4 Pirates commit to play at next level

When Porterville College softball coach Vickie Dugan was making the rounds, calling various coaches across the nation to give her sophomores new homes, Metropolitan State College of Denver coach Jen Fisher asked about PC standout pitcher Jennifer Gliddon.

Dugan proudly touted her ace — a First Team and Second Team All-Central Valley Conference pitcher in two seasons, then shrewdly pulled the ol’ two-for-one deal.

“I asked (Fisher), “Have you found a first baseman yet?” Dugan recalled. “She said, ‘Not really,’ and I said, ‘Well, let me tell you about Kasey Nichols.’”

One recruiting visit to Denver and a pair of scholarship offers later, both Gliddon and Nichols signed letters of intent earlier this month for a top-five program in all of Division II.

“I checked it out and fell in love with it,” Nichols said of the match made in heaven. “It almost seems too good to be true.”

Gliddon also said it was love at first sight, but the Las Vegas native had one concern.

“I don’t like the cold,” she smiled. “But it’s downtown and it’s awesome.”

The next time Nichols squares up for a line drive from home plate, a picturesque backdrop of the Denver skyline including the Pepsi Center, Mile High Stadium and Coors Field will loom beyond the outfield.

“I’m excited,” Nichols said. “I can’t wait to get there.”

The “getting there” part was a long road for Nichols, who took a year off to focus on her biology studies between her freshman and sophomore years. Dugan said Nichols hadn’t even planned to continue playing softball beyond PC.

But that all changed.

“Kasey came back in better shape than ever,” Dugan said. “When she got up to bat, everybody would be excited because they knew a hit was coming.”

In 2010, Nichols was the conference’s third best batter with a .478 average, belting 55 hits and four home runs and driving in 30 runs on her way to First Team All-CVC, a spot on the All-NorCal team and All-American consideration.

“I think she’ll hit very well for Metro,” said Dugan, who’s placed 33 Pirates into four-year programs during her 12-year tenure at PC. “I won’t try to put somebody on a team where I don’t think it’s a good fit — for them or the team. Both (Nichols and Gliddon) are outstanding individual players.”

In 29 games, Gliddon struck out 79 and allowed 163 hits for an ERA of 2.39. The numbers aren’t quite as gaudy as last season’s, when she was needed to pitch virtually non-stop as she led the state of California in most innings pitched.

Gliddon had her pick of the litter as she deliberated between a number of schools, including some at Div. I institutions.

Dugan says she spoke with Southwest Missouri State University, University of North Carolina-Wilmington, Prairie View A&M University (near Houston) and Alcorn State (near Jackson, Miss.).

Gliddon visited Prairie View but she didn’t feel comfortable with the camaraderie of the team — a trait that appealed to her at Metro State.

But Dugan says the 5-foot-9 pitcher who doubled as a middle blocker on PC’s volleyball team needs to do some work before taking the mound in Denver.

“She missed out on the strength and training exercises during the fall because of volleyball,” Dugan said, “but she’ll pick it up.”

Added Gliddon, “I need to get my speed up and I’ll be alright.”

Nichols expects the transition to Denver to be somewhat challenging, especially since it will be her first time living away from home in Springville.

Nichols also knows she won’t be handed a starring role for the Roadrunners, either.

“We’ll have to earn our positions and prove ourselves, of course,” she said, “but (Fisher) makes it sound like we’ve got a real chance to play.”

Nichols’ mother, Brenna, who rarely missed one of the Pirates’ games, will likely have a tougher time catching her daughter in action next season.

“(Dugan) told me they have cheap flights — 49 dollars each way,” Brenna Nichols joked. “We’ll have to videotape her and watch her from here.

“But I think she needed to take advantage of this opportunity; you only live once,” she added.

Brenna remembers watching her daughter as a precocious softball star growing up in the little leagues.

“She thought she’d grow up and play professionally,” Brenna said. “But this is great. I’m so proud, I could cry.”

Porterville College also recently announced that two more of its sophomores — Stevie Lopez and Kelly Dotzler — have signed on with four-year schools.

Lopez will follow in the footsteps of former Pirates Jennie Hatch and Rachel Morris to Div. I Alcorn State, which fell to No. 1 Alabama in an ESPN-televised NCAA World Series tournament game on Friday.

Lopez connected 34 times for 19 RBI and crossed home plate 17 times in her final season as a Pirate.

Dotzler committed to play for Div. III California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

The sophomore batted a solid .352 with 38 hits and 13 RBI and 22 runs to help lead the Pirates to a 9-8 finish in conference, good enough for third place.

Dugan’s task of replacing the foursome’s production for next year won’t be easy, to say the least.

“I don’t think you ever replace someone; we just find people to carry on,” Dugan said. “I told all of them, ‘You’re representing Porterville College and you need to represent us well because that keeps the door open for future players. They’ll all represent us well.”