Passing of ISC Hall of Famer Nicky Hopkins
Former Long Beach Nitehawk
The ISC is saddened by the passing of 1992 ISC Hall of Fame inductee Nick Hopkins.
Nick joined the Nitehawks in 1959 and played with the team for 18 years. He was inducted into the ISC Fastpitch Hall of Fame in 1992 and to the Long Beach Softball and Baseball Hall of Fame in its inaugural year, 2004.
Courtesy FastpitchWest.com
Hopkins signed with the Boston Red Sox organization and played professional baseball for five years after graduating from Wilson High School. Nick combined softball and baseball for six years playing with the Long Beach Rockets. He played for one year with the Long Beach Fire Fighters in the Western Softball Congress before joining the Nitehawks in 1959 where he played shortstop for 18 years (1959 – 1977). He was named to the Western Softball Congress All-Star Team 15 times and was a member of six International Softball Congress World Tournament winners. He was named to the ISC All World Team in 1966 and in 1969 and was named WSC MVP in 1966, 1968 and 1974 and was inducted into the ISC Hall of Fame in 1992. Often accused of playing a shallow left field, Hopkins had arguably the best range of any shortstop to ever play the game. He once handled 125 chances without making an error.
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