SHELLMAN, Ga. (WALB) - Kylie Nichols spent two years away from the softball field. When she finally returned for her senior season, the person who promised to be there wasn’t in the stands.

Nichols, a senior at Southwest Georgia STEM Charter, balances softball and soccer while maintaining near-perfect grades. But during the first softball game of her sophomore year, a torn ACL sidelined her for her entire junior season.

Injury and recovery

“Oh, I definitely cried. Not even because of pain, but because I worked so hard… I knew it was going to be my year,” Nichols said. “That summer of practice was like perfect just coming out. Especially having to give the coaches the news… everyone was torn up about it. It was a mental challenge of like ‘why did this happen to me?’ You just have to pray about it and keep going, but it was heartbreaking.”

Despite long days of rehab paired with uncertainty about whether she would return to her pre-injury form, Nichols kept pushing on. When she needed motivation, she found it in her biggest supporter — her older brother Cameron.

“My older brother, he was like, ‘okay, I’m going to come to your first game back your senior year… you got this,’” Nichols said.

Playing with purpose

Before that moment could come, Cameron passed away in early 2025. What should have been an exciting return became something more emotional. Now every time Nichols steps on the field, she plays for more than herself.

“Having to show up… play for him. Like obviously God first, but he really is my biggest continuer, my biggest why, my biggest get up and do it—you got this,” Nichols said. “So that first game back was obviously very exciting but very emotional because he never got to see me play.”

Nichols carries both grief and purpose with her. It shows up in the way she plays, the way she leads and in the numbers she wears.

“Its tough, very hard and heartbreaking to think he’s not in the stands, but it also makes me very proud of who I am and how I play because I never take things for granted,” Nichols said. “My senior year I actually changed my softball number to number 29 because that was his football number, so that’s how I carry him with me in softball. And in soccer, I changed my number to 18 because that’s how old he was when he passed away.”

Looking ahead

After everything she has been through, Nichols said she doesn’t take a single moment for granted. In a month, Nichols will graduate as salutatorian of her class and head to college. She said she plans to stay local to be near family.

After college, Nichols plans to become an addiction counselor for teenagers. Right now, she is finishing her soccer career while playing on the same team as her younger sister.

Congratulations to Kylie Nichols for being recognized as this week’s Valdosta State Scholar Athlete!

If you know an outstanding student-athlete, click here to nominate them.

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