Merced High softball star Nickles to play for Team USA again

Merced High School softball star Madilyn Nickles will spend another summer playing for Team USA.

The senior was selected to play on the National Elite team after a tryout in Irvine this month. Nickles was the only high school player in the country to receive an invitation for the tryout.

“It means a lot to be able to play for Team USA again while I’m still in high school,” Nickles said. “The fact that they are still interested in me representing the country is pretty special. It also means that if softball is back in the 2020 Olympics, they are looking at me being eligible to play on that team. That’s always been a dream of mine.”

Only 40 players were invited to the tryouts. Most were juniors or seniors in college. Some were college graduates.

Nickles, 17, was the youngest player there.

“It’s unlike any other opportunity you can have,” Merced softball coach Bart McAfee said. “She gets to play with the best players in the country. You’re not going to get that experience anywhere else, and she’s the only high school kid on the team. That’s pretty good.

“Obviously, we’re excited for her. She’s worked hard, and she deserves it. She knows she’s pretty fortunate to be playing at this level.”

Nickles, who signed her national letter of intent with UCLA in November, spent the bulk of last summer playing for the Junior National Team. She traveled around the country and helped lead Team USA to the 2015 World Baseball Softball Confederation Junior Women’s World Championship in Oklahoma City.

Nickles, who has been named the Sun-Star Softball Player of the Year the past three seasons, hit .400 in the tournament with 10 hits in 25 at-bats. She hit a two-run homer in a 7-0 win over the Czech Republic. She also finished with one double, a triple and 10 RBIs while hitting fifth in the lineup most games.

Team USA went 10-0 in the tournament and outscored its opponents 119-6.

As a member of the elite team this summer, she’s participated in training camps in Oklahoma City and Marietta, Ga. The elite team will also play in the World Cup tournament in Oklahoma City and will have a number of exhibition games against the national team.

“All the girls are super nice,” Nickles said. “It’s awesome being around some of the best softball players.”

Facing the top players in the country is tough enough. Nickles also had to overcome jitters as being the youngest player on the field.

“I was pretty nervous,” she said. “I haven’t seen a lot of the girls for a few months, and a lot of them were older. Some were college graduates, and others were juniors and seniors in college. When I got to the dugout, I was a lot more comfortable being around them.

“Honestly, in my opinion, I didn’t stand out in a good or bad way. I was the same as everyone else. I was able to keep up with everybody. I knew I had a lack of experience and confidence, but that was the same for a lot of the girls.”

Nickles is getting used to the spotlight.

UCLA offered Nickles a softball scholarship before she played a high school game.

Nickles was named a first-team All-American by FloSoftball.com and a second-team All-American by USA Today after her junior season, in which she hit .526 with eight home runs and 46 RBIs for Merced. She also compiled a 22-6 record as a pitcher with a 1.18 ERA and 287 strikeouts in 178 2/3 innings. She threw at least one no-hitter against every team in the Central California Conference.

FloSoftball.com ranks Nickles as the No. 2 high school recruit in the nation.

This story was originally published January 20, 2016 at 4:50 PM with the headline "Merced High softball star Nickles to play for Team USA again."