For six games, UCLA’s Nickles was as good as any softball player in the world

One year ago, Madilyn “Bubba” Nickles was walking the red carpet at the ESPYs after being named the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year after her senior year of high school.

The former Merced High star continues to excel in the spotlight.

Playing for the 2017 Team USA Junior National Softball Team, Nickles was as good as any hitter on the planet during the World Cup of Softball XII in Oklahoma City last week. Playing against the seven other national teams, including the United States, Nickles led all players in the tournament with a .550 batting average. Nickles went 11-for-20 at the plate in six games.

Nickles also finished tied for second in the tournament with two home runs and 10 RBIs to help the junior national team go 4-4 to finish in fifth place.

“Yeah, it was pretty cool. It was a pretty big accomplishment,” said Nickles, who just finished her freshman season at UCLA. “I’ve learned so much. I’ve failed so many times I’ve learned what not to do, especially going through my first year of college. I look back at my first year on the junior national team (two years ago) and I can see how far I’ve come. Just going through a year of college and growing up has helped me mature so much as a player.”

Nickles is playing for Team USA for the third consecutive summer. The past two years she’s been the youngest player on the team, playing for the Junior National Team at the age of 17 in 2015 and then as the only high school senior with the USA Women’s National Elite Team last year.

The role changed for Nickles this summer as the only returning player on the team. She’s now the veteran the younger players look up to for guidance.

“It’s been different,” Nickles said. “I’m the same age now as most of my teammates. That’s definitely helped me feel more part of the team. It’s helped me relax more off the field and that carried onto the field.”

Nickles hit .282 with 10 home runs and 35 RBIs during her freshman season at UCLA, helping the Bruins reach the College Softball World Series. Nickles played a bulk of the season through a thumb injury.

A 3-hour hitting session before leaving with softball legend and UCLA assistant coach Lisa Fernandez also helped. Fernandez helped Nickles focus more on the mental approach and preparing for an at-bat before stepping into the box.

“She taught me how to go up with a strategy with my at-bats,” Nickles said. “Not just going into the box and trying to out guess the pitcher. It’s about beating the pitcher before you step into the box. Knowing what her tendencies are or what her go-to pitches are in certain counts.”

Nickles took those lessons with her to Oklahoma City.

Nickles hit safely in all six games she played in. She went 4-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs in a 5-4 win over Canada on July 5. She also had two hits, a home run and four RBIs in a 7-0 win over Puerto Rico in the fifth-place game on Sunday.

Nickles may have saved her best performances against Team USA National Team. She went 2-for-3 and scored a run in an 8-1 loss on July 7. She also went 3-for-3 in a scrimmage against the national team leading up to the tournament.

She wasn’t just getting those hits off anybody. In the scrimmage she hit a home run off of University of Florida ace Kelly Barnhill, who was named USA Collegiate Softball Player of the Year after posting a 24-3 record for the Gators this season with a 0.36 ERA.

Nickles performance this summer will definitely impact her chances of future summers playing for Team USA and eventually down the road a possibility of playing in the 2020 Olympics.

Nickles returned to Merced on Wednesday from Oklahoma City. It’s a short stay for her because she heads to Clearwater, Fla. for training on July. 17. Nickles and the junior national team will compete in the WBSC Junior Women’s World Championship in Clearwater July 24-30.

“Every year is different,” Nickles said. “There are always new players. It’s a different experience with each team. I’ve learned to take it day by day because you never know when your time is up. I don’t know if I’ll get to play for Team USA again. You hear players getting hurt. It really changes your perspective and I’ve learned to appreciate my opportunity to play on this team or just the opportunity to play softball.”

This story was originally published July 12, 2017 at 2:25 PM with the headline "For six games, UCLA’s Nickles was as good as any softball player in the world."