The Nichols guys aren't quite finished at Dexter

For Cole Nichols’ entire athletic existence, his father, Rob Nichols, has always been a constant in his son’s development.

“He has put a lot of time into (sports) with me,” Cole said recently of his father. “He’s always taken me to the gym and worked out with me. He has been there on my side and saw me succeed.

“It has been a good thing.”

That special time isn’t quite over, though it is nearing an end, as Cole is a senior on the Dexter High School baseball squad.

Rob guided his oldest son through this past basketball season as an assistant coach, which was epic from a team perspective (the Bearcats won the MSHSAA Class 4 District 1 championship), as well as an individual one (Cole became Dexter’s all-time leading scorer this past winter). However, he also serves as an assistant coach for Dexter’s baseball team, in which Cole is the starting shortstop.

The two will be together today at East Park, as the Bearcats host Bernie (2-2) at 4:30 p.m., and Rob will be in the dugout doling out helpful advice when needed, as he always has. But when basketball season ended with a Sectional loss to Central (Park Hills) earlier this month, Rob was reflective about his time with his son.

“It’s been a great experience,” Rob said. “I think we did a pretty good job with it.”

Rob has made a concerted effort through the years to provide instruction, but not to be overbearing with it.

“We’ve got a great relationship,” Rob said. “We’ve tried to not ever take it home. There have probably been times where (mom and wife Christy Nichols) said that we did, but it wasn’t too much.”

Not only was Rob not maniacal with Cole, but the younger Nichols’ mild-mannered personality allowed his father to never get overly emotional with him.

“Cole has been great to coach,” Rob said. “He has always worked hard, so that made (coaching him) easy.

“He is a coach’s dream as far as how hard he works in practice and how hard he works in the off-season.”

Cole has had a painful, though successful, start to this baseball season. In Monday’s season-opening romp over Poplar Bluff, he got hit by a pitch on three occasions, but still managed two hits and scored four times.

In the Bearcats’ loss to Portageville on Tuesday, Cole had one walk and scored a run.

“We’re very proud of (Cole),” Rob said of him and his wife. “But you know, even without all of the (accolades), just to watch the process he went through (in basketball) and how hard he worked, I just hope that whatever is next (in his career), that he loves it the same amount, and he pours himself into it and keeps working.

“That is what we are proud of.”