Dixie State's Nicole Chavez makes impact since Day One

Randy Simkins always told Nicole Chavez she brought the literal rain with her to Southern Utah during her recruiting trip, but now as a senior on a Dixie State team with enormous expectations, she's putting the Storm in Red Storm.

But attending college wasn't something Chavez had originally planned as a senior at Ayala High School in Chino Hills, California. It wasn't until she met DSU coach Simkins at a tournament in Long Beach, California, that she changed her mind.

"Honestly, I wasn't really looking to go to school," she said. "I was in an area where I wanted to stay home. Coach saw me at a tournament, and told me to come for a visit to St. George, Utah. 'Utah? I've never been there.' I came and I fell in love with the environment, and the coaches are amazing."

Chavez signed a Letter of Intent to play at Dixie State immediately and packed her bags for St. George. The school had everything she wanted, including a close drive to her hometown.

At just five hours away, even a freak snowstorm through the gorge couldn't sway Chavez from Dixie State.

"It was on our way back (to California)," she said. "(Simkins) said I brought the rain from California and was blaming it on me. On our way back I took videos because I was so excited. I'd never been in an actual snowstorm. I was putting my hands out the window and saying 'Oh my gosh, it's snowing! Do I get this while I'm here?' So I signed right on the spot. It was a done deal."

The joke was on her since it's T-shirt weather in February.

And of course her parents loved St. George's proximity to Las Vegas.

"They were saying, 'Oh my goodness, it's right by Vegas, and we get to stay in Vegas.' It's literally a five-hour drive from here to my home," she said. "They also fell in love with the environment. They said this was a great school for me and that it had what I wanted."

Simkins couldn't understand why she wasn't more heavily recruited.

"When I first saw her when she was in high school, she made some amazing defensive plays and talking all the time, and her energy level was amazing," he said. "She passes the eye test. She's a really good player, very good defensively — always moving and always talking."

Chavez is as good as any second baseman that Simkins has coached, he said. She gets to balls and works hard.

"When she was a freshman, we stressed the important of being a good student," Simkins said. "She's been extremely, extremely good in the classroom."

Chavez started 44 games her freshman year in 2012 and has been a key figure in the lineup ever since. She platooned at third base, shortstop and second base in the early parts of her career, but has become a staple at the 4 spot in the infield.

And it's in that position where Chavez and six other seniors headline a Dixie State team that played in the National Semifinals a year ago at the College World Series and now looks to win the whole thing this year.

"I couldn't have asked for a better organization here," she said. "If it wasn't for the team, we wouldn't be where we are today."

Chavez was named the NFCA Division II Preseason Player of the Year, and she's handled the pressure well, Simkins said. Individual honors are going to come when a team is good, but winning a national championship is the only thing on Chavez's mind.

Softball wasn't the end all be all for Chavez. She was a cheerleader in high school, too. So she could be seen in the fall and winter on the sidelines of football and basketball games leading cheers and supporting her school's teams. But every spring she traded in her pom poms for a glove and a spot on the infield dirt.

"I asked Coach on my visit if I could do cheer and softball," Chavez said. "He said no."

Follow Richard Briggs on Twitter, @BriggsRich.