Merced’s Nickles, Elgin sign national letters of intent

Softball has opened the door for Madilyn Nickles to do many things during her life, including playing for the Team USA Junior National Team this summer and traveling the country.

Now her softball talent and her hard work in the classroom is paving her way to UCLA. The Merced High School senior signed her national letter of intent Wednesday. On Thursday, she celebrated with family, friends and coaches during a ceremony at the Merced High gym.

“It’s been awesome what softball has allowed me to do,” Nickles said. “I’m going to college, I got to play for team USA and meet some of the best athletes in the world. I’ve been able to travel all over the country because of this sport. I wouldn’t have been able to do that without softball.”

Making Thursday’s ceremony even more special, was that she got to share the day with fellow senior Kathryn Elgin, who accepted a scholarship to play water polo at San Jose State.

“Today was really special,” Elgin said. “I worked hard for this and it’s a relief that it finally happened. To share it with my best friend is awesome. Maddy and I have talked about this for a long time. It’s awesome to share this incredible moment in my life with her.”

Nickles has been attached to UCLA since middle school. She verbally agreed to accept a softball scholarship before playing a game at Merced High and she’s never wavered throughout high school.

FloSoftball has Nickles rated as the No. 2 softball recruit in the nation. The Bears star is the only high school player in the country to be invited to train with the USA National Team in Irvine in January.

She was named an All-American last spring by FloSoftball, MaxPreps and USA Today.

Nickles hit .526 with eight home runs and 46 RBIs. As a pitcher she went 22-6 with 1.18 ERA, finishing with 287 strikeouts in 178 2/3 innings. She pitched five no-hitters.

Nickles is excited to go from being a Bear to a Bruin.

“I’ll always be a Bear,” Nickles said. “I’ve been ready for this day to finally come. I’m officially on the UCLA roster. It’s a dream come true. Ever since middle school, UCLA has been at the top of my recruiting list. Every time I’ve gone there they’ve treated me like family. It’s always felt like home.”

Elgin verbally comitted to San Jose State Nov. 3.

“I really felt comfortable at San Jose,” Elgin said. “The coach (Johnny Bega) is from Atwater High and he’s a really great guy. I just really felt comfortable going there.”

Elgin led the Bears in goals this season with 91 in 22 games, leading Merced to the playoffs and earning all-Central California Conference first-team honors.

Schumacher signs with Dominican

Senior McKenzie Schumacher became the first El Capitan athlete to sign with a four-year unversity when she signed her national letter of intent to play softball at Dominican University on Thursday.

Schumacher signed in front of family and friends during a ceremony on campus.

“It was really an awesome experience, especially since I’m the first one from El Capitan to sign,” Schumacher said.

The Gauchos’ speedster split time at shortstop and the outfield last season, hitting a team-high .486 with 36 runs. She also stole 37 bases and was only caught stealing twice.

Schumacher fell in love with the campus and verbally agreed to accept a scholarship in late October.

“I love the location with it being next to San Francisco,” Schumacher said. “The campus is so pretty. The school is really small and it has a great nursing program, so it was a really good fit.”

This story was originally published November 12, 2015 at 6:33 PM with the headline "Merced’s Nickles, Elgin sign national letters of intent."