TheBakersfieldCalifornian.com

As little as six months ago, Kyle Nixon thought his athletic future lay in football, a sport that had also given him his nickname, Batman.

Turns out Batman can play a little baseball too, though, and that's a good thing for Cal State Bakersfield.

When the diamond Roadrunners came calling, Nixon listened -- and then chose them over other schools that had begun to show interest, like Fresno State and Point Loma University.

"I'm just excited to come out there," Nixon said. "It's an up-and-coming program, and coach (Bill) Kernen is an awesome coach."

Nixon celebrated his November signing with CSUB baseball Friday at Frontier.

Nixon had some interest from small Division I and Division II college football programs, but he eventually realized he had a bigger future in baseball.

"Last summer, I was thinking more towards football," said Nixon, a Frontier senior. "All you do over the summer in high school football is practice, so I didn't have time to play travel (baseball). But I think I have more tools for baseball, and I have a lot to learn."

CSUB, of course, is local, but there's plenty else to like about the program, too: It's on the rise -- just three years after they came into existence, the Roadrunners were on the brink of the NCAA tournament as an independent team last year, and now they're joining the Western Athletic Conference in time for Nixon's freshman season in 2013.

"That's definitely one of the reasons I liked it," Nixon said. "Everything we're going to do out there will be a first, since it's a new program. They beat some good teams last year, and they're going to the WAC. It's going to be awesome."

The Roadrunners also had four players selected in the top 20 rounds of June's MLB draft.

"They're really got some awesome coaches who can get you to the next level," Nixon said.

It's easy to see Nixon, an outfielder, becoming part of that group in a few years. As a junior he hit .485, the highest batting average in Frontier history, and helped the Titans to their second straight Central Section Division II championship.

"Kyle Nixon is the best baseball athlete in Bakersfield, so we are fortunate to have signed the best local player two years in a row -- (Centennial's) Garrett Pierce was a 2011 signee," Kernen said in a prepared statement. "Kyle not only has the baseball talent we seek in an outfielder; he has the competitive character and work ethic we require in this program."