Nichols not down
Eric Mandel - The Daily Iowan
Issue date: 4/30/08 Section: Sports
Emily Nichols comes early and stays late. She would never say her senior season has been a disappointment, though it certainly hasn't gone as she's expected.
Left field, right-center, straight-away center - the sweet-swinging Hawkeye can still bomb softballs with the best of 'em.
For the Iowa softball home-run king, the problem has been relieving pressure after cranking out a monster 2007 campaign and being the ninth overall selection in the National Professional Fastpich Draft by the Chicago Bandits.
So much pressure that it stole focus on doing what she does best - hit the ball hard.
"I think I put too much pressure on myself in the beginning, and that was my downfall," Nichols said. "I didn't really need to prove anything to anyone, and that was what I thought I needed to do. But I really didn't."
( Daily Iowan TV video feature )
After being named to 2008 USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List and returning as Iowa's career home-run record holder, Nichols was expected to put up the same shimmering numbers that made her the team co-MVP.
Through 138 at bats this season, though, Nichols has managed just 30 hits, giving her a .217 batting average. Her four home runs and two triples rank second on the team, but last year's No. 3 hitter was shifted down to the seven spot. She has driven in only 19 runs and scored only 14.
"It was kind of like, 'Oh my god, here comes this big season that I've got to do something,' but if I could do it all over again, I would try to change my mindset," she said.
Last year, besides being the team co-MVP and Barry Bonds minus the asterisk, the Portland, Ore., native was the team's Gold Glove winner, led the team in batting average (.400), slugging percentage (.679), hits (76) and RBI (48).
Left field, right-center, straight-away center - the sweet-swinging Hawkeye can still bomb softballs with the best of 'em.
For the Iowa softball home-run king, the problem has been relieving pressure after cranking out a monster 2007 campaign and being the ninth overall selection in the National Professional Fastpich Draft by the Chicago Bandits.
So much pressure that it stole focus on doing what she does best - hit the ball hard.
"I think I put too much pressure on myself in the beginning, and that was my downfall," Nichols said. "I didn't really need to prove anything to anyone, and that was what I thought I needed to do. But I really didn't."
( Daily Iowan TV video feature )
Video in QuickTime format, click here for free player download
After being named to 2008 USA Softball Player of the Year Watch List and returning as Iowa's career home-run record holder, Nichols was expected to put up the same shimmering numbers that made her the team co-MVP.
Through 138 at bats this season, though, Nichols has managed just 30 hits, giving her a .217 batting average. Her four home runs and two triples rank second on the team, but last year's No. 3 hitter was shifted down to the seven spot. She has driven in only 19 runs and scored only 14.
"It was kind of like, 'Oh my god, here comes this big season that I've got to do something,' but if I could do it all over again, I would try to change my mindset," she said.
Last year, besides being the team co-MVP and Barry Bonds minus the asterisk, the Portland, Ore., native was the team's Gold Glove winner, led the team in batting average (.400), slugging percentage (.679), hits (76) and RBI (48).
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