Nicholson joined the coaching staff of the Longhorns in 2009 as a volunteer assistant. He returned in the same role in 2010. For the 2011 and 2012 seasons, Nicholson was named the hitting and infield coach at Sacramento State where he helped tutor Rhys Hoskins.[2] In the summer of 2012, Nicholson returned to Austin, to join Garrido's coaching staff as hitting and infield coach.[3] Nicholson returned to Sacramento State in 2017, before joining the coaching staff of the Stanford Cardinal in 2018.
On December 13, 2021, Nicholson was named the head baseball coach of the UC Davis Aggies.[4]
National champion
Postseason invitational champion
Conference regular season champion
Conference regular season and conference tournament champion
Division regular season champion
Division regular season and conference tournament champion
Conference tournament champion