Nicole Mendes

Classroom

Nicole Mendes has been as solid in the classroom as she has been on the field for the Sooners. She earned Academic All-Big 12 Second Team honors in 2018 and 2019. She started earning academic honors beginning in her freshman year, earning Big 12 All-Rookie Academic team honors that year. She has been named to the Dean’s Honor Roll (3.50-3.99 GPA) once. She is a six-time selection to the Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll and the Sooner Scholar list.

Character

She was selected as a team captain for the 2019-20 team and has been a representative of her team since her first year at OU. She first served as Vice President of the Student Athlete Advisory Committee and then two years later as President. She has been active at the Big 12 and national level, particularly as it relates to mental health awareness for student-athletes. Her head coach praises her impact on the team both on and off the field.

From Coach Patty Gasso: “In my 26 years as the head coach of the University of Oklahoma softball team, I have not experienced a player with more passion, heart, and commitment on and off the field as our team captain, Nicole Mendes. She respects her teammates, her opponents, and the little girls who hope to one day be just like Nicole. She has an infectious personality and her love for the game makes her a fan favorite. It is rare for a coach to have the opportunity to work with a complete player on and off the field. Nicole gives everything she has to her team and coaches at practice daily. She leaves practice and the door opens for her to address tough issues that most student-athletes tend to ignore. Nicole’s love for others shows through her commitment and actions daily.”

Community

Nicole Mendes is a passionate person and you only need to spend a few minutes with her to understand that commitment is a key part of who she is. She is not afraid to take on tough issues. Student-athlete welfare is very important to Nicole. She has become the face of education regarding student­-athlete mental health. Nicole fought to have each sport commit to a game day dedicated to mental health awareness and education. She is seen as the voice of the female athlete on campus. Nicole has given her life at OU for the betterment of others. Nicole understands and respects the platform she has as a popular Division I student-athlete in a popular sport. She has a very clear understanding of how to use her platform to help change the lives of those she encounters, whether they are student-athletes, OU students, or members of the community.

Competition

Nicole Mendes has been a top contributor to the Sooner program since her freshman year. She ws named to the 2017 and 2019 WCWS All-Tournament Team. She was selected to the 2017 All-Region First Team and was a 2018 Third Team. In 2017, she was named to the All-Big 12 First Team and was named to 2017 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team. She was selected as the 2017 Big 12 Freshman of the Year by the league’s coaches. She also was named to the 2017 All-Big 12 Freshman Team. She earned Big 12 Player of the Week on March 28, 2017. Nicole has done whatever the Sooners needed, moving all over the outfield, playing infield positions, or stepping into the pitcher’s circle when needed. In part because of her versatility, she was selected for the Mexican Olympic Team. She finished the 2019 season tied for third in OU career history with 12 triples. Nicole has played in 179 games and started 160 times. Her career batting average heading into her senior year is .357. She has 174 hits and 140 runs in her 487 career at bats. Mendes has 78 RBI and has a slugging percentage of .524 with 18 doubles, 12 triples, and 13 home runs. Her on-base percentage is .419 and she has a career fielding percentage of .971 after recording a .982 in the field as a junior. She has thrown 34 innings with 27 appearances. Nicole’s ERA sits at 2.47.