Rutgers-Newark Athletics

By Jim Hague

Rutgers-Newark head baseball coach Mark Rizzi approached Nick Evans with the news that would totally change his baseball life.

Rizzi was going to make Evans the Scarlet Raiders’ closer.

“Actually, he was next in line,” Rizzi said. “We were moving Matt Larangera to the starting rotation and we needed a closer. We knew that Nick had the stuff and the mentality to close out games. He also had that attitude. He has a little bit of a mean streak and had the ability to get sparked up.”

The news was a blessing for the senior right-hander.

“I loved it,” Evans said. “It was a great move for me. I grew up idolizing Mariano Rivera and always wanted that. I was the closer for the second half of my senior year of high school (at Pascack Hills in Bergen County) and I thought I could do the job. I loved the move. Knowing that he was willing to give me the ball with the game on the line gave me a lot of confidence.”

It also gave Evans a full-fledged purpose and a role, something that was missing throughout his first three years in the R-N baseball program. Rizzi tinkered with Evans as a starter, then as a reliever.

“The first two years, we were trying to find a role for Nick,” Rizzi said. “He was always willing to work hard. He’s a good listener and he always just wanted to get better.”

Evans finally found a niche as a set-up man as a junior in 2011, pitching in 21 games, setting a new R-N single season record. Evans posted a 2-0 record with a 3.60 ERA last season.

Now, as a closer, Evans knows exactly what he’s going to do when a game starts. He’s heading to the bullpen, waiting for his chance to enter the game with the Scarlet Raiders holding a lead and it’s his job to shut the door.

“It really makes things a lot easier,” Evans said. “I now can have a regular routine every day.”

Rizzi thought that Evans had the right makeup to be a closer.

“He has a good mentality,” Rizzi said. “I thought he had the right demeanor. A closer has to forget about the last game and come back the next day. I think it comes from playing quarterback in high school. He’s a very good athlete and just had that ability to take charge like a quarterback.”

“By being a quarterback in high school, it gave me a lot of confidence that I could do a lot of things,” Evans said. “My senior year in high school, I played a lot of different positions in football and that gave me a lot of confidence, knowing that I had my teammates behind me. They believed in me.”

Rizzi likes the way Evans has developed as a pitcher.

“He’s really worked on a few pitches and that has helped him,” Rizzi said. “He’s not afraid to go right at people.”

Evans said that he worked on a cut fastball, much like his childhood idol.

“I learned how to throw the cutter like Mariano,” Evans said. “I’ve been working on it and it’s much better now. I also throw a four-seam fastball and with the cutter, it has such late break. I also use my slider. It makes me feel like more of a complete pitcher this year.”

Evans has posted a 3.24 ERA in nine games this season, recording five saves. The save total is the best in the New Jersey Athletic Conference thus far and is among the top 20 in NCAA Division III baseball nationwide.

But Evans doesn’t want to know anything about his statistics.

“I try not to look at the stats,” Evans said. “I don’t want to go out there and think of any situation. I just want to do my job. I’m happy with the way the year is going so far.”

Rizzi also likes the way Evans competes – no matter what he’s doing.

In preseason training, Evans was participating in a fitness drill in the Golden Dome at 7 a.m. with his teammates. He was lined up to do an obstacle course drill against his good friend, teammate and roommate Chris Ballester.

“The drill is that you have to chase the other guy around cones until you catch him,” Rizzi said.
“Chris and I are pretty competitive,” Evans said. “It was captain versus captain and I had to beat him. So I dove at the last minute and went into the bleachers. I didn’t want to lose. I landed on my elbow and cut it on the bleachers.”

Evans suffered a cut in the dive that kept him out of action for a few days.

“All that mattered to him was that he beat Ballester,” Rizzi said. “That’s the kind of competitor Nick is.”

“I think everyone on the team is pretty competitive,” Evans said. “I think that’s why we’re having a good season. We bring out the best in everyone.”

Rizzi believes that having seniors Evans, Ballester and pitcher Connor Medler living together as roommates has been a blessing.

“I really think that helps with the team getting along together, because they all get along together,” Rizzi said.

Evans is a criminal justice major (with a political science minor) at R-N and will pursue a career in law enforcement in some capacity upon graduation.

Although Evans is a Yankees fan, he did get a kick out of the fact that three years ago, the Mets recalled a rookie from the minor leagues who made a splash in his first few games with the team. That player’s name? Nick Evans.

“When I heard that there was a major leaguer named Nick Evans, I was a little disappointed he wasn’t in pinstripes (with the Yankees),” Evans said. “It was funny to see my name on television and in the headlines of the newspapers. My friends made a big point of it. It was pretty cool.”

It’s also cool that Evans has a role as the Scarlet Raiders’ closer.

“He wants the opportunity with the game on the line,” Rizzi said. “He’s a great kid. He’s prepared to pitch every single day. The best thing about him is how much he’s improved over the years. He’s really come a long way.”

“I like having the responsibility,” Evans said. “It has brought out the best pitcher in me.”