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Nichting, Coomer have been key to Hamilton’s success

By Chris Masse 7 min read

Ray Nichting making a heroic sacrifice ended his baseball career. But it helped launch a Little League Baseball dynasty.

He passed the torch to son Tim who eventually joined forces with Ken Coomer and the duo helped West Side Little League from Hamilton, Ohio become a powerhouse. West Side is making its U.S. record sixth Little League World Series appearance. And to get another understanding of how crucial Tim Nichting and Coomer have been to that success, consider they have combined for nine Series appearances during that stretch.

Nichting, the team's manager this year, has been at the Series a U.S. record five times. Coomer, a coach, is making his fourth appearance. Ray Nichting lost his leg fighting during the Korean War after being drafted, cutting short his Minor League Baseball career. He soon began coaching and, after Tim's pro career ended, he joined his father's side.

Coomer came along 11 years later and West Side Little League Baseball took off like a rocket, with Nichting and Coomer providing so much fuel. While the spotlight shines on the players, Nichting having the most U.S. coaching appearances at the Series, with Coomer right behind says everything about their impact upon this team and league.

"I played baseball my whole life and when my playing career ended, I thought, 'What the heck?' I'll help out my dad whenever I can,'" Tim Nichting said. "My dad didn't get an all-star team until 1991 and what do you know, but he gets the job done and we got to the Little League World Series. I was like, "Shoot, I'm all in now.'"

"I take it year by year. I don't have a goal where I say, I want to win a certain amount of games," Coomer said. "I'm still competitive and I have a better understanding of things than when I started. I can't put a number on it, but I feel like I'll be coaching for a while. I'll see what life brings, but I enjoy it."

West Side has enjoyed having Nichting and Coomer coaching its players all these years. They coached West Side to a Series win Saturday when Hamilton thumped Massachusetts.

Both became Ray Nichting proteges, learning from a league legend and refining their skills as the years progressed. Tim coached with his father at the Series again in 1993 following the debut two years earlier. He managed the 2007 Great Lakes champion, assisted Coomer in 2010 and is back as manager this time.

Coomer made his first Series appearance during that 2007 run when West Side was the only team to beat world champion Warner Robins, Georgia all year. He then managed the 2010 and 2021 teams, the '21 squad reaching the U.S. Championship.

The West Side legends mostly alternate who manages and who assists each year. Occasionally, one may have it two years in a row, but it's mostly year-by-year. Last season Coomer was the manager for a squad which reached the Great Lakes championship, so in Little League teams it's sort of like Connie Mack and Tony LaRussa running the show together.

"It's exciting to have those guys be part it and help lead our players each year. They have set that tradition and that expectation and know the recipe for success and the board supports them with their vision," West Side Little League president Josh Davidson said. "They do a really good job with that collaboration and extending our vision. Those guys being there so many times; they know how to manage a team on and off the field and not let the moment get too big for the kids and get them to play hard but have fun doing it."

Like his father, Tim Nichting played Minor League Baseball, competing in the Montreal Expos farm system. Tim first learned how to play from his father and then how to coach, building on his legacy and leaving his own indelible mark upon league history.

Ray Nichting also heavily influenced Coomer who started coaching full-time in 1994. Both he and Tim are now coaching players whose fathers they once coached. But, while generations have changed, results have not.

West Side has captured 23 state championships, including an American-high 17 this century, and Nichting and Coomer have been a part of nearly each one. Ironically, a dynamic pair once was split with Nichting and Coomer coaching rival West Side teams. As individuals, both were terrific coaches. Together, they helped West Side launch one of the country's best Little League dynasties.

"When I started coaching, Ray and Tim were my mentors. We competed against each other for a while and we finally joined forces in 2006," Coomer said. "It's been 20 years since we started coaching together and we found a great connection and always stuck with it."

"Me and Kenny have been coaching together since 2006, and a lot of that damage (championships won) is coming in those years," Nichting said. "We learned well from my dad, and we're carrying it forward."

They have received help from people they once coached, too. Look at that 1991 West Side photo from the 1991 Little League World Series. Standing next to Nichting was 12-year-old all-star Chris Hilton. Now, Hilton is back at the Series, wearing the coaching hat as an assistant.

That says a lot about what has made West Side such a machine. Those who have enjoyed playing success there often enjoy sharing that knowledge and/or their experiences. Nichting and Coomer are still going strong, but they also have allowed others to grab the torch and fan the West Side flames.

That includes Chris Craft, an assistant who cannot coach in the dugout at the Series since only three are allowed there, but who also has played a vital role. All four coaches complement each other and Craft is the team's hype man, who also assisted during the 2021 run. Nichting and Coomer having the most U.S. coaching appearances, sprinkled in with alumni who have grown into their own strong roles, has essentially created a coaching dream team.

"They all work really well together," Davidson said. "They all have their own unique styles of coaching, but are teaching the same lessons, so it works out really well."

Nichting has been coaching since 1983 but, like Coomer, is not putting a timetable upon how long he will go. He knows he plans on being back next year as his granddaughter who is tearing it up in 11U, could be an all-star next year.

The thing is, while he is now coaching his own grandkids, Nichting's Little League family photo includes countless players he has mentored. So does Coomer's. One could say they are West Side Hamilton's fathers and Ray Nichting the grandfather.

However won describes it, what a family Nichting and Coomer have built.

"It's a nice feeling when you have guys you coached who are in their 40s coming up to you and still calling you, 'Coach,'" Coomer said. "You always want to give as many kids as you can this (Series) experience and getting here again is just as exciting as the other times. It's a new set of parents; 12 new kids and new coaches sometimes. It's fun to see the reactions when they first see the field and when they first set foot on the complex.

"That makes it really rewarding."

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