Palisadian Rick Poulos knew his sons, Nick and Anthony, were athletic at a young age. They played multiple sports, but it wasn’t until a friend told Poulos about the Pacific Palisades Baseball Association that baseball became a family focal point. Now 19, Nick is a 5’11’ sophomore pitcher for Texas Christian University while the 6’3′, 170-pound Anthony is a junior pitcher for Palisades High. Both are looking to make an impression on their respective programs, much as Nick did during his time at Palisades High. Like many Palisadians, the Poulos boys started out playing basketball and soccer. But when their dad, an architect, heard from family friend Mike Lenard about PPBA, he decided to sign Nick up for the program at the Palisades Recreation Center. ‘At that point, Nick had never played organized baseball before, but both of the kids were really athletic,’ Poulos said. ‘So I looked into it and they practiced by throwing the ball. I don’t think they even owned mitts at the time.’ In practice one day, when Nick was eight, his Pinto coach, Mike Hong, had him pitch for the first time. ‘The next thing you know, Nick started pitching and just progressed unbelievably all the way through to the first year of Pony,’ Rick Poulos said. ‘I don’t know what caused him to throw as hard as he did.’ Nick polished his pitching skills at PaliHi under head coach Mike Voelkel, helping anchor a staff headlined by Jon Moscot, who played at Pepperdine University and was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the fourth round this year. Poulos credits Voelkel’s ability to train pitchers and his close relationship with players as a key factor in his development. ‘Coach Voelkel turned out to be a pretty good pitching coach,’ Poulos said. ‘One of the big things he taught us is that the only things that really matter are attitude and effort. I just kept that in mind throughout my high school career. He always told us to play the game like you do in practice. I always took that to heart, and it’s helped me a lot. He was a great mentor.’ A three-time All-Western League selection, Poulos posted a 0.80 ERA his junior season and a 2.10 ERA his senior campaign. Rick Poulos, who attended Grant High School in Van Nuys, lettered in football as both a wide receiver and cornerback, and was a long jumper in track. His wife, Tammy, grew up in Cleveland and lettered in basketball, tennis, softball and swimming in high school. After leaving PaliHi, Nick Poulos did not receive an athletic scholarship, but his strong grades enabled him to attend a school of his choice. At Texas Christian, he tried out for the baseball team and appeared to earn a spot on the 35-man roster as a walk-on. However, he was cut after the fall semester tryouts, leaving him to wonder if he had any future in the sport. ‘I didn’t really think about baseball at all from when I got cut until my coach asked me to try out again [in the fall],’ said Poulos, who as a freshman turned his athletic attention to playing quarterback on an intramural football team. ‘I didn’t really care about it too much at that point, but when he e-mailed me I figured I’d give it a shot because I wouldn’t have a chance to play baseball again in a competitive environment.’ Poulos, who is leaning towards majoring in business or entrepreneurial management, remained focused on his studies while continuing to lift weights to stay in shape until his coach reached out to him. He came out for fall practice and made the team, which opens the season February 15 and will play at USC in a three-game series May 2-4. Meanwhile, Voelkel will strive to impart his philosophy on Anthony Poulos, who joined the varsity squad for the playoffs last season after finishing the junior varsity season. Though he played only sparingly, he received good experience and a taste of things to come in his junior season. ‘I’m a lot better friends with kids on varsity because I know them through my brother,’ Poulos said. ‘There’s really good team chemistry.’ Three years younger, Anthony followed in Nick’s footsteps in the PPBA. Both were Pony (age 13-14) all-stars and it was clear their dad’s decision to focus them on baseball was a wise one. Though the brothers have never actually played on the same team ‘ Nick was a senior at PaliHi when Anthony was a freshman on the JVs ‘ and despite their competitive nature, they are always pulling hard for one another. ‘I definitely take a mentor role,’ Nick said. ‘I hope he becomes better than I do. He’s got the baseball build at 6’3′. I’ve always tried to teach him what I know. Hopefully he’ll play college baseball too.’ Echoing that sentiment, Anthony said, ‘We’ve always been really close. I definitely look up to him, especially in baseball.
This page is available to subscribers. Click here to sign in or get access.
