“We kind of built this relationship,” Copenhaver said. “I was talking to Campbell the most out of all the other schools that were interested in me.”
But that changed when Shewmaker left to be an assistant coach at Vanderbilt.
“Things sort of fell through (at Campbell),” Copenhaver said.
Copenhaver, a 6-foot-4 right-handed pitcher, continued to receive attention from collegiate scouts as he made his way through prep ball. So he was still in good shape on that end.
“Fast forward, I decided to commit to Washington State,” said Copenhaver, who was attracted to the coaching staff at WSU and the way they developed their pitchers.
Copenhaver signed with the Pac-12 program in November and was able to focus on an anticipated deep run for Badin his senior year.
He went 5-1, had a 0.76 ERA and helped lead the Rams to a 29-2 record and trip to the Division II regional finals before they fell 2-1 to Chaminade Julienne.
No less than a week later — and right smack in the middle of Badin baseball’s youth camp — Copenhaver found out Washington State’s head coach and pitching coach left for Wichita State.
“We lost the Friday before and had camp the following week,” Badin coach Brion Treadway said. “He came up to me and said, ‘Hey, did you hear my (Washington State) coaching staff is leaving?’ I said, ‘What? No, I didn’t. What are you going to do?’
“I honestly think Nik was very satisfied and content with going to Washington State,” Treadway added. “He loved their coaching staff and the way they did things out there.”
“I just wasn’t going to go out there to get stranded if I didn’t know if I was going to be in good hands or not,” Copenhaver noted. “I had to get my NLI removed.”
“I asked him, ‘Do you want me to make some calls?’” Treadway said. “I went ahead and did it.”
Treadway reached out to Vanderbilt and chatted with Shewmaker about bringing Copenhaver on board.
“I guess the rest is history,” said Copenhaver, who signed with the Commodores this past weekend.
“When I first found out about all of this going down, I was kind of confused,” Copenhaver said. “Then we put some things together. Shewmaker went to Vanderbilt. I’ve had that connection since I was 14. It all worked out in my favor in the long run.”
“It’s early June. He just graduated. He had everything lined up and ready to go,” Treadway added. “There was a minute of, ‘Oh my gosh. What’s going on here?’ But it all worked out because he’s a tremendous talent.
“I think Vanderbilt is one of the top destinations for a college baseball player, and Nik Copenhaver can compete at that level. I’m super excited for the opportunity that he will get there.”
Copenhaver said he plans on studying economics or a Vanderbilt-specific degree in Human Organization and Development.
Copenhaver finished his career at Badin with a 12-5 record, 2.34 ERA and 204 strikeouts. He didn’t allow up a home run during his high school career.
About the Author