AJ Nessler is excited for the future of UCF Baseball.
The University of Pittsburgh transfer became the first player to commit to new head coach Rich Wallace, doing so during a Friday visit to campus.
Nessler, who graduated from Tampa Jesuit, just wrapped up his freshman season at Pitt. He started the first 27 games until a broken hand ended his season. In 99 at-bats, Nessler hit .293 with four doubles, three triples, two home runs and 28 RBIs.
After a year spent up north, which included playing on the road for the first month of the season, Nessler was hoping for an opportunity to return to the Sunshine State.
"Being a kid from Florida going up to Pittsburgh, it was a big learning experience enduring the cold weather," Nessler said. "On top of that, going on the road for the first month and then playing an ACC schedule. You have to adapt to different environments. I definitely enjoyed my freshman year. It was a great experience to build off of."
Wallace was introduced as UCF's head coach on Monday afternoon. Later that evening, Wallace reached out.
"I actually played against (Wallace) when he was coaching at Florida State," Nessler said. "That was before I got injured. I had a pretty good weekend offensively and defensively. I also talked to him when I was in high school and he was coaching at Notre Dame. On the day he was hired, I went to sleep early at 11:30 because I had a workout the next morning. The next morning, I saw I had a text saying, 'This is Coach Wallace from UCF. When you have time, let's talk on the phone and have a conversation.'"
They spoke the next day and made arrangements for a Friday visit.
"It went really well," Nessler said. "They showed me everything from the baseball field, facilities, the football stadium, academics. Basically, they showed me everything UCF has to offer. I really enjoyed all of it as did my dad."
Nessler was sold.
"Coach Wallace sat down with me and my dad and he talked about what he's trying to build here," Nessler said. "He explained it on the phone too, but really showed it today. It shows how much he cares for this program. How much it means to him. He expressed how much of an asset I'd be. He's going to have a great developmental program with the coaches he's bringing in. I sat there and thought about it with my dad. I told (Wallace) I'm all in. I want to win championships with him. He was pretty excited."
On the field, Nessler could play almost anywhere.
"When I came into Pitt, I came in as a utility guy," Nessler said. "I could play the infield or anywhere they need me in the outfield. We had an older guy in center field. There was an opening in left field. I'll play there if it helps the team win. That's the same thing I told Coach Wallace. He says he wants me to come in and play a little bit of left and right. If center is open, I could play there too. He wants me to come in and be an impact bat and play all over the outfield."
Nessler said he's mostly healed from his hand injury.
"Unfortunately in our first game of the weekend against Notre Dame (on April 6), I was facing a lefty in the ninth inning and I was hit on the hand by a 94 (miles per hour) pitch. I knew right away. It didn't feel too good. I went to a doctor and found out my hamate bone was shattered. They did some surgery and took out that bone. It's basically all back to normal now, but it did cause me to miss the rest of our season."
He's back in Tampa and working with a trainer. They decided it was best not to rush anything so he opted against joining a summer ball team.
Nessler knows several UCF players already, including Cole Russo, Kris Sosnowski and Dominic Castellano, all of whom are former Tampa Jesuit players. He's also tight with a couple football players.
"I've been friends with Xavier Townsend and TJ Bullard for a few years now," Nessler said. "In the mornings, TJ, Xavier and I used to work out together."
Nessler, who also visited South Florida, was always hoping to get the chance to play for UCF.
"I'm very excited," Nessler said. "As you can see from my posts this afternoon (announcing the commitment), the fans are invested in this program. They're going to witness this program take off with Coach Wallace. I want the fans to know this program is going in the right direction."
