Lady Vols softball commit Nicola Simpson wins Gatorade award
SEATTLE (BVM) — Nicola Simpson has been excelling on the softball field since her freshman year at Garfield High School. Now as she turns her attention to the next chapter of her softball career in Knoxville, Tenn., she’s being recognized as the best player in Washington.
On June 18, the 5-foot-8 University of Tennessee commit was named the state’s Gatorade Softball Player of the Year after playing a shortened nine-game senior season with the Bulldogs, during which she recorded a 0.44 ERA with 135 strikeouts in 47.2 innings pitched and tossed five no-hitters. As a hitter, she batted .778 with a .867 on-base percentage and a 1.444 slugging percentage.
“The thing that makes Nicola so special is her competitiveness,” Roosevelt High School head coach Ron Zahn said in a Gatorade press release. “She pitches with a ton of energy and emotion. When you face her, you know she is coming at you with every pitch. She is one of the few pitchers that moves and spins the ball very well within the strike zone. She hits her spots consistently, which makes her almost impossible to hit.”
Like all spring-sport athletes, Simpson lost her 2020 season to the COVID-19 pandemic, but even before her junior year, she had achieved All-American status as a sophomore when she and her older sister, Kaia, helped Garfield capture the Class 3A state title. While Kaia went 20-1 in the circle that season and recorded a 0.34 ERA with 192 strikeouts in 103.2 innings pitched, Nicola went 9-1 with a 1.04 ERA and 190 strikeouts in 80.2 innings. Nicola was also one of only two freshmen to be named first team all-state in 2018.
Nicola will follow in her sister’s footsteps by playing Division I softball in college. While Kaia prepares for her third year at the University of California San Diego, Nicola is preparing to take on the challenge of playing SEC softball with the Lady Vols.
“Nicola has such an intelligent and thoughtful approach to the game,” Tennessee head coach Karen Weekly said on National Signing Day last November. “She is incredibly mature and understands that greatness is in the details. She’s won state championships and knows what it takes to lead a team both on and off the field. Nicola will be a great addition to our pitching staff.”
