One day after a complete game victory on the mound against state ranked Great Bend, Nolan Dreher signed his letter of intent to play at Fort Hays State University.
As a younger player he "got to see the big kids" play at FHSU. Now Dreher is one of the big kids.
The senior right handed pitcher is 3-0 on the season with a 0.00 ERA. He has allowed two unearned runs through 18 1/3 innings. There have only been seven hits against Dreher while he has struck out 19 and walked only five. Opponents are hitting only .121 against him.
Hays High coach Dustin Dreher called him a bulldog on the mound. The pitcher's presence though is evident in the dugout during games that he doesn't play.
Dreher is 4-1 in his career over ten appearances with seven of those being starts. This season he has picked up wins over Liberal, Garden City and Great Bend.
Dreher's most recent win against Great Bend was a two-hit shutout where he faced just one batter over the minimum and threw just 73 pitches over seven innings.
Between high school seasons Dreher knew he needed to add size. The 2023 season he played at around 140 pounds. Now in 2024 he is at 170 pounds. The extra muscle and strength has helped him throw harder but also more efficiently.
While he has shown the ability to strike guys out Dreher has no problem letting his defense do the work. The future Tiger calls his current Indian teammates the defense in the state.