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Sports

Athlete of the Week: Nicole Romero

Romero is the first Oliver Ames softball player to make the state tournament all four years.

From an early age, Nicole Romero has eaten, slept, and breathed all things baseball.  She is a lifelong Red Sox fan and names Ted Williams and Kevin Youkilis as her favorite players.  In grade school, Nicole took to the Little League fields as one of the only girls in Easton Youth Baseball and more than held her own against the boys.

In ninth grade, she made the transition from baseball to softball, and since then Romero has become the first player in OA Softball history to play in the state tournament for four consecutive seasons.  Both catching and playing first base over her illustrious career, Nicole served as co-captain of the Lady Tigers this season and helped lead them to a 14-8 record and Davenport Division championship.

“We accomplished both of our team goals (winning the Davenport and qualifying for the state tournament).  Overall we had a great season and I was really happy with how we played,” says Romero. 

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Between her experiences behind the plate and at first, Nicole developed into a phenomenal presence in the field for the Lady Tigers since her freshman year, with her baseball background and work ethic catapulting her to four years of starting positions.  While she acknowledges a learning curve in the change between hitting a baseball and a softball, defense has remained her strength, as Nicole devoted countless hours to extra infield practice throughout her career.

“I love the defensive aspects of the game. You have the chance to make a diving catch or scoop a ball out of the dirt at first,” she says.  “Also, there is a lot of strategy involved because it’s such a fast game.”

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Amid her dedication and love for baseball and softball, Nicole has also found room for other pursuits, including cooking and playing the trumpet.  She also excelled in classrooms – which could be assumed given the softball team’s academic recognition – graduating among the top of the class of 2011 and earning admission to the University of Wisconsin-Madison for the upcoming year.

“I plan on studying biochemistry but I'm not exactly sure of my career path. I'm thinking research or going on to medical school.”

Regardless, if she applies herself as passionately as she has to baseball and softball, success is sure to follow.

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