Nicole “Sis” Bates spent part of her summer in Italy.
The 2016 Ceres High School grad/three-time NCAA Division-I All-American middle infielder suited up for the U.S Women’s National Softball Team at the World Cup Finals.
Bates and the Americans brought home silver medals from the July 15-21 event.
“I come from a very small town,” Bates said in a past interview with the Ceres Courier. “I never left the country. Playing for the national team has opened doors for me. I get to play a sport that I love. This is my life. This is what I dreamed of.”
Bates batted .364 (4-for-11) from the plate with one RBI, four runs and two walks as Team USA finished second overall with a 5-1 record during the eight-team tournament.
Bates and the top-ranked Americans lost 6-1 to Japan in the gold-medal game on July 20.
She was hitless in four at-bats.
Team USA advanced to the finals after shutting out Netherlands 7-0 on July 19.
Bates batted 2-for-2 from the plate with one RBI and one run.
The Americans bested Japan 2-0 on July 18.
Bates batted 0-for-2 on offense.
Team USA topped China 6-0 on July 17.
Bates batted 1-for-2 with two runs and two walks.
The Americans defeated host Italy 7-0 on July 16.
Bates batted 1-for-1 with one run.
Team USA opened the World Cup with a 5-2 win over Canada on July 15.
Bates chipped in with one run and one walk.
Bates teamed up with Jocelyn Alo, Maya Brady, Ally Carda, Mia Davidson, Megan Faraimo, Hannah Flippen, Rachel Garcia, Sahvanna Jaquish, Janae Jefferson, Tiare Jennings, Amanda Lorenz, Kelly Maxwell, Haylie McCleney, Dejah Mulipola and Jessie Warren in Italy.
Bates also reunited with Heather Tarr, her collegiate coach.
Bates has represented Team USA on the international stage in Italy, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Ireland and Japan.
She helped lead the Americans to a first-place finish at the Pan American Games this past November in Chile.
Bates batted .500 (6-for-12) from the plate with two doubles, eight RBIs, eight runs and two walks as Team USA won all six of its games.
Team USA punched its ticket to the 2024 World Cup Finals after winning all four of its games in Group A play, which was staged in July of 2023 in Ireland.
Bates batted .571 (4-for-7) from the plate with one double, three RBIs, one run and one walk.
Bates made her debut with Team USA at the 2022 Pan American Championship in Guatemala City. She hit .500 (13-for-26) with one home run, two triples, three doubles, nine RBIs and 13 runs as the Americans claimed the gold medal.
Bates suited up for the U.S. Women’s Junior National Softball Team in 2017.
She won a gold medal at the World Baseball Softball Confederation World Championship after batting .444 from the plate (12-for-27) with seven RBIs and 12 runs.
“Carrying on a legacy and representing the country is always an honor,” Bates said. “It’s super important to us.”
Bates enjoyed a success-filled softball career with the University of Washington.
She filled a major role in leading the Huskies to 222 victories, three trips to the Women’s College World Series—including one finals berth—and one Pac-12 regular-season title from 2017-2021.
Bates became just the second player in Pac-12 history to earn three Defensive Player of the Year awards (2021, 2019, 2018).
Her career fielding percentage of .980 is the second-highest mark for any middle infielder in Washington history. In her last 75 games, Bates made three total errors.
One of the most decorated players in Washington history, Bates became the program’s all-time hits leaders during her final season.
She had 320 hits in 261 career games.
She also ranks first in triples (18), third in runs (227), fourth in batting average (.385) and fifth in doubles (54) in program history.
Bates batted .389 from the plate in 2021 with one homer, five triples, 12 doubles, 32 RBIs, 55 runs and 21 stolen bases. She led the Pac-12 in hits with 75.
Bates also made history by becoming just the fifth hitter from Washington to earn NFCA All-American honors for a third time.
She was selected to the NFCA Second Team.
She was a first-team pick in 2019 and 2018.
She was a Top-10 finalist for 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
Bates was a four-year standout at Ceres High School.
She was voted Cal-Hi Sports Ms. Softball State and Medium Schools Player of the Year as a senior.
The two-time FloSoftball First-Team All-American was selected to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Super Elite First Team and All-State Medium Schools First Team.
Led by Bates, Ceres High collected 85 wins, claimed one Sac-Joaquin Section championship, captured three Western Athletic Conference crowns and appeared in the playoffs four times.
