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The Cleburne Railroaders hosted their first taste of baseball at La Moderna Field with exhibition games between the Charros de Jalisco and the Pasta City All-Stars.
Among the roster of all-stars unfamiliar to the Railroader fans, a pair that share the title of being the face of the franchise made their return and final goodbye inside the diamond.
When Zach Nehrir was approached with the idea of coming back for one night, the all-star outfielder didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“I went out on my own terms and felt like I could still play the game,” said Nehrir. “Life happens and I was ready to move on but the opportunity came to lace them up again and have some fun, who’s gonna say no to that?”
Not swinging a bat competitively for 15 months, Nehrir admitted it felt like day one of spring training. In one at-bat, he got a barrel on a pitch that went to deep center field for a flyout; however, he said that the Charros got the best of him that night.
In his four seasons with the Railroaders, Nehrir averaged over 100 hits each year in his quest to get picked up again by an organization.
“Cleburne’s got a special place in my heart,” said Nehrir.
Once those calls stopped coming in and Nehrir felt he had spent enough time here, he decided to retire after the 2023 season.
Now, the father of a 5-month-old son works with Novus Clothing, selling custom sports apparel to all levels of teams from professional leagues to youth leagues, including the Railroaders.
The dad lifestyle has also taken over for Nehrir’s former teammate and recently retired Hill Alexander.
The 2024 American Association All-Star and member of the Eastern Division champion team welcomed his son a week after Cleburne’s first-round exit in the playoffs.
Playing in the second exhibition game last Wednesday, Alexander felt the difference in his physical shape but enjoyed the experience.
“You don’t really ever get to have that definitive closing chapter,” said Alexander. “That was the last competitive, professional game I’ll ever play.”
Alexander went out the same way he did throughout the 2024 season in the Charros game — swinging.
In his first at-bat, he hit one aggressively off the wall and had to shut it down at first.
No itch came for Alexander to return for another season in Cleburne as one of the team’s best hitters last year was already contemplating hanging up the cleats before the playoffs and the news of being a father.
“I love Cleburne and it was the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball,” said Alexander. “Ultimately, it was getting progressively harder to get back to an organization and that’s how minor league baseball was moving.”
The decision became easier for Hill the Thrill after batting .306 in his final year and knowing that he gave it his all. Along with a multitude of reasons that were out of his control, he was excited to spend as much time with his newborn son.
Alexander currently works for an agency named Equity Sports that prominently deals with NFL athletes. Helping out with the analytics and connecting with clients, he’s enjoying the added responsibilities given to him.
As for how Railroader Manager Pete Incaviglia reacted when Alexander retired, the outfielder was pleasantly surprised by it.
“I was nervous but he was awesome about it,” said Alexander. We had a great relationship and I would’ve loved playing for him again so that made it hard too, but he was completely understanding and didn’t try to talk me out of it.”
While closing the Railroader chapter, Alexander said he will be at La Moderna Field for opening night.
Continue reading...
Among the roster of all-stars unfamiliar to the Railroader fans, a pair that share the title of being the face of the franchise made their return and final goodbye inside the diamond.
When Zach Nehrir was approached with the idea of coming back for one night, the all-star outfielder didn’t hesitate to say yes.
“I went out on my own terms and felt like I could still play the game,” said Nehrir. “Life happens and I was ready to move on but the opportunity came to lace them up again and have some fun, who’s gonna say no to that?”
Not swinging a bat competitively for 15 months, Nehrir admitted it felt like day one of spring training. In one at-bat, he got a barrel on a pitch that went to deep center field for a flyout; however, he said that the Charros got the best of him that night.
In his four seasons with the Railroaders, Nehrir averaged over 100 hits each year in his quest to get picked up again by an organization.
“Cleburne’s got a special place in my heart,” said Nehrir.
Once those calls stopped coming in and Nehrir felt he had spent enough time here, he decided to retire after the 2023 season.
Now, the father of a 5-month-old son works with Novus Clothing, selling custom sports apparel to all levels of teams from professional leagues to youth leagues, including the Railroaders.
The dad lifestyle has also taken over for Nehrir’s former teammate and recently retired Hill Alexander.
The 2024 American Association All-Star and member of the Eastern Division champion team welcomed his son a week after Cleburne’s first-round exit in the playoffs.
Playing in the second exhibition game last Wednesday, Alexander felt the difference in his physical shape but enjoyed the experience.
“You don’t really ever get to have that definitive closing chapter,” said Alexander. “That was the last competitive, professional game I’ll ever play.”
Alexander went out the same way he did throughout the 2024 season in the Charros game — swinging.
In his first at-bat, he hit one aggressively off the wall and had to shut it down at first.
No itch came for Alexander to return for another season in Cleburne as one of the team’s best hitters last year was already contemplating hanging up the cleats before the playoffs and the news of being a father.
“I love Cleburne and it was the most fun I’ve ever had playing baseball,” said Alexander. “Ultimately, it was getting progressively harder to get back to an organization and that’s how minor league baseball was moving.”
The decision became easier for Hill the Thrill after batting .306 in his final year and knowing that he gave it his all. Along with a multitude of reasons that were out of his control, he was excited to spend as much time with his newborn son.
Alexander currently works for an agency named Equity Sports that prominently deals with NFL athletes. Helping out with the analytics and connecting with clients, he’s enjoying the added responsibilities given to him.
As for how Railroader Manager Pete Incaviglia reacted when Alexander retired, the outfielder was pleasantly surprised by it.
“I was nervous but he was awesome about it,” said Alexander. We had a great relationship and I would’ve loved playing for him again so that made it hard too, but he was completely understanding and didn’t try to talk me out of it.”
While closing the Railroader chapter, Alexander said he will be at La Moderna Field for opening night.
Continue reading...
