By REED DESALVO
The Natchez Democrat

The 10 year old arrived early to Sports Center in Natchez, where he was the first in line to receive an autograph from former LSU All-American and current Philadelphia Phillies star pitcher Aaron Nola.
“I was watching a Phillies game on television (last year), and he was starting against Tampa Bay,” Krevolin said. “He did really well, and my mom told me he was coming to Natchez and I wanted to get his autograph. I’ve met some (professional) players before, but never a real big star, so it was really cool to meet (Nola).”
The 6-foot-1, right-handed hurler signed autographs, took photos and shared laughs with fans and supporters for approximately 90 minutes.
“This means a lot to me,” Nola said. “It’s good to come out and see people over here wanting to get things signed, and this is kind of the first thing I’ve done in Natchez.”
Nola led LSU to a College World Series appearance in the 2013 season before being selected seventh overall in the 2014 MLB Draft. The 22 year old made his professional debut July 20, and he ended his first MLB season with a 6-2 mark, a 3.59 earned-run average and 68 strikeouts.
“I was coming off my worst Minor League start in my whole career,” Nola recalled of his first MLB start. “But I threw that out the window; I was starting new, and I was starting over.”
Nola is an integral part of a recent youth movement for the Phillies as the club attempts to revamp their roster with an influx of young talent.
“It was fun (playing in the Majors),” Nola said. “They welcomed me with open arms, like a family. We had a lot of young guys, but we still got to play with a lot of the guys that won the World Series (2008) —  Chase Utley, Ryan Howard and Cole Hamels, Carolos Ruiz, and all those guys. It was cool to be around them and watching them play the game. It was fun to sit with them and get their view of the game.”
Nola and the Phillies will open their 2016 campaign April 4 in Cincinnati.