

(Courtesy of Johnny Holliday)

Georgetown Prep senior Nick Rolle was under a lot of pressure to find a creative way to ask his girlfriend, Holy Child senior Lauren Thomas, to prom. With an assist from his grandfather — MASN studio host Johnny Holliday — and Gio Gonzalez, Rolle’s promposal was a success.

“It’s interesting to see how things have evolved,” said Rolle, who did an excellent job of making me feel old during a phone conversation this week. “This day and age it’s kind of important how you ask. It’s almost as important as the actual night, especially if you have a girlfriend.”

Rolle considered his options before asking Holliday if he thought a Nationals player might be willing to play a role. Holliday said he could make it happen, and together they devised a plan.

Rolle and Thomas got field passes for the April 21 game against the Angels and watched batting practice from behind home plate. Gio Gonzalez emerged from the dugout, introduced himself to Rolle and Thomas, and told Lauren that he had a special signed ball for her.

“Lauren – Nick hopes you’ll go to prom with him,” it read.



(Courtesy of Nick Rolle)

“She smiled and was just really, really surprised,” Rolle said. “She said yes, and Gio hung around and joked with us for a few minutes. It was perfect; he was so down to Earth. He could’ve just given us the ball and walked away, but he spent some time with us.”

“I couldn’t tell if she was crying or laughing, or overcome with joy,” said Holliday, who knew Gonzalez, a South Florida native like himself, would be the perfect player to pull it off. “She was beet red, and Gio was extremely gracious.”

Rolle reports that he and Thomas had a great time at their prom doubleheader. The couple went to Holy Child’s prom on Friday and Georgetown Prep’s prom on Saturday.