By: Matthew Florjancic
BEREA, OHIO -- All good cars, video games, cell phones and softball teams have something in common -- reliable batteries. In baseball and softball, a battery consists of the pitcher and catcher.
For the Baldwin-Wallace Yellow Jacket softball team, one part of its battery is the catching and power hitting of sophomore two-time NCAA Division III All-American catcher Nicole Loudin.
Loudin, a 20 year-old junior from Sheffield Lake, Ohio, started playing softball at a young age.
"I began playing softball because some of my friends were trying it in elementary school," said Loudin. "I tried all the sports I could when I was younger. My parents encouraged it, and softball is the one that I began to love more and more the more I played it."
When it came time to decide on a high school, Loudin took her talents to Elyria Catholic High School of the North Coast League.
While in the green and white of the Panthers, Loudin was a three-sport standout, participating in volleyball, basketball and softball. She played two years of volleyball. She competed in basketball for four seasons and earned three varsity letters. In softball, Loudin won four varsity letters and garnered several accolades for her prowess.
From 2000-2002, Loudin was named first-team All-Lorain County. She was selected to the first-team All-North Coast League from 2000 through 2002. In 2001, she was the Most Valuable Player of the North Coast League. In 2002, she was named to the first-team All-District and second-team All-State (OHSAA) teams. Loudin was humbled by these honors.
"I felt so privileged to be honored, especially as an all-state player," Loudin said. "It was so amazing to be honored especially since my high school never went very far in the state tournament."
In addition to all of these honors, Loudin is the Ohio High School Athletic Association record holder in four different categories.
She hit a record 10 homeruns in a single season. Loudin also holds the record for most consecutive games with a homerun at five. When her high school career was over, Loudin set two more records. She has 22 career homers and a .540 batting average.
Loudin’s favorite memory of her time in a Panther uniform came on her last homerun.
"I knew from the moment it left the bat that it was a homer," Loudin stated. "After I hit the plate, my entire team congratulated me and my dad gave me the biggest hug ever."
Loudin took a detour on her way to B-W. She chose to attend Bucknell University, a Division I college in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. After things did not work out, Loudin decided to come home and enroll at B-W where her mother, Dr. Maureen Loudin, is an Assistant Professor in the Division of Education.
When Loudin got to B-W, she felt the game helped her adjust to college life.
"They moved the pitcher’s mound back three feet and so hitting in college was not as bad as I thought," she stated. "It was like playing did not change all that much. That was really comforting."
When Loudin began her career as a Yellow Jacket, she achieved a lifelong goal.
"I had always dreamed of playing in college and now here was my chance," she said.
Loudin took full advantage of every opportunity and began to put up amazing statistics. During her freshman year, Loudin batted .388, hit a then school single-season record 10 homers and drove in a single-season record 41 runs. In the field, she had 163 put outs and 15 assists. Her fielding percentage was an impressive .978.
For her efforts between the lines, Loudin earned several honors. She was chosen to the first team All-Ohio Athletic Conference and named the OAC Rookie of the Year. Loudin was also selected to the All-Central Region first team and second team Louisville Slugger/National Fastpitch Coaches Association All-American squad. It was the first time in B-W history that a freshman earned All-American honors.
When Loudin received notification of her All-American selection, she was excited to hear the news.
"I jumped up and down in my living room when coach called," she said. "It was another moment [when] I realized I had reached a goal."
"I was literally speechless, and that does not happen often," Loudin added.
"Nicole had an outstanding freshman year," said veteran B-W softball coach and Greater Cleveland Softball Hall of Fame member Joe Yocabet. "We knew that when she decided to transfer to B-W that she was an outstanding player with excellent power, but she has exceeded even our high expectations."
But her power is not the only thing that has impressed Yocabet.
"She really motivates the team," Yocabet continued. "What she does on and off the softball field really defines our team. Nicole was and still is very deserving of All-American honors."
As a sophomore last spring (2004), Loudin had another stellar campaign. In the third game of the season, she broke the Yellow Jacket career record for homeruns when she hit one over the wall against Otterbein College that ended up smashing out the car window of a teammate.
"I told her (outfielder Lori Schmidt) not to park her car that close to the fence," said Loudin, who has since increased her record total to 24 with three this season, including one last weekend at Mt. St. Joseph. "I was being totally serious when I told her that her car was too close, but she didn’t listen."
As a sophomore, Loudin started all 36 games for the Yellow Jackets behind the plate, batted .430, and hit a single-season record 11 homeruns. She also tallied two triples, seven doubles and had a team-leading 34 RBI and eight stolen bases. Her fielding percentage again was an outstanding .972 overall as she committed just five errors in 181 chances.
Loudin’s impressive statistics earned her several postseason honors. She was selected to the first-team All-OAC, first-team NCAA Division III All-Central Region and first-team NFCA Division III All-American squads. Loudin was also chosen as an Academic All-OAC and first team CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) Academic All-District IV team member.
"Nicole had another outstanding season as a sophomore," said Yocabet. "She has continued to establish herself as the best hitter to ever play at B-W and possibly one of the best ever in the OAC. If she keeps up what she has been doing the first two years, she has a chance to be one of the best to ever play in Division III. Only time will tell."
Her teammates are not surprised at the accolades Loudin has garnered.
"She plays a high-quality ball," said senior pitcher/outfielder K.C. Young of Olmsted Falls. "She is always giving it 100 percent and is always interested in doing whatever it takes to win."
"She has a drive to win," said senior pitcher and first baseman Jeannette Brezina. "That competitive nature makes her effective."
Loudin has started her junior season well. In her first at-bat of the first game of the season, Loudin hit a homer to lead off the second inning against the U.S. Coast Guard Academy. She has since hit two more homers, including the one at Mt. St. Joseph and is batting .324 with three homers and a team-high-tying seven RBI for the 5-7 overall Yellow Jackets who next play at Ohio Wesleyan University on March 29.
Loudin believes her father, David Loudin, has been one of the biggest influences in her softball career.
"We used to sit around and watch pro baseball and critique the swings of the best power hitters," Loudin stated. "He spent hours helping me get better by taking me to the cages, video taping my swings, and supporting me emotionally."
David Loudin’s influence continues today and he can often be found behind the backstop at a B-W game, sometimes helping keep track of the scorebook for Yocabet.
The superstitious Loudin, who swings twice between every pitch, has set some goals for herself and her team.
"As a team, our goal is to win the OAC regular season title," said Loudin. "No B-W softball team has ever accomplished that feat and we want to be the first to do it. We also want to win the OAC Tournamet and eatn a berth in the NCAA Division III National Tournament. We know each is a lofty goal but I think we are up to the challenge.
"We have such a talented team," continued Loudin. "We have a pair of solid pitchers and a number of good hitters. This is our best chance to do it."
And in typical Loudin fashion, she included her own individual goals second.
"Individually, I want to better myself from last year," said Loudin who will enter the OWU doubleheader on March 29 with a .398 career batting average with 23 homers and 80 RBI.
When her career at B-W is over, Loudin wants to be remembered for giving everything she had to the team.
"I want people to remember that I left it all on the field," Loudin stated. "I hope people remember that every game I played my heart out and did everything I could do to help the team win."
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