Former Bayside High School softball standout Nikki Pennington has always had a passion away from the field. Growing up in Brevard County it was a family tradition to be outdoors. Our Despina Barton catches up with the now Eastern Florida State College short stop and how she’s carved out time to be successful in both:

• Nikki Pennington was named Southern Conference Player of the Year
• The sophomore led Eastern Florida State College to the state tournament
• Pennington hunts deer and hogs  in the off-season

Nikki Pennington knows how to hit the ball. This is how she mentally prepares herself to take the plate.

“One of my coaches told me the simplest things; it was just see ball, hit ball. So that’s the only thing that goes through my mind.”

And it’s working in her favor. The sophomore putting together a stellar season after tearing her PCL back in November—and was  told she’d miss six months of play.

“I pushed myself really hard to get back on the field and missed 13 games and came back in February,” Pennington said of returning ahead of schedule.

The short stop came back three months early to play in 40 games.

“Nikki is probably the most competitive person I know,” teammate and friend Caitlin Meyer said. “I’m so proud of her and how far she’s come and you know the injury – she did not step back at all she went forward 800 steps and came back stronger than anyone expected her to be.”

Pennington batted .482, had nine homeruns and 40 RBI and was named Southern Conference Player of the Year.

“We got so much more than I had any idea we’d get,” Titans Head Coach Jim Beitia explained. “We knew she was good out of high school but getting someone who is Player of the Year in the conference I don’t think you ever expect to fall into something that awesome.”

What you might not expect is for that slugger to also have a good shot, from range, in the off season.

“We usually go down in Fellsmere and I usually hunt during the fall seasons because it’s easier for me with softball because it’s the downtime,” Pennington said of her hunting hobby.

For the Bayside grad and Brevard county native .her passion for hunting began before she picked up a softball.  

 “As I grew up I started to use a cross bow and then I started shooting deer and that’s pretty much all I do, deer and hog hunt.”

For Pennington its two passion’s that fill her up and in her eyes can be pretty similar.

“You are waiting, and then you see something and you are just – there is a lot of pressure –same with softball but I feel like there is more pressure because we actually eat them,” Pennington added. “It’s just overall, pressure is pressure anywhere so like today when I got up to base with the bases loaded –big pressure.”

The two take laser focus to be successful at and something Pennington isn’t willing to step away from.

 “I think it’s awesome, it’s a great story and it just shows people have a little bit of a life outside of softball,” Coach Jim Beitia said.

Pennington started her collegiante carrer at FGCU. She finished her Eastern Florida State College stint on May 3rd and plans to join a four year program for her final two years of eligibility.