Nicky Nardini remembers it like it was yesterday.
He was just a kid — a freshman catcher playing on Neumann-Goretti’s varsity baseball team in 2009. The Saints hadn’t won a Catholic League baseball title since 1960 when the school was under the name Bishop Neumann. And the Saints defeated rival La Salle College High School, 3-1, in extra innings to win their first title in 49 years.
“As a freshman, I played on our first title team in about 50 years,” Nardini said. “It was pretty awesome. Me and Marty Venafro were two of three freshmen that ended up starting for three Catholic League championships.”
After a quick misstep in 2010, the Saints returned to the top of the PCL mountain in 2011 thanks to some magic along the way.
“We were getting 10-runned in the semifinals against La Salle,” Nardini said. “It was the fifth (inning) with two outs. (Josh) Ockimey hits a two-run homer as a freshman to keep the game going. We ended up winning 18-13. We had some absolutely crazy games.”
That included another wild semifinal during Nardini’s senior year as the Saints beat Bonner, 8-7, in 14 innings at Widener University that took more than four hours to complete giving the Saints three PCL titles in four years.
Nardini graduated high school and began playing baseball at the University of the Sciences but quickly found his way back to Neumann-Goretti to become an assistant coach, helping the Saints win three more PCL championships, along with the program’s first state titles in 2016 and 2017.
He took over the head coaching position in 2023 and won the program’s third state title a year later.
“The ’24 state championship run was pretty cool,” Nardini said. “That group was a lot of fun. The senior class really jelled. We had lost to La Salle in the PCL final but we put the pieces back together and that state final run was pretty cool.”
Nardini won 58 games in four years as head coach, but he said the 2026 season was a challenge. Nardini and his wife Bridget welcomed their first child in March. In addition to the sleep deprivation and baby responsibilities, Nardini was juggling his full-time job. There’s a lot more to coaching a team than filling out a lineup card and waving runners home from the third-base line.
“Last year was interesting, but with the baby being younger, it was a little more manageable,” Nardini said. “But it was still difficult. Being out of the house and the time commitment it takes to do this job as good as it needs to be done is tough. Running over there to make sure the field is ready and getting on buses was tough, too. I knew going forward and as my family would potentially grow, I just couldn’t give the same time that I think is needed. It was difficult but it was time to prioritize.”
Nardini said he spoke to his class of 2027 players and informed the school he would need to take a step back from coaching the Saints this season. No one is going to fault him for putting his family at the forefront.
“The title of dad just gets better every day,” Nardini said. “As she gets bigger, she knows who you are when you walk in and she smiles. It’s going to keep getting better but it’s going to get harder, too, when she starts running around.”
Nardini’s decision is an unselfish one. It’s never easy to know the right time to step away, but Nardini said he owed it to the program to do the right thing if he couldn’t give his normal 110 percent.
“Sure, I was scared to give it up. But I don’t want to be one foot in,” Nardini said. “I don’t think that’s fair. The title (of head coach) is irrelevant to me. If someone else took the title and I could help, I would be glad to do that. I just couldn’t handle all the priorities and all the responsibilities that come with being a head coach.”
The school is currently conducting interviews to choose the next head coach. Nardini hopes to still be around the program in a lesser role if the opportunity makes sense for both sides. A staple of the Neumann-Goretti program as a player and as a coach for the last 17 years, Nardini has instilled more baseball knowledge and life lessons in young players than he admits.
“The friendships that I made there will stick with me the rest of my life,” Nardini said. “As a coach, I always wanted to implement that and I think it’s held pretty true. A lot of our kids are still hanging out together and I see them at Phillies games. The bond is deeper than practicing every day and games. I think that’s the pretty cool part about Neumann-Goretti and the culture that is there.”
He excelled as a coach. He will do the same as a father. Nardini will just be instilling life lessons to a much younger audience.
“Coaching is definitely something I’m going to miss, and who knows? Maybe someday I’ll be back,” Nardini said. “But for now, ‘dad’ is going to be the focus.” ••
