Get to know Menomonee Falls alum, baseball player Nick Gile
MENOMONEE FALLS, Wis. — A baseball player since the age of three, Nick Gile played with Menomonee Falls Little League until the age of 10, then with Jr. Indians Baseball from U11-U13. His first year of high school, Nick was on the Menomonee Falls High School JV team and then played varsity for the rest of his high school career. While he was a member, the team won back-to-back state championships in 2015 and 2016.
He began his collegiate career at Madison College and then transferred to Illinois State, where he finished his junior and senior year, along with earning a degree in business administration. As a free agent, at the age of 24, Nick signed a contract with the Colorado Rockies in December of 2022.
Nick says, “My goal is to continually grow and learn every day – not just in baseball but in life. I know that if I remain curious, then I give myself the best chance to reach my full potential in all aspects of my life. My ultimate goal is to make it to the big leagues, but I don’t focus on that. I set my intentions on WHO I must become to get there – the choices, habits, sacrifices and perseverance it takes to achieve something nobody thought I could. That is how I’ve gotten to the position I’m in now.
“The most challenging part about baseball is the inevitable moments of failure. Even the best players in the world experience this and experience it often. It can happen over the course of a week or a month, when it’s constant struggle at the plate, in the field or on the mound. These stretches of failure can even last years, which, in my case, is something I have endured.
“After my sophomore year at Madison College, when I was playing the best baseball of my career, I entered into the worst play of my career for about two years straight. In fact, it wasn’t until my senior year at Illinois State that I got back to playing at the level I know I am capable of. Baseball has a way of humbling you and pelting you with failure until you make the necessary adjustments. The game was trying to teach me something, and it wasn’t until I made some changes that I could enjoy the fleeting success this game brings.
“I make mistakes every day, every game. How I overcome them is by thinking neutrally. Not thinking negatively, but also not pretending to be positive when adversity hits. Staying neutral allows me to deal with the facts of the situation – good or bad – and address what the next moment needs out of me. That is where my attention goes. Each moment has a life of its own, so the best thing we can do is be the best version of ourselves right now.”
Nick says the best advice he has ever been given was: “Always stay true to yourself.” He loves that baseball is a metaphor for life. “You’re always going to fail more than you succeed, but how you deal with those failures tells the whole story of who you are.”
Being part of a team has taught Nick that “all you control is what you bring to the table in terms of your value as a teammate. I have always focused on being the best I can be so that, collectively, the team is better as well. At the end of the day, you can’t truly motivate someone to want to be good at what they do. As a leader, you have to build true and caring relationships with your teammates in order to be critical and hold them accountable when necessary.”
Outside of baseball, Nick enjoys being active and getting outdoors. “I love to longboard and surf. Wisconsin doesn’t allow me to do that much, so one day I plan to live where I can do that year round.” He’s also very competitive, so he has fun playing cards and board games. In his down time, Nick loves to read and listen to music.
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