Palm Beach 7A-6A softball player of the year: Nicole Mergen, Park Vista junior

Mergen hit .514 and blasted 16 home runs, which tied for second-most in Florida, according to MaxPreps.

Nicole Mergen’s junior season was not just special because of her excellent performance. It was the first she got to share with her sister.

Mergen and her sister Angeline, a freshman for the Cobras, were two key hitters in Park Vista’s lineup, helping lead the team to a 19-6-1 record and a trip to the regional semifinals.

In a season full of power hitting for the Sun Sentinel Palm Beach County Class 7A-6A player of the year, Mergen picked out a win against Viera where her younger sister dominated in the pitcher’s circle and she hit the game-winning home run as the top moment of the year.

“Being able to play in a game with her against Viera where she pitched, she threw phenomenal, she only let one run score, which was off a home run,” Mergen said, “and for me to be able to come back in the bottom of the sixth and hit a three-run home run to win the game, that was 100 percent the biggest highlight of the year.”

Mergen was already a quality hitter in her first two seasons with Park Vista, but she became one of the state’s most fearsome hitters this season. She hit .514 and blasted 16 home runs, which tied for second-most in Florida, according to MaxPreps. She also pitched in six games, goin 4-0 with a 3.73 ERA.

Mergen attributed her growth at the plate to work she put in with former Park Vista coach Joe DellaRocca, as well as her time doing independent drills.

“I think a lot of it had to do with the work I’ve been doing on my own,” Mergen said. “I’ve been putting in a lot of extra time with the old coach at Park Vista, coach Joe. We do a lot of hitting, and I also do a lot of work on my own. I will say a lot of my power and strength came from all the drills I do with him and all the extra work I’ve been putting in on the side to be the best hitter I can be this season.”

Mergen is planning to keep her talents in-state. She is committed to West Florida.

“One hundred precent, my biggest thing is the coaching there,” Mergen said. “I wouldn’t pick anything else over it. They know how to coach, they know the game, they know everything about softball. But more importantly, they listen very well, and they listen to things — like if I wanted to fix anything, they’re there to help me fix it and they’re going to teach me new things.”