Desi gave me a chance and it was all kind of history from there.
 
CWU Athletics:  You said you didn't know If you had what it took to play at this level. At what point did you start to believe?
 
JN:  There was one scrimmage in particular before the team started their season my freshman year, which I redshirted. I was the only other shortstop they kept, so in order to have a scrimmage and field two teams I had to tag along. I somehow ended up in the batter's box against the team's ace at the time. I ended up parking one to dead centerfield for a homerun. I thought to myself that I could do this and if I could hit off this guy, I could hit off anybody. That was a memorable moment that I will never forget.
 
CWU Athletics:  You played in the MLB system.  What was that like, and was it a dream come true?
 
JN:  At the time, it was definitely a dream come true. It is something you always dream of as a kid and something you are always working really hard towards. The further I got into it, the quicker I figured out it was more of a business than a competitive endeavor. When I was done and came to the realization I was done with baseball, I would have traded that one year of pro ball for another year of college ball in a heartbeat. College baseball much more enjoyable, competitive, and fun. I feel very fortunate that I got the chance because I didn't want to have any regrets. To be honest with you, I almost feel fortunate that it ended after one year because it allowed me to start my life after baseball.
 
CWU Athletics:  Speaking of life after baseball, you drive Hydroplanes… How did you got into that?
 
JN:  Hydroplane racing has always been a hobby for me. I could maybe make some money someday, but it would be a stretch to say I could support myself off of it. I do work 40 hours a week doing other things. I started racing when I was 12 years old with my dad. My dad has always been a big fan of boat racing and followed it as a kid growing up. I think it was always a secret dream of his to race boats. He took me to a race when I was younger and I think it sparked his childhood dream. He asked me if it was something I would want to do and we jumped in together. We have been racing together ever since.
 
CWU Athletics:  What is harder, hitting a 90 MPH baseball or driving a hydroplane?
 
JN:  Hitting a fastball
 
CWU Athletics:  You have been gone for 10 years, catch us up on your life since CWU…
 
JN:  In the last ten years, I have been doing a lot of hydroplane racing. I got married to my wife Jessica and we have a daughter Claire who is three and a half years old. We recently moved out to Gig Harbor, Wash. I have been working at the Puget Sound Naval Shipyard as a financial analyst for over seven years now. It is a really good job.
 
CWU Athletics:  If you could go back to your freshman year, what would you do differently as a student, and student-athlete?
 
 
JN:  It's hard to say. I don't really have many regrets, and if I did, I would have a lot more things I would probably want to change. Things worked out really well for me and I think I had a very enjoyable, successful career both on and off the field. I built a lot of great relationships with both teammates and friends. I look back at my time with Central with fond memories."
 
CWU Athletics:  What advice would you give current and future student-athletes that you wish someone would have told you when you started here?
 
JN:  Enjoy every day that you have on the field and with your teammates and coaches. When it is over, you always wish you had one more year, one more week, one more day out there having fun.