NORMAN — Wednesday was big for Nathan Thornhill for a couple of reasons. He led Team Texas to a convincing 9-1 victory over Team Arizona in the Heartland Baseball Classic. His 11 strikeouts in seven innings have been one of the highlights of the week-long tournament.
While all of that is important, the reason the day will stand out in Thornhill’s mind for years to come was simple: Papa was watching.
Those are the words Thornhill’s grandmother told him after she and other family members watched him shut down Arizona, who won the Sunbelt Tournament last year.
“They actually got to come and watch me pitch Wednesday,” Thornhill said. “So my grandma was out there with some aunts and uncles. And she even told me after the game that Papa was watching. I was glad they got to see me play before I go off to college.”
Thornhill’s grandmother, who lives in Sulfur, was referring to his grandfather, who passed away two years ago in Oklahoma during Thornhill’s sophomore season at Cedar Park High .
“It made me feel really good,” Thornhill said. “That shows that she is doing good and that she is staying positive about everything and that he really is watching and is in a better place right now. He is not in any more pain.”
Just as Thornhill heard the news of the severity of his grandfather’s condition, he was set to pitch in the 2008 Region II-5A semifinals in Texas. Telling neither his coach nor his teammates, the high school sophomore went seven innings and earned the 12-9 victory against Plano West.
Once the game ended, Thornhill flew with his family to Oklahoma to spend time with his grandfather one last time. He died two weeks later of pneumonia.
“It was tough, but in a sense, it was actually easy because it put everything in perspective — that baseball is a game and that there are rougher times in life,” Thornhill said. “I prayed before the game and God is in control of everything. I know he was watching and helping my grandfather, too. It put everything in perspective for me more than anything.”
Thornhill has become one of Texas’ elite pitchers. As a junior, he was 5-3, with a 1.80 ERA and 96 strikeouts. This past season, he turned it up a notch: On the mound, he held hitters to a .198 batting average against him, with a 1.67 ERA. In 63 innings, he allowed 21 walks while striking out 82. He was 5-2, with five complete games and one shutout.
At the plate, Thornhill batted .467, with 23 runs scored, 40 RBIs and 22 extra-base hits.
He was also the quarterback for Cedar Park’s football team, leading it to the postseason.
“The last four years have been great,” Thornhill said. “Considering I was a freshman on varsity, it has been good to grow up these four years playing against good competition every year. Throwing under the fire as a freshman helped me prepare for this week when you are facing good competition every day.”
“I feel like the four years have been fun. They have gone by fast.”
The next time Thornhill pitches against the calibur of talent he is facing in the Classic, he’ll be wearing burnt orange. He signed with the University of Texas in November, along with two other Team Texas teammates, Eric Weiss and Alex Silver.
When they played Team Oklahoma on Friday, they faced four future Sooners.
“We will be seeing these kids for the next three to four years in college baseball,” Thornhill said. “It’s going to start a rivalry and were going to start recognizing those faces when we do play them in college.”
Michael Kinney 366-3537 mkinney@normantranscript.com
