Softball: Montini's Cuchran measured up

If you measure a softball player by her individual play and her team's success, Montini junior third baseman Nikki Cuchran set the standard in DuPage County this season.

Montini, after winning the Class 3A title last season made another deep run into this spring's playoffs, reaching the supersectional, further than any other team in the area. Cuchran was a major contributor. She hit .626 with 11 home runs, 63 RBI and an on-base percentage of .714.

It is because of these accomplishments that she is the Daily Herald DuPage County All-Area softball captain.

As a sophomore, Cuchran was part of a Broncos team that came home with the state championship trophy during the program's first trip to the softball state finals.

When the 2017 season got started about nine months later, Cuchran said expectations were obviously higher. But she added what helped the team achieve what it did in 2016 is the same thing that's helped the Broncos this spring.

"There's definitely high expectations. The standard has been set, but this (the current season) was something to look forward to. Our goal is set," she said.

The Broncos beat Washington 4-1 to clinch the state title and finish with a 37-3 record in 2016.

"It was just amazing. It was one of the best experiences of my life, one of the best accomplishments.

"Our chemistry (was the key). Everyone got along and on the field we learned to come together. This year we're working together and there's team chemistry," Cuchran said.

Seeing growth

She believes there's a difference between Nikki Cuchran, the freshman, and Nikki Cuchran, the senior.

"I think since freshman year, my work ethic has improved and I've worked on being more of a team player. I have learned to be more disciplined," she said.

Cuchran added that part of that discipline has been to focus on her quickness and agility and to work out more.

Her coach, Mike Bukovsky, said the difference now between Cuchran, the freshman, and Cuchran, the junior, is her maturity and understanding of softball.

"She had great raw ability as a freshman. She has matured so much in the finer points of the game and understands the meaning of hard work. As a junior, she has a good sense of the game," he said.

Bukovsky believes that she understands the need for leadership on a team.

"She's a quiet leader, leads by example. She takes that aspect of the game very seriously," he said.

Cuchran has been named All-Area and all-state all three seasons with Montini.

"She's a great hitter. She's a disciplined hitter. But an area she has worked that is just as good as her hitting is her defense," Bukovsky said.

Cuchran began playing softball at age 6 or 7. She loves the sport but takes away more from it than just the competition.

"It has taught me life lessons and things that I can incorporate into my life," she said.

Looking ahead

College plans have taken shape. She has verbally committed to DePaul University in Chicago. The Blue Demons made the NCAA Tournament this season and 19 times overall in the history of the program.

"I think it's a good fit. It's close to home and I like the combination of athletics and academics," Cuchran said.

Bukovsky believes that she has the ability to adapt to the college game.

"The biggest difference when you go up a level is that other kids are just as talented as you. The kids who survive in college work at it, they hustle. They do the little things to get on the field," he said. "That plays right into Nikki's hands. She has the talent and discipline. Her approach has always been to prove herself and improve."

This summer she will be back with her club team, the Beverly Bandits. It's her third season with the club.

"She's a natural hitter, great hand-eye coordination," said Bandits coach Bill Conroy.

Players with the Bandits get a major opportunity to work on and improve their game. In addition to Cuchran, every player on this season's 18-under roster is committed to play for a Division I school. Four are heading to Northwestern, two to the Oregon, another to Missouri and another to the University of Notre Dame.

The schedule is against elite teams from all over the country that also sport multiple Division I players on their rosters. Two of the top tournaments the Bandits 18U squad will play in are in California and Colorado.

"Nikki is ready for DePaul. She can play either first base or third base," Conroy said. "She'll help them with the range she has defensively and her bat is second to none."

And when her final Montini season rolls around and she is a senior, Cuchran will give the same advice that she was given when she began high school.

"When I was a freshman, the seniors were so nice and I want to make (next year's incoming freshmen) to feel the same and say to them that we'll work as a team and that's not as hard as you think," she said.