Bubba Nickles-Camarena

Bubba Nickles-Camarena is a 5-foot-8 professional softball outfielder from Merced, California. She was acquired by the Oklahoma City Spark in the 6th Round of the 2026 Expansion Draft following a collegiate career at UCLA.

Personal Life

Hobbies: Bubba enjoys cooking, going to the beach, taking long walks and working out, and she knows how to juggle.

Background: Her first name is Madilyn, but she has gone by Bubba since she was 12. She wears No. 48 because it was her number in high school and college, 4 is her favorite number and 8 is her father's lucky number. Her walk-up song is "Praises" by Elevation Rhythm and Forrest Frank, and her most prized possession is her Bible. She was a high school pitcher who earned Gatorade Player of the Year honors as a senior, and she competed in gymnastics, basketball, soccer, volleyball and track and field growing up. She credits Team USA head coach Patty Gasso as a person who made a difference in her life, models her game after Sydney McLaughlin and counts her 2020 Tokyo Olympics teammates among her softball idols. Her proudest accomplishment is marrying her husband, Evan.

Education: She graduated from UCLA in 2021 with a degree in sociology and earned a master's degree in education there in 2024 while serving as a graduate assistant for the softball team.

Family: Bubba married her husband, Evan, in March 2024.

Professional Experience

Athletes Unlimited Softball League (2021–)

2026 AUSL All-Star Cup: Finished 11th with 780 leaderboard points, ranking second with 15 total bases and earning two MVP 2 awards.

2026 AUSL Regular Season (Oklahoma City Spark): Nickles-Camarena logged a .236 batting average with two home runs and 10 runs batted in, contributing 17 hits, including two doubles. She recorded a hit in seven of her first nine games and ranked 10th in the AUSL with 72 at-bats. She tied for second in the league with two sacrifice bunts and recorded two multi-hit games during the season. Nickles-Camarena authored a 4-for-4 performance with a double and a run scored at Carolina on July 19. Earlier in the season, on June 10, she collected two hits, including a home run, with two runs scored against Texas. On June 13, at Chicago, she blasted a three-run home run.

2025 AUSL All-Star Cup: Collected 710 total leaderboard points. Starter in eight games, authoring a .250 batting average with six hits. Recipient of the 2025 AUSL Impact Award.

2025 AUSL Regular Season (Bandits): Earned starting assignment in 23-of-24 games. Second in the AUSL with seven home runs and 80 at-bats. Hit .213 with 17 hits, 18 RBIs, and 11 runs scored. First player in Bandits history to hit two home runs in a single game (July 12).

2024 Championship Season: Accumulated 1,148 leaderboard points, earning AU Pro Softball All-Defensive Team plaudits for the third consecutive season. Hit .304 with 14 hits, three home runs, and a league-leading 14 RBIs.

2024 AUX Season: Crowned 2024 AUX champion in the closest finish in Athletes Unlimited history. Accumulated 1,344 leaderboard points, hitting five home runs and leading the league by earning 100+ points in 8-of-12 games. Two-time selection as the game’s Defensive MVP. 

2023 Championship Season: Earned seventh place with 1,598 leaderboard points. Started all 15 games, hitting .180 with two home runs and 11 RBIs.

2022 Championship Season: Finished 30th with 1,144 points. Hit .333 with four home runs and 14 RBIs.

2021 Championship Season: Tallied 808 leaderboard points, hitting one home run and driving in five runs.

Other Professional Experience (2022–2023)

Japan Diamond League: Played for the Toyota Red Terriers, ranking among league leaders with a .390 batting average and eight home runs in 2022.

International Experience (2015–2026)

Toyota Red Terriers (2022–2023): Hit .390 with eight home runs in the Japan Diamond League in 2022.

Team USA: Won Silver at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics and Gold at the 2022 World Games, the 2015 and 2017 WBSC Junior Women's World Championships. Hit .444 at the 2026 International Cup to help the U.S. Elite Team win Bronze.

College Experience: UCLA (2017–2021)

Career Statistics: Started 215-of-217 games. Accrued a .357 batting average with 42 home runs, 181 RBIs, and 235 hits.

Senior Year (2021): Named a Senior CLASS Award First-Team All-American after hitting .312 with four home runs and 22 RBIs.

Junior Year (2019): Scored 66 runs and drove in 72 runs (tied for fourth in program history). Hit safely in 21 consecutive games.

Awards & Honors

All-America: Second-Team NFCA All-America honoree in 2019.

Conference Honors: Three-time All-Pac-12 Conference pick (First-Team in 2018 and 2019).