Another Powell Pioneer made it official in early May, as Talon Nuss signed to continue his baseball career at Ottawa University, an NAIA institution in Surprise, Arizona.

“I had a couple of offers. Went to all of them, had one in Kansas, nice coaches. I loved the coaches in Mesa too. But Ottawa, there’s just something different about the school and the environment,” Nuss said. “I loved being down in Arizona, and the facilities were amazing down there. Being so close to the (Kansas City) Royals and the Texas Rangers training facilities, I just figured there was a lot of opportunity down there.”

Nuss is currently in his second year as the starting shortstop, as he played limited time two years ago on the Pioneers second state championship team before becoming a full-time starter last year.

Nuss held a .256 batting average, adding 18 RBIs and scoring 37 runs last season.

Production this season has started strong for Nuss as the second hitter in the lineup, recording 11 hits, six RBIs, scoring 12 times and drawing the most walks on the team with seven in just 11 games so far.

“From watching Brock [Johnson] and all the kids above me, and [Jason] Borders was a huge factor helping me grow throughout the program,” Nuss said. “I take a lot of pride in my leadership abilities. So to get that starting position as a shortstop kind of solidified that. I love being a leader on the field and controlling the infield.”

Those leadership qualities Nuss takes pride in came from his upbringing, which he said helped lead him to where he is today.

“That’s always what I’ve taken pride in is controlling the field. A big part of that communication is just controlling everyone’s effort and attitude around you. Leading by example is what my dad has always preached to me, and that’s what I stick to,” Nuss said. “My dad’s always been hard on me growing up, and when I was younger, I didn’t like that very much. But looking back on it, I couldn’t be more grateful that he was hard on me. I think it led me to where I am now. I’ve got to give a lot of thanks to him for pushing me this far and always having that support.”

Another huge part of Nuss’s development in high school came in a different way, as he was part of the Panther wrestling team, including winning a state championship in the 2024-25 season.

“Wrestling was a huge part. Came in as a freshman, way underweight. I didn’t think I could really do it. I knew it was going to be hard and I just kind of stuck to the grind,” Nuss said. “Throughout the years I got bigger, had a lot of belief from [Nick] Fulton, which was huge for me. [Cody] Kalberer was also one of my main mentors in the room. They just always believed in me and that gave me a lot of belief in myself to go do it.”

He said this year’s Pioneers are just getting started. They are a tight-knit group trying to get dialed in with some younger players coming along.

“I think we’ve grown a lot. We’re really tight as a group, as a brotherhood. We’ve got some younger kids like Carter [Fauskee], Ryder [Stewart] and August [Teten], I think they’re starting to get into the flow of things,” Nuss said. “As they start getting more confident, I think we’ll start dialing in the bats. I think our pitchers have got to believe in our young defense, and I think we’ve got one of the better defenses in the state. I think if we combine all of that together, we can make amazing things happen this year.”

Continuing on to Arizona Nuss said it has always been one of his dreams to play in the Grand Canyon State. 

“I’ve always dreamed of playing in Arizona, it’s kind of the center of baseball you could say,” Nuss said. “There are a lot of opportunities there.”

The Spirit just finished the 2026 season in April with a 36-16 record. Nuss said he plans to study business at Ottawa.