Oconto Falls High School graduate Mike Nompleggi put the time in, and it has paid off.
Seeking a starting role on the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater baseball team, the sophomore pitcher worked hard in the weight room, dedicated himself to conditioning, and tried to perfect his mechanics.
Midway through the season, Nompleggi secured the No. 4 starter role.
“The season went according to my plan,” said Nompleggi, a 2012 OFHS graduate. “I knew I wasn’t going to be a starter by any means at the beginning of the season. I knew I was going to come in and just close some games, come in in relief and then work my way up to getting a starting spot. I did that.
“I worked out awesome for me. It couldn’t have worked out any better.”
Nompleggi pitched in 14 games and had five starts, finishing with a 5-1 record, three saves and a 2.72 ERA in 46 1/3 innings. He surrendered a team-low 38 hits and 14 earned runs.
Nompleggi turned some heads out of the bullpen in an April 18 performance against St. Norbert, when the right-hander was brought in at the top of the fifth inning. He went the final six innings, holding the Green Knights scoreless, and earned the extra-inning victory by allowing one hit and striking out seven.
“I learned to keep the ball low, try to go inside on some hitters,” Nompleggi said. “I throw decently hard, so they can’t catch up with their hands inside. It was just keep the ball low, hit my spots both inside and outside, and just try and locate my pitches as much as I could.”
Nompleggi’s confidence grew after the victory and thought he persuaded the coaches to give him a shot as a starter. A few days later, UW-Whitewater coach John Vodenlich told Nompleggi he would start against UW-Platteville the following weekend.
“It’s always great to hear the perspective of the players, because for him, it sounds like he thinks the Norbert game was a pivotal moment in my decision to make him a starter,” Vodenlich said. “It actually happened quite a bit earlier.”
Vodenlich became high on Nompleggi near the start of the season following an impromptu practice at Illinois Wesleyan, after getting snowed in on the way to Vanderbilt. The strong-hitting Warhawks had difficulty against Nompleggi.
“It was that moment where I said, ‘You know, this guy can be more than just a closer,’” Vodenlich said. “Nothing against him as a closer, because we need closers as well, but at that level you’re not going to hold onto the best arm you have for the end of the game and hope you need him. Those guys typically end up becoming starters.”
Nompleggi was thrilled to get his shot as a starter.
“It was always a dream of mine to be a starter in the college setting or even like a minor-league setting,” Nompleggi said. “I just want to keep continuing my career as a starting pitcher.”
He saw limited action on the Division III national title Warhawks squad his freshman year, appearing in four games (one start) and threw five innings.
Nompleggi, who earned a championship ring that first season, made a giant leap between his first and second years.
“First year, I think he was very unsure of himself. I think he lacked mound presence,” Vodenlich said. “He didn’t have a lot of experience at our level, so he was fighting all those things. He then matured very quickly in year two. He had worked so hard on the mechanics and developing pitches that the minute he got confidence and mound presence, I think a lot of things fell into place for him.”
Similar to his playing days at Oconto Falls, Nompleggi is relying on his fastball and curveball, with a goal to add a change-up.
“Right now it’s just all about locating my pitches, and just being consistent with my arm angle and arm slot,” Nompleggi said.
Vodenlich doesn’t think Nompleggi needs to add another pitch to his repertoire.
“I would still say the first two (pitches) can improve in quality and the consistency,” Vodenlich said. “In order to be a solid starter at our level, you need to be able to have pinpoint command. His fastball plays well and his curveball and breaking pitch is a good one. … If you can get the command that you need, developing maybe that change-up, something that’s a little bit slower, would be the next piece of development.”
Nompleggi’s fastball is still his go-to pitch, hitting 90 mph on the radar gun, according to Vodenlich, an improvement since his Panthers days when he threw in the low 80s.
“He was really raw, very raw,” Vodenlich said. “His arm worked well, I thought, but there’s a number of things you have to develop.”
After two seasons, Nompleggi wants to become a full-time starter as a junior.
“As a sophomore, I think he did well enough in that role to absolutely make it his to lose,” Vodenlich said. “As we move into next season, I would expect him to be one of our starters and build off the success he’s had.”
Nompleggi isn’t content just being one of the starters, though.
“It’s time to get that No. 1 spot in the rotation,” Nompleggi said. “I understand we have a couple upperclassmen above me, but I feel as if I’m just as good or even better than all of them in the starting rotation.”
