SAN DIEGO – San Diego State head softball coach Stacey Nuveman Deniz has announced the hiring of Madilyn “Bubba” Nickles-Camarena as an assistant coach. Nickles-Camarena was in the same position at UCLA last season.
“I am beyond excited to welcome Bubba Nickles-Camarena to The Mesa!” Coach Nuveman Deniz exclaimed. “Her playing and coaching experiences are elite, and she has WCWS experience in both roles in addition to her Olympic Silver Medal from the 2020 Tokyo Games. What I am most excited about is having her work directly with our student-athletes and not only infuse our program with her knowledge and technical acumen, but her mentorship and impeccable communication skills. She’s truly a player’s coach, and I know our student-athletes will thrive under her tutelage.”
Nickles-Camarena has spent the last two seasons on the coaching staff for the Bruins, which was named the NFCA West Regional Coaching Staff of the Year in both years. Last season, UCLA finished with a 55-13 record (.809) overall while going 17-5 (.773) in Big Ten play. The Bruins advanced all the way to the Women’s College World Series, even getting a win over Oregon to begin their time in Oklahoma City. Nickles-Camarena started out as a graduate assistant in Westwood in 2024, helping the team to a 43-12 record (.782) with a 17-4 mark (.810) during Pac 12 play while picking up a win over Alabama in the Women’s College World Series.
Already familiar with Coach Nuveman Deniz, Nickles-Camarena plays for the Bandits (coached by Nuveman Deniz) in the Athletes Unlimited Softball League, who drafted her with their fourth-round pick (14th overall). Her .819 OPS is third in the league among hitters with at least 75 at bats (through games of July 20) and the outfielder is second in the league with seven home runs. She has played in the past as part of AUX and Athletes Unlimited Championship, winning the AUX in 2024 as well as the Japan Diamond League in 2023.
A member of Team USA in the 2020 Olympic Games, Nickles-Camarena earned a silver medal. She followed it up by winning a gold medal with Team USA in the 2022 World Games. Earlier in her playing career, Nickles-Camarena won a pair of gold medals in the WBSC Junior Women’s World Championships in 2015 and 2017.
During her playing days at UCLA, Nickles-Camarena led the Bruins to the 2019 NCAA Championship while pacing the team in hits, home runs, RBIs and slugging percentage. She is a three-time All-Pac 12 honoree as well as a two-time member of the NFCA West All-Region First Team and the All-Women’s College World Series team.
Nickles-Camarena prepped at Merced High, where she was named the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year in her senior season while hitting .487 in her career with a 1.05 ERA in 524.2 innings.
A two-time UCLA alum, Nickles-Camarena earned a bachelor’s degree in sociology in 2021 and a master’s degree in 2024. She lives with her husband, Evan.