Merced’s Madilyn Nickles named Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year

Madilyn Nickles couldn’t believe that many people were in on the secret. She had no clue why two-time Olympian Jennie Finch showed up at Merced High School to watch her pitch Wednesday morning.

Nickles, 18, was following through with a pitch as Finch reached into a ball bucket behind her to grab a giant trophy to present to her. Meanwhile, a large group of family and friends began walking in from the right-field fence onto the softball diamond.

As Nickles held the trophy, she began to shed some tears. The star senior, who also goes by the nickname “Bubba,” was named the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year.

“I thought I was still dreaming,” said Nickles, who will begin her collegiate career at UCLA next season. “I saw Jennie Finch and I was like, ‘What is she doing here?’ This was probably the best surprise ever. It’s one of the best experiences of my life. This was the biggest day ever. I’m never going to forget this day.”

Nickles was so overwhelmed she didn’t realize the trophy was for the National Player of the Year. She thought she was being congratulated for being named the State Player of the Year, which was announced last week.

It wasn’t until the crowd walked to the gym for a surprise ceremony that Nickles realized she was the National Player of the Year. She looked at the trophy and saw names such as Peyton Manning, Clayton Kershaw and LeBron James.

“The Gatorade National Player of the Year, there are amazing, incredible names – the best of the best – on that trophy,” said Finch, who won gold and silver medals playing for Team USA in the Olympics. “What an honor for Madilyn to be able to walk away with that award. What I love about this award is it’s not just based on athleticism. It’s your GPA, it’s how involved in the community, it’s what life is all about – balance.”

Many of Nickles’ classmates gathered for the assembly almost a week after graduation. The school’s staff, which kept the secret for about a week, tried to get the word out without spoiling the surprise for Nickles.

Merced tried to surprise Nickles with the announcement of her State Player of the Year honor last week at graduation, but UCLA coach Kelly Inouye-Perez called Nickles early that morning to congratulate her.

“I can’t believe we were able to pull it off,” said her father, Ted, who teaches at Merced High. “This was a great surprise for her. It was great to see her face. Her hard work paid off. Obviously, I’m proud more than anything.”

Nickles is a three-time Central California Conference MVP. This season, the 5-foot-8 pitcher-shortstop compiled a 20-5 record in the circle with a 0.63 ERA, leading the Bears (22-7) to their sixth consecutive CCC championship. She struck out 308 batters in 167 1/3 innings and threw three no-hitters, including one perfect game.

Nickles also batted .552 with 20 doubles, eight home runs and 27 RBIs and didn’t strike out in 104 plate appearances.

“Now that she’s finished, I can officially say she’s the best player that’s ever played at Merced High,” said Merced coach Bart McAfee, who coached Nickles all four seasons.

Part of the reason Nickles won the award was for her efforts off the diamond. She had a 3.97 GPA and donated her time to youth players, serving as a volunteer assistant the past four years with ASA development camps and Nike camps. She also has coached and advised area 12U to 14U players on an individual basis and served as an instructor at USA Softball youth camps.

Last summer, Nickles was the only junior player on the 2015 Junior National Team, batting .400 and playing several positions. This summer, she’ll be the only high school player on the USA Women’s National Elite Team.

“It takes a long time to get this. There are a lot of high school girls who are all talented, good characters and that get good grades,” said USA Today’s Chad Konecky, who oversees the Gatorade Player of the Year selection process. “What separated Madilyn is not only her A average, but it was the things that people said about her outside of softball. They talked about her humility, her passion for her teammates and the things she does to give back to the community.

“Athletically, we’re talking about a kid who probably isn’t going to pitch in college but had a mind-blowing season pitching. On the other side, she didn’t strike out in 104 plate appearances. How do you do that in California? She has the ability to sign with UCLA, and they can put her anywhere.”

While talking to the crowd during the ceremony, Gatorade’s Keri Lockett pointed out that “out of the 364,000 girls who play high school softball in the country, your ‘Bubba’ is No. 1.”

Gatorade showed a video to the crowd of Finch surprising Nickles earlier in the day. The video also featured famous athletes such as Draymond Green, J.J. Watt, Abby Wambach, Alonzo Mourning and Manning talking about the significance of being named a Gatorade National Player of the Year.

The announcement of Nickles’ award also will be shown Thursday on ESPN during the “SportsCenter” programs that air at 6 a.m. and 5 p.m. Pacific time.

Nickles becomes one of 12 finalists for the Gatorade National Athlete of the Year, which will be announced in Los Angeles in July. She also will attend the ESPY Awards during her trip south.

“Softball means the world to me,” Nickles said. “I get to go out and play a sport I love. It’s gotten me so far. It’s helped me go to college and experience moments like this. I love softball like a mother lovers her baby.”

This story was originally published June 8, 2016 at 7:01 PM with the headline "Merced’s Madilyn Nickles named Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year."