Next man up: Nolan Fontana

This could be a big year for Nolan Fontana.

A year after his West Orange High teammate Mason Williams became the first Warrior to play in the MLB with a June 12, 2015 debut for the New York Yankees, Fontana is hoping to become the second.

Fontana has worked his way through the minor-league organization of the Houston Astros, who optioned him on March 20 to the Triple-A Fresno Grizzlies after he had played with the big-league club through most of Spring Training.

Fontana, a 2009 West Orange graduate from Winter Garden, had an acclaimed varsity career including a walk-off homer to give the Warriors a district title, and he helped USA Baseball win the 2007 World Youth Championship in Venezuela. 

In 200 games for the Florida Gators, he earned numerous conference and national awards, such as becoming the first Gator shortstop named to the SEC All-Defensive Team thrice. The Gators won the 2011 SEC Tournament and finished second in the College World Series.

Most recently, Fontana helped the Fresno Grizzlies win the 2015 Triple-A National Championship.

How many times in the major-league Spring Training camp is this for you now?

This is my second big-league invite.

Has this one felt different from prior ones?

Yeah, I mean anytime you have a little more experience, it'll feel a little more comforting, a little easier, getting more accustomed to it.

What memories in your journey through the minors have stood out to you?

The most recent one for me would have to be last year. We won Triple-A -- the national championship. It was an extremely fun season. The group that was with me made it that much better. We were all pretty close in that clubhouse.

With Mason Williams debuting last season, does that make it seem any realer to you that you're one level from 'The Show'?

I don't know if that changes my perspective on it. You just kind of take care of yourself each and every day and know what you need to do to continue success. It's really one day at a time — I don't look too much ahead, anything beyond that.

Some have praised your batting eye to the point they've compared you to Kevin Youkilis. Are plate discipline and plate vision aspects of your game you've always taken pride in?

Oh, absolutely, it's something since growing up that I worked on. It's always a work in progress, but it's also something I take pride in. It's always been part of my game.

How did you hone those?

You can do it in the cage; you can do it on the filed; and it's mostly game situations. You just bear down and you focus. You got to do the same thing in BP as you do in the game. You don't go outside of a certain zone. You know what zones you have in certain counts and what pitches you're looking for in a certain area. You take that from the cages to the game.

What's the biggest facet you need to work on to get the call up this year?

You just got to play well and help your team and focus on only helping your team each and every day, and that'll hopefully benefit you as a player. That goes for everyone, not just me, but I would say all around, you got to be the top all around to make it there and stay there.

You have gone back to school to finish your degree in the offseason — could you tell us more about that?

I went back and I did one semester. I have one more semester left to finish my degree. So I'm not quite there yet, but a little closer. My major's family, youth and community sciences. Several of the guys have done it previously. It's something that intrigued me, something that had to do with nonprofit organizations, and I see myself being a part of down the road. Not sure exactly what I will choose, but definitely see me doing something along those lines and probably coaching after my career, but as I keep saying, one day at a time.

Did being Lew Burdette's grandson play a role in your desire to play baseball growing up?

Absolutely, 100%. I mean, I played all types of sports growing up, but baseball definitely, from early in my high-school career, I was pretty certain that's what I wanted to do. My mom and dad, they raised me and they helped turn me into who I am today, as well as both my older brothers. I mean, there's an endless list of those who inspire me, in terms of my relatives and things like that. Hard work runs in my bloodline, so I think I got that from my parents.

Is there anything that still sticks out to you from playing at West Orange High?

Oh, yeah. Baseball memory-wise it'd probably be the district championship that we won over at the tournament in East Ridge. That was probably the biggest memory I have from there, but all the relationships are great, and some of them are still pretty strong. Jesse Marlo's there, and I've always had a pretty good relationship with him, and that's continued to grow.

Contact Zak Kerr at [email protected].