Professional athlete Nicole “Sis” Bates had a busy offseason promoting Athletes Unlimited Softball League.
The 2016 Ceres High School graduate threw out the first pitch at a Seattle Mariners Major League Baseball (MLB) Game on April 21, shared her love for the game while having an in-person conversation with ESPN SportsCenter anchor Jay Harris on March 19 and got to spend time with Harold Reynolds, Ken Griffey Jr. and CC Sabathia during a MLB.com Play Ball Live Zoom Interview on June 5.
Bates was also featured in a commercial on ESPN for the upcoming AUSL season, which got underway on Tuesday.
“I never thought in a million years this would be my life,” the 28-year-old stated in a past interview with the Courier. “I feel like it’s such an honor to have that responsibility. We get to influence the youth. Being a good human is at the core of all of it.”
A standout middle infielder for the University of Washington from 2017-21, Bates has returned to the Pacific Northwest this summer to play pro softball.
She’ll suit up for the Portland Cascade, the newest expansion franchise of AUSL.
The Oregon-based team selected Bates in the AUSL Expansion Draft on Dec. 8.
“I feel like the luckiest human that’s ever existed to be here and to help share a sport that has given me so much,” Bates stated. “I get emotional when I think about being a little girl and being in the stands and being able to see what our league is doing. It’s inspiring the next generation.”
Bates brings a wealth of experience and talent to the Cascade.
She completed her fifth season of pro softball this past summer.
Drafted to the Texas Volts for the AUSL’s inaugural season, Bates collected eight hits, three RBIs, five runs and four walks in 20 games.
“You can’t take a pitch off here,” Bates said. “In college, sometimes you get away with it. You’re facing the best players in the world every single day. How cool is that? This sport is so awesome because you never have it (figured out). You’re constantly evolving and learning new things. That’s why I love it so much.”
Raised in Ceres, Bates attended Carroll Elementary School, Mae Hensley Jr. High and Ceres High School before earning a softball scholarship to the University of Washington.
Bates generated a lifetime of memories with the Huskies.
The three-time NCAA Division-I All-American selection filled a major role in leading Washington to 222 wins, three trips to the Women’s College World Series—including one finals berth—and one Pac-12 regular-season title.
She became just the second player in Pac-12 history to earn three Defensive Player of the Year awards (2021, 2019 and 2018).
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 collected 320 hits in 261 career games.
She ranks first in triples (18), third in runs (227), fourth in batting average (.385) and fifth in doubles (54) in program history.
Bates also made history by becoming just the fifth Huskies player to earn NFCA All-American honors for a third time.
Bates was a Top-10 finalist for 2021 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year.
She was named Washington’s 2020-21 Pac-12 Tom Hansen Conference Medal recipient for Outstanding Female Student-Athlete.
She made the Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll in 2020 and earned Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention recognition in 2019.
She won the 2019 Seattle Female Sports Star of the Year award.
She was voted best shortstop on ESPN’s Greatest All-Time Softball Team via a fan poll in 2019.
Bates earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a master’s in educational leadership and policy studies with a 3.92 grade-point average.
A four-year standout at Ceres High School, Bates was voted 2016 Cal-Hi Sports Ms. Softball State and Medium Schools Player of the Year. She also participated in the Premier Girls Fastpitch (PGF) High School All-American Game.
Bates batted .571 from the plate with five homers, four triples, nine doubles, 33 RBIs, 45 runs and 14 stolen bases while striking out just five times in 113 plate appearances during her senior year with the Bulldogs. She made just one error on defense.
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.
Bates has represented the U.S. Women’s National Softball Team on the international stage in Italy, Chile, Guatemala, Mexico, Canada, Australia, Ireland and Japan.
She also endorses products with a handful of companies. She has her own signature cleats with Adidas.
