Nichols leaves mark on Gravette softball

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

— Shyanne Nichols is moving on to play college softball, but she won’t be doing any pitching.

A recent Gravette graduate, Nichols will soon be continuing her career at Crowder College in Neosho, Mo., but unlike much of her high school campaign in the circle, she’ll only play shortstop and outfield. And the way this spring ended, it actually became the perfect segue to the next level.

Nichols started the season as the Lady Lions’ goto pitcher but, when freshman Lindsee LaBrecque proved she could get the job done, the Gravette senior was able to concentrate on playing the field, better preparing herself for life as a collegiate player.

“I appreciate that coach (Taos) Jones did that for me, because I’m not goingto pitch at all in college,” Nichols said. “I’m glad that I got to do that for my senior year.

“I loved not pitching. I would actually prefer to be at shortstop.”

Hitting and fielding talents are what earned her a scholarship, and this spring’s results at the plate are impressive, helping Nichols get named the All-NWA Media Softball Player of the Year.

She batted .453 with teamhighs in RBIs (28), home runs (3), triples (4)and doubles (9), impressive numbers considering often teams pitched around her. In addition, Nichols pitched 78 innings with a record of 10-4 with 61 strikeouts.

Nichols’ impact on the Gravette softball program was hard to explain by Jones, who’s been with the Lady Lions for five seasons, but to put it lightly, she meant everything, and seeing her go isn’t easy.

“She obviously helped us a bunch on both sides, both offensively and defensively,” Jones said. “She’s probably led our team at the plate for the last two or three years. At least top three since she was a freshman. We felt that with her at shortstop, we have one of the best defensive infields I’ve seen.”

Now it’s time for a new program to have her for two years, and Nichols hasplenty of excitement surrounding her future, joining fellow All-NWA Media team member Madison Barnes of Farmington in Neosho; however, it’s not just a simple “farewell” she’ll wave to Gravette.

A multisport athlete, also starring in basketball and track, Nichols is going to miss Northwest Arkansas, especially her teammates.

“I loved it. State was so fun, we had a great group. Our team was so close. It was a lot of fun,” she said. “Obviously, I could have asked to have gone further, but I couldn’t have asked for better people.”

Sports, Pages 10 on 06/13/2012