Always Finding Time and Reason to Praise

Baylor Nolin excels in multiple sport but remains grounded through his deep faith in Christ

By John Herndon, 110forChrist.com

NEW CASTLE, Ky. – Baylor Nolin’s family just knew when it looked like he would be a ball player.

Not just a basketball player. Not just a baseball player. Ball player.

“It was probably when he could crawl,” Baylor’s mom, Fran Nolin, remembers with a smile.

“It was when he was in his playpen,” says Baylor’s grandfather, Rick Schepman. 

And when he started talking, Baylor soon learned to say “ball.” His love for a round object that bounces hasn’t waned.

“We have a video of him when he was one-year-old in his (Cincinnati) Reds outfit for baseball,” Fran Nolin continues. “When he was two, the photographer caught him when he was shooting baskets. He has just always loved basketball and baseball. Whatever season is in, that’s what he wants to do. He’s never been interested in anything else.”

In baseball, the Henry County junior shortstop-pitcher is hitting over .400 so far in his high school career. For basketball, the 6-foot-5 guard/wing has accumulated 2,421 points in 121 games, according to statistics published on the Kentucky High School Athletic Association website. He’s been a four-year fixture in the Wildcat lineup in both sports and even saw action in one basketball game as a seventh-grader.

“My favorite sport is what’s in season,” Baylor said a few minutes after Henry had rolled past Eminence 10-0 on April 23. “During basketball, I will say basketball. In baseball, I say baseball.”

Where Nolin plays on the field doesn’t matter. He’s effective shooting threes as well as working in the paint. He can dominate a game from multiple positions or lineup spots. 

“He’s a great athlete,” Henry baseball coach Paris Walker said. “He plays short for us. We can put him in the outfield. He pitches for us and he’s one of our main hitters and he’s one of our main leaders.”

And during his high school years, Nolin has picked up golf for the fall sports season. He says that being in the links has helped him with the mental aspects of competition.

Regardless of the sport, Nolin stays grounded in his deep faith in Jesus Christ. 

Never was that more on display that in the final basketball game of Baylor’s junior season. Henry County, playing on its home floor, was gunning for its first regional final appearance in 61 years, The Wildcats led Spencer County, 41-33, with less than two minutes to play in the third quarter only to see Spencer control the final five minutes for the win. 

But a Henry tradition is to form a prayer circle immediately following every game. Spencer also observes the time of prayer and less than a minute after Henry’s first 20-win season since 2014 had ended, the bands went silent, the cheering stopped and the teams prayed together at midcourt. In the center, leading the prayer was Baylor Nolin, who had been limited to 11 points, half his average.

“I always want the chance to speak His name and always praise Him,” Nolin says of the powerful moment. 

It was a moment not lost on the packed house at one of Kentucky’s largest high school gymnasiums. 

An opportunity that a precious few Henry County fans had ever experienced had slipped away. There were tears. There were stunned gazes and sighs of resignation. Yet, Baylor was keeping his commitment to praising God regardless of the outcome.

“To be honest with you, I still think about it to this day,” Baylor’s father, Bryan Nolin, says. “We had talked about it being so tough and we hadn’t done it in so long and everybody was hyped. 

“It was pretty special to see something like that. You go out there and see your son leading like that. Then for a couple of days after that you would see stuff on social media and where someone has posted and I was really proud. It’s really special for the whole family.”

Fran Nolin adds, “I was so proud. We are a very sports-oriented family but we are also very strong in our faith. He had been a little bashful with that. The first time he led in prayer, he was a freshman. It’s kind of humbling, but I believe we need to thank God and recognize Him for the talent that He has given.”

The Nolin family is active at New Castle Christian Church.

There is little question that Baylor possesses substantial athletic talent. Last basketball season, Baylor scored 22.3 points and grabbed 6.7 rebounds a game. As a sophomore, he tallied 24.4 points and 5.3 rebounds a game. 

Through 20 baseball games this spring, Nolin is hitting .365 with four home runs and 16 rbi, all second on his team behind classmate Jaylen Hortenberry. Last spring, the numbers were .511 with four dingers and 31 rbi in 26 games.

“Most definitely, they are pitching me differently this year,” Nolin explains. “There’s more offspeed stuff and pitching around me. Against Eminence on April 23, Nolin went 1-for-4 with a double and drove in a run.

It was a big payback after Eminence had scored a 5-3 win two days earlier, the Warriors first win over Henry since 2004. “We were ready to get back out here,” Baylor said.

The Wildcats hope to continue playing with that passion heading into the final weeks of the season. Their 8-12 record (through April 24) is a bit deceiving as they are 5-1 in district play and 5-3 against regional foes. They are gunning for their third consecutive 31st District title. 

“We can definitely win the district again,” Baylor says, “and we want to make a good push in the regionals. We know each other and play together really well.”

With a little over one year left in high school athletics, Baylor is faced with several decisions about his future. Will he play baseball or basketball in college? Will he attend a college where he can do both?  What collegiate level will be the best fit?

And basketball could be doubly tough. 

“He told me he always knew his senior year would be different,” Fran Nolin says. 

Indeed. Eight of the ten Wildcats who saw action in over half of their games will graduate in May. Then the only head coach Baylor has ever known, Derek Tingle, accepted an opportunity to coach at regional rival Collins.

“That will be very tough for him,” Baylor’s mom says. “He’s upset about that and he’s worried.”

But Baylor was philosophical about the move. “Really, I was shocked. I had heard around school that he might be leaving. He made a choice that he thought was best for his family.”

The teams have not played annually but Henry did take a 68-62 win over Collins in January. Baylor scored 27 points and grabbed seven rebounds in that one. If the teams meet up in 2026-2027, he says, “It will be emotional, but I think it will be all right.”

And regardless of the outcome, you can be sure that Baylor Nolin will find a way to praise God.

Baylor Nolin has athletic excellence in his blood

When Baylor Nolin’s basketball prowess started getting noticed during his freshman year at Henry County, it was not uncommon to hear the word “special” used to describe his ability.

He’s 6-5 but can knock down 3-pointers. On the baseball diamond, he can be intimidating on the mound but exhibits the joy of just having fun in the field.

He gets his ability honestly.

Baylor’s mom, Fran Schepman Nolin, is regarded as one of the best girls’ basketball players in Henry County history. Despite suffering an ACL injury during 1994, her senior year, she was able to wear a brace and return to the court for district and regional play that year. She had also played softball and golf and ran cross country in high school. She went on to play a year of college basketball at Eastern Kentucky University. 

Baylor’s dad, Bryan Nolin, played on some solid Henry County basketball teams in the early 1990s but baseball was his best sport. He went on to play collegiately at Lindsey Wilson College.

Baylor’s younger brother, Hampton, has seen action on the Henry baseball and basketball teams as an eighth-grader this year.

Baylor’s first cousin, Betsy Huckaby, was named Kentucky’s Miss Soccer in 2022 and currently plays for the Louisville Cardinals. He has several other relatives that have played sports at the small college level while his grandfather, Rick Schepman, starred several sports at Carroll County High School and has been a longtime coach at both Carroll and Henry.

Finally, Baylor’s great-grandfather, Layton “Mickey” Rouse, was a star basketball player at the University of Kentucky for Adolph Rupp from 1937-1940. Mr. Rouse, who died in 2012, was Rick Schepman’s father-in-law.