Teamwork is important to Naperville Central senior shortstop Pambos Nicoloudes.
The Illinois-Chicago recruit is a second-year captain for the Redhawks.
“It’s the personality that I have that I’m always looking to do something for the team,” he said. “Whether playing on the field or off and getting everyone together on a weekend, I carry proudly setting a great example for myself and my teammates.
“I take pride in a lot of things. Maybe that’s the pride that comes with being Greek. It’s something very special to me.”
Nicoloudes’ leadership became even more important to Naperville Central when Vanderbilt recruit Colin Barczi, a two-time DuPage Valley Conference player of the year, was sidelined for nearly three weeks this month. Losing Barczi, who hit .482 with 13 home runs and 31 RBIs in 2022 and is one of the top catchers in the state, looked like a major blow.
That further motivated Nicoloudes.
“Being a leader has been something I’ve always taken pride in,” he said. “Being a very senior-heavy team, we have good chemistry with one another, which is why we’ve been able to produce.”
Naperville Central (11-7, 5-4) has six college-bound players, but coach Mike Stock said Nicoloudes is the heartbeat of the team.
“He’s somebody who appreciates all his teammates and what they bring,” Stock said. “He’s been doing great for us. He’s a great captain and a catalyst.
“Being a captain is very important to him. He sets the tone for us. He’s more out front of things with his leadership. He’s very vocal and communicates well with me and the other coaches. Even as a sophomore, he took a leader role on the team.”
Nicoloudes, who was named all-conference in each of the past two seasons, has been a consistent producer for the Redhawks at the top of the order, as well. He has reached base in every game and is hitting .393 with a .568 on-base percentage, three home runs, 26 runs scored and 11 RBIs.
“Having him in the middle of the infield and at leadoff, he’s in the middle of everything,” Stock said. “He’s having a great year. He’s our table setter.”
Nicoloudes, who lived in Chicago before moving to Naperville in seventh grade, said his childhood shaped him.
“I was put in a very tough environment where I had to stand up for myself and also take pride in myself,” he said. “You have to respect people. I endured some hardships, but sometimes you can grow from it.
“Growing up in the city made me mentally tougher, and that translated to the baseball field. You have to be mentally tough because baseball is a roller-coaster. You have to balance everything and stay on middle ground.”
Nicoloudes, who played in the frontcourt for Naperville Central’s boys basketball team during his junior year, decided against returning to the team so he could be better prepared for the baseball season. He said he didn’t want to subject his 6-foot-1 frame to the pounding and instead packed on 10 pounds of muscle.
“I worked on becoming a better athlete,” he said. “I made sure to get stronger, quicker, faster and bigger. With basketball, that was not possible because of all the running, not having time to lift. Taking the year off from basketball has really shown in my progress in baseball.
“I have a different mindset, one I kind of created for myself because senior year is something very special, not just for a baseball player, but in general. I wanted to go out and be proud of what I’ve done in the last three years.”
Bobby Narang is a freelance reporter for the Naperville Sun.