MONROE, La. – The ULM softball team will be adding a significant piece to its roster for next season. Head softball coach
Corey Lyon announced on Sunday the addition of Butler Community College star Nykiah Hines. Hines will be eligible to compete as a Warhawk for the 2019 season.
"We are very excited to add Nykiah to our roster," said Lyon. "We believe she will help fill the void in the outfield left by our graduated seniors (
Hunter Hogan and
Rochelle Roberts). She gives us another speedy outfielder to add to the mix."
The left-handed batter was born in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and was a three-sport athlete at Millwood High School, competing in four years of softball and basketball, and three years of track.
Her senior year of high school, Hines was selected to the 2015 Oklahoma Coaches Association All-State team, The Oklahoman Little All-City First Team, All-Vype Softball Team, and was awarded the Michelle Smith Award, given to Oklahoma's top-five outstanding student-athletes.
You can say Hines knows what it's like to win. In fact, the 5-foot-3 outfielder, has compiled a 111-7 record through two years of competition as a Grizzly. She helped BCC to a 58-1 record and a second-straight NJCAA National Championship in 2017 and a 58-3 record in 2018, including a 28-0 mark in the Jayhawk Conference.
In the same season, the Grizzlies finished second among Division I NJCAA schools in runs (602), runs batted in (543), and walks (242). Overall, Butler ranked in the Top 10 in 13 different categories.
Hines sophomore season at Butler included four multi-hit games, on a .400 batting average and a .457 on-base percentage. Hines also managed 16 stolen bases in 48 appearances.
Hines has seen success in the classroom as well as on the field. In high school, she earned a spot on the principal's honor roll all four years in high school and was selected to the school's National Honor Society in addition to earning the President's Award, graduating in the top 10 percent of her class. Hines plans on majoring in kinesiology at ULM, with a concentration in pre-physical therapy.
