David Nail is enjoying a lot of success, especially with his latest album I’m a Fire, which has already produced a No. 1 hit with “Whatever She’s Got,” and has another hit, “Kiss You Tonight,” making its way up the country charts. However, at a time when he was between record labels and not having any hits on the radio, a friend tapped him to help him coach some high school baseball players.

“When I was in-between record deals — kind of the beginning of the dark David Nail times — a buddy of mine, I guess, probably recognized that and asked me to help out with him and this summer team he was just getting started,” says David. “He was recruiting a lot of kids out from Mt. Juliet, and they had a really, really strong baseball program, and still do. So, I went out to help him and just fell in love with all of the kids and really just credit that with getting me through that period of time.”

David, who once aspired to be a major league baseball player, got a call this week to let him know one of them has made it to the Big Leagues.

“It’s neat to see some other people, especially something that’s so difficult and the odds are so against you in that, I guess, business, to see them work their rears off from the very, very low rungs of the minor leagues and to climb that ladder and to achieve that dream,” he says. “It’s one of those things where you can say you’re a ‘big leaguer,’ and nobody can ever take it away.”

Former Mt. Juliet High School baseball standout Taylor Hill was just 16 when David started working with him, and he just got called up to the major leagues by the Washington Nationals this week. A right-handed pitcher who played at Vanderbilt University (this year’s National Champions), he reeled off a 9-2 record so far this season for Triple A Syracuse. He joined the Nationals in Milwaukee on Wednesday (June 25th). He was also named the Gatorade Tennessee Player of the Year in 2007.

“I looked at my wife and said, “We’re gonna have to start recording National games, because I want to see when he trots out there the first time.’”

David Nail (major baseball player friend) OC: …the first time. 1:12
“When I was in-between record deals — kind of the beginning of the dark David Nail times — a buddy of mine, I guess, probably recognized that and asked me to help out with him and this summer team he was just getting started. And he was recruiting a lot of kids out from Mt. Juliet, and they had a really, really strong baseball program, and still do. So, I went out to help him and just fell in love with all of the kids and really just credit that with getting me through that period of time. So, to keep in touch with those kids as a lot of them achieve their dream of playing at Vanderbilt who’ve become a power in the SEC, to then get drafted and kind of work their way through the minor leagues. Obviously, there’s a little bit of living vicariously through them because there was a long part of my life where I felt like that was something that I would’ve done and was a dream of mine. But to get that call and immediately google it and see that he was in fact on the roster. I looked at my wife and said, “We’re gonna have to start recording National games, because I want to see when he trots out there the first time.’”

 David Nail (baseball player majors) OC: …take it away. :22
“It’s neat to see some other people, especially something that’s so difficult and the odds are so against you in that, I guess, business, to see them work their rears off from the very, very low rungs of the minor leagues and to climb that ladder and to achieve that dream. It’s one of those things where you can say you’re a ‘big leaguer,’ and nobody can ever take it away.”