On Monday, Nov. 13, 2023, North Penn seniors Henry Wetzel, Nolan Walker and Nick Palovich will continue their baseball careers at the collegiate level.
Nick Palovich – Skidmore College (Baseball)
Final list of colleges: Skidmore, Franklin & Marshall, Middlebury
Reasons for choosing Skidmore: “I chose Skidmore because I love the coaching staff, and I really felt welcomed when I went out there.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in baseball at the collegiate level? “I started a little bit later 
than most people. I was in ninth or 10th grade when I knew I wanted to play, but I didn’t know what to do about it. At the end of 10th grade, I had a friend who was on a team with a coach that talked to a lot of people. I joined that team and played through the summer. He saw how I progressed, and he talked to some guys to help me get into some camps.”
Coach Kevin Manero says: “I remember seeing Nick play as a Connie Mack pitcher. He was always a little more on the diminutive side compared to other pitchers, so he had to work really hard. He’s definitely not a kid that was blessed with all the physical tools that most pitchers have, but he makes up for a lot of that with his work ethic. I remember when he first came up and did a pitching lesson the summer coming into his 10th grade year. He just had really compact mechanics. You could tell he was a student of the game, and he is really smart, so his intelligence and his ability to study his own game has really helped him. He’s the kind of kid that after every game he’ll always ask me to send him his pitching chart, so he can look at all of his pitches and all his execution, and I know that’s going to lead to very good things for him. That’s the way he’s wired. He’s got great stuff, and he has a big chance to help us this year, and he’s definitely going to be the true epitome of the term student-athlete at the next level.”
About Nick:
Favorite food: Any type of pasta
Favorite movie: Interstellar
Favorite music: Rap
Nolan Walker – Bloomsburg University (Baseball)
Final list of colleges: Bloomsburg, Binghamton, East Stroudsburg, Misericordia
Reasons for choosing Bloomsburg: “I chose Bloomsburg because I thought it was the best fit for me - great academics, great campus and an amazing baseball team along with great coaches and great teammates.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in baseball at the collegiate level? “Throughout community
ball, I always had the feeling I would, but I’ve always played soccer too up to my sophomore year of high school, so I didn’t know if I wanted to play soccer in college, but once I started really excelling in baseball and everything started to get a lot better, I decided I wanted to play baseball in college. My love for the sport went up. In high school is when I decided I really wanted to play in college, so I changed to a new team, and I put in a lot of work to get recruited.”
Coach Kevin Manero says: “Nolan has got every physical trait that a college coach would want in a pitcher – he’s a tall, lanky lefty with a really strong arm. For Nolan, it’s been a constantly evolving process where he’s just refining his craft and getting better and better, but above all, he's just got a tremendous work ethic, he’s super coachable, a great kid in the classroom, a great family, so all those qualities will help him out. Coach Collins saw him pitch last year, and he saw him at some of his best and some of his lower moments, but he never wavered from wanting him there. I think he sees some of the qualities in Nolan that we all do. He has a really live arm, and he’s got some really tough stuff. From the arm angle he throws from, his ability to mix his pitches – fastball, off-speed, he’s got a really tough repertoire. Hopefully, he has a big senior year for us this year and carries it into next year.
About Nolan:
Favorite food: Buffalo wings or cheeseburgers
Favorite TV show: The Rookie on Hulu
Favorite music: Country
Henry Wetzel – Penn State Harrisburg (Baseball)
Final list of colleges: Penn State Harrisburg, Arcadia, Ithaca
Reasons for choosing Penn State Harrisburg: “I was talking to Arcadia and Ithaca, but Penn State Harrisburg has the best coaching staff and the best campus.”
What was the progression that led you to competing in baseball at the collegiate level? “It’s always been my
dream to play in college ever since I was a little kid. Ever since I could walk, I’ve been able to swing a bat and throw a ball. The recruiting process started this year. I was in contact with about 60 coaches, and then I narrowed it down.”
Coach Kevin Manero says: “Henry is a very unique kid. He’s got a really big personality, the guy you want at the center of the team as far as personality goes. He’s had two brothers that have come before him – his whole family has been a baseball family. I keep hearing stories about how as a little kid he would always be rolling around in the dirt. Coach Yanni likes to talk about that - how he'd be that dirty kid off on the sides all the time. That’s his whole mentality – he plays really hard. I know it’s a cliché, but he will go through a wall for anybody on his team. You just can’t teach that. You can teach kids to be a little more confident and aggressive, but he brings that to the table. A really interesting thing about Henry was that when he first started his North Penn High School baseball journey - we didn’t have him up on varsity his sophomore year. We had him down on JV. We came back from Florida, and we heard really good things about him, and we decided we needed him up with us, and he has never left. We have found a million ways to use him as an outfielder, as a pitcher, as a closer, hopefully, this year as a starter. He can do a lot for us.”
About Henry:
Favorite food: Any type of chicken
Favorite TV show: The Office
Favorite artist: Bob Marley
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