MSUB SPORTS – For most children at the 9-12 age range, Little League Baseball is when the fundamentals of the game are first developed. From throwing the baseball with a four-seam grip to keeping the head down on a swing, Little League is the environment in which boys first learn the ins and outs of America's pastime.
 
From parent coaches to free snow cones after games, the atmosphere of a Little League game is one that promotes having fun and enjoying the game above all else.
 
But there exists a place, even at the most introductory level of the game, which embodies the true spirit of the game. A place where the grass is a little bit greener and the hands crafting the mound and chalking the base lines are a step up from the Average Joe volunteer at a given ball field. A place where boys are treated like celebrities, shepherded from place to place and limited in contact to the outside world – even from their parents. A place where the true international side of the game converges into one, a taste of cultural diversity rarely experienced by boys of this age.
 
The place is Lamade Stadium in Williamsport, Penn., and the setting is the Little League World Series. It's a reminder that, if your team can bond together and play well enough, there is a promise land even for the most innocent and amateur of participants.
 
Tune in to the Little League World Series, and you'll get a glimpse of the fantasy world these boys live in for a week or two. From the ESPN-like video introductions to the microphones worn by coaches that capture in-game audio, it is truly a world-class production. It is an experience that garners local support beyond belief, with entire states and even regions banding together to back boys who have become hometown heroes.
 
Step into the mind of someone who has participated in the LLWS, however, and you'll truly begin to understand just how unique of an experience reaching baseball's youth paradise is. Step into the shoes of Montana State University Billings senior catcher Trevor Nix, and you'll find out just how far the game he loves can go, even at its lowest level.
 
STAR STRUCK
 
When Nix and his teammates from Murrayhill Little League in Beaverton, Ore., first pulled into Williamsport, the top of Lamade Stadium was all that was in their line of sight. The towering light poles and illuminated, white, "Welcome to Howard J. Lamade Stadium" sign commanding their gaze and beckoning them to venture forth towards the most unforgettable experience of their lives.
 
"I remember turning the corner and there was the stadium," Nix remembered. "It was unbelievable – the dream field."
 
The team had no more than a few minutes to take in their new surroundings, as they were quickly delivered to what would be their new home for the next few weeks. Teams were stationed in The Grotto, a makeshift dormitory-style setup that was

designed strictly for the young athletes and secured tightly to prevent anyone – parents included – from getting in.
 
"The only contact we were allowed to have with our parents was for about an hour after each game, right inside the gates," Nix remembered. "It was like a college experience for a 12-year-old."
 
With the setup of the LLWS pitting the top international teams against the top teams from the United States, The Grotto served as home to boys from across the globe. Stationed adjacent to Murrayhill was the team from Japan, and the two got to know each other well throughout the week.
 
"Each U.S. team was put next to an international team by design, and we were right next to Japan," Nix remembered. "That was a really cool experience and we learned a lot from them."
 
The swimming pool, arcade, table games, and full-service cafeteria hinted that Nix and company were in some form the youngest college athletes in the country. The lanyards they were provided with, along with two sharpies each for autographs, suggested maybe what they were about to be a part of was incomparable to anything.
 
"I have never seen 12-year-olds sign as many autographs as I saw back there," said Nix's coach at Murrayhill Jeff Keller. "They kind of became the darlings back there. Here we were this Podunk team from Oregon and we just kept winning."
 
All Nix's team had done before arriving in Williamsport was win games, as they entered the tournament undefeated after cruising through the district, state, and regional playoff levels. After winning the Oregon state championship, Murrayhill took off on the road, with the return to their home state undefined. It ended up being a month-long (28 days) venture away from their parents and families, a rare journey for a band of sixth-graders to share together.
 
One of Murrayhill's opponents along the way in regional play was the Little League team from Missoula, Mont., which featured another budding young star who would go on to rewrite the record books at MSU Billings in his college career. "I remember we played against Brody Miller and the Missoula team," Nix said. "We played them twice – in pool play and again in the semifinals."
 
Little did Nix know the connection he had made with one of his future college teammates, whom he surpassed as Murrayhill advanced to the finals. "We ended up winning a very close game in the regional finals against Alaska, and from then on it was all a dream," said Nix. "It was surreal."
 

 
After losing the first game at the LLWS – the team's first loss of the season – Murrayhill rallied for a couple of pool play wins and advanced all the way to the United States Championship game. It was there that the magical journey came to an end, as eventual champion Georgia knocked off Nix and his team.
 
"It was a rollercoaster the whole way, but we definitely thought we could win the whole thing," Nix said. "To lose was pretty devastating, but I told my mom before the game that it didn't matter what happened from there on out. We had an amazing season and were never going to match it again."
 
Upon departing in what seemed like an hour after he arrived, Nix was headed 2,700 miles back to the West Coast and his home town of Tigard, Ore. His bags weighed heavier on his shoulders than when he had arrived, filled with relics of remembrance such as his home run ball signed by Major League Baseball Hall of Famer and notable LLWS commentator Joe Morgan. But more than anything else, the dream he had lived and shared with his friends was one that had a permanent effect on the rest of his life.
 
DOWN, NOT OUT
 
The summer after Nix's freshman season at Treasure Valley Community College, he began feeling his passion for baseball fade. After everything he had been through in his youth, through a successful prep career under head coach Tom Campbell at Tigard High School, the experience of college baseball left something to be desired.
 
Nix was considering transferring to Oregon State University in Corvallis, Ore., to pursue his education and remain close to home. A week before classes were scheduled to start, he received a call from Greg Hawk, the head coach at Linn-Benton Community College, who had his eye on Nix since early on in his career at Tigard High.
 
"I tried to recruit him out of high school, but he had already signed with Treasure Valley by the time we got to him," Hawk, who has since retired, said. "I saw him play his junior year and had him in the Class 6A All-Star Series, and I knew by the time I contacted him again that he wanted to go to Oregon State. We were very fortunate to get him for his sophomore season."
 
"Coach Hawk called me that night and he was so excited," Nix remembered with a smile. "I went on to play there and had one of the most fun years of my life."
 
It was during his season as a Roadrunner that Nix underwent some of his most important transformations, as his time spent with Hawk taught him much more than just about baseball. "Coach Hawk was incredible, helping us grow up and become real men," Nix said. "He was very big on responsibility and helping us become the men that we wanted to be."
 
Even after helping Linn-Benton reach the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Colleges Baseball Championships, Nix was still convinced that his sophomore year would be his last as a student-athlete on the diamond. At the championships, Nix crossed paths with MSUB head coach Rob Bishop, who was impressed by the maturity and leadership potential Nix showed as a catcher.
 
When it came time to decide yet again if he would say goodbye to baseball, Nix couldn't help but give it one more shot and venture out to MSU Billings.
 
BIG CATCH FOR THE 'JACKETS
 
"You coach for a lot of different reasons, but one is to have an impact on your players and give back to them. Trevor was one of those kids who saw that even back in Little League. We have always had a good coach-player relationship, but now that has grown into a friendship with love and respect." – Jeff Keller on Trevor Nix.
 
Nix knew little about Montana before electing to become a Yellowjacket for his final two season of eligibility, but from what he had come to know about the Division II level he felt it would be a good fit. Moving to an environment that was conducive to his biggest hobbies – being outdoors and hunting – was also appealing to Nix.
 

Filling a valuable role for the 'Jackets behind the plate, Nix has started 46 games over the past two seasons. So far through 15 games his senior year, Nix is batting .328 with four extra-base hits, 10 RBIs and a perfect 1.000 fielding percentage in 71 total chances.
 
"Trevor has settled in this year and is definitely more comfortable at the plate," Bishop said. "His numbers early in the year show a drastic improvement in all areas on the offensive side."
 
In particular, Nix has fostered a strong relationship with the pitchers for the Yellowjackets, as there is a common understanding between them that carries off the field as well. "I've gotten really close with guys like Cody Cooper and Brady Muller, and they both love to hunt and fish like I do," Nix said. "With those guys being pitchers, there is a certain kind of relationship and we have just meshed especially well together."
 
After getting off to a 2-2 start in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play, Nix has high hopes for the 'Jackets in reaching the conference championship tournament this season. "I would like to go out with a bang and try to have the best record that Coach Bishop has ever had here at MSUB," Nix said. "All of our coaches have been great, and Rob has been incredible being there and motivating me."
 
"Trevor is a people person," Bishop said. "He is respected by all of our younger guys and does a great job encouraging and helping guys that need some positive reinforcement."
 
DREAM, BELIEVE, ACHIEVE
 
After starting out his baseball career with an unimaginable run to the LLWS, Nix has had time to consider what the game has meant to him as he completes his career as a college player this spring.
 
"Baseball teaches you more about life than people think," Nix said. "It is a game that breaks you down and really teaches you how to deal with failure. It teaches you to be a teammate and have peoples' backs, because it's not a one-on-one game and one person can't win the game by himself.
 
"I have also learned a lot about school, and that we are here as students first getting our degrees. It is really important to start life off how you want to – on the right foot."
 
Nix will graduate with a degree in environmental science, and has spent time in an internship with Ballard Petroleum Holdings in Billings. To those influences in his life, past and present, the level of ambition Nix has displayed towards pursuing his career is not surprising.
 
"I get the feeling that he has the ability to set his mind and heart on something and achieve it," Keller said. "No matter what it takes to get there, Trevor is willing to do it, and that is an example of the passion that he has in everything he does."
 
Among Nix's biggest role models are his parents Julie and Dave Nix, who have been by his side and had the chance to experience his baseball life along with him. "My dad has always been my inspiration for baseball and both of my parents in general have always been there for me," Nix said. "They raised me to be a kind, responsible person, to smile, and to always do the right thing."
 
Each time that Nix comes to bat for MSUB this spring, somewhere in the back of his mind he'll see the bright lights of Lamade Stadium. He'll remember the sound of the thousands of fans, the signs held up by the Murrayhill parents spelling out the team's mantra; Dream, Believe, Achieve.
 
"The way I explained it to those guys is like we were writing a book, and every level of our season was a new chapter," said Keller. "Every game was a page, and we were going to take it one page at a time."
 
For Nix, the piece he co-authored with his Murrayhill teammates was just one chapter of his own book, one that he continues to write today, one page at a time.