Mission 18U National

Team Profile

Mission 18u National is a college prep team for players who are committed to the recruiting process. This team focuses on playing the best competition available, while supporting the player's recruiting journey to help them get to play at the right school for them.

Coach Nikki Caicedo is an experienced coach and our recruiting director who successfully placed every graduating player who wanted to play at the college level the last two seasons - and has options for her 2025 class already. This team will play tournaments that put you against great competition and showcases your talent in front of college coaches.

Head Coach

Nikki Caicedo, Head Coach

Nikki has a wealth of experience as a head coach and a recruiting director. Nikki has coached for over 10 years across the country and in South Africa. Most recently as a head coach for Mission starting Fall of 2021. She is also an assistant coach for Macalester College.

As a younger player she played for a national travel team out of NJ (even though she lived in Michigan) and was a four-year starter at Macalester College.

She serves as our college recruiting director which includes a 10-part online educational seminar over Zoom to teach families about the college recruiting process. She also runs Mission’s year-round catching instruction.

She has a degree in Neuroscience and Economics and loves travel.

nikki@missionfastpitch.com

Assistant Coach: Jody Gabriel
Jody has been the head coach for Macalester College for over 10 years where she has won MIAC Coach of the Year honors.

Team Needs

P, C, Utility. Anticipated 4-5 open spots for a roster size of 13-14.

Practices

Players are expected to commit to practices, attendance is mandatory unless it conflicts with school activities. 

  • 2x weekly in fall and summer

  • 6 nights of training available in winter including specialized pitchers and catchers training, throwing improvement lab, and strength and conditioning. At least 2x per week and strength/conditioning is required off season attendance 

  • Weekly pitching and catchers training 

    Recruiting

    Our coaches have an extensive coach network that we leverage to help place our athletes at the school that is the best fit for them. 

    Mission is a young club, and in the two years of having an 18u National team, ALL 13 of our graduating seniors have committed to playing in college! That's 100% of our kids finding their dream home.

    Our program name and reputation is growing, making this a great place to be for college recruitment.

    Some of our recruiting commitments:

    • We have a 10 part virtual meeting via Zoom to learn all parts of the recruiting process

    • In the fall and summer, there are weekly recruiting hours before or after practice for all uncommitted kids to ask questions, get help with writing emails, gather video clips, etc. 

    • Our coaching staff works hard to leverage our network to help connect players to the right schools.

    Some schools that attended our games throughout the 2023-2024 season:

    Pitt, Indiana State, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Northwestern, Eastern Tennessee State, UW Green Bay, Miami Ohio, Iowa, Illinois, Southern Illinois, Missouri, Purdue, Memphis, Murray State, Evansville, Rhode Island, Bradley, Mankato, St. Cloud, Minnesota Moorhead, Xavier, Quincy, UW Stout, UW Eau Claire, UW Whitewater, Macalester, St Olaf, St Ben’s, Augsburg, Bethel, Wheaton, Berry, Northwestern St Paul, North Central College, Beloit, UW La Crosse, Monmouth, Aurora, Susquehanna, Davis & Elkins, Wisconsin Lutheran, Fayetteville CC, Southern CC, Newberry, Carleton, St. Mary’s, Buena Vista, Lakeland, Benedictine, Marian, UW Steven’s Point, UW Oshkosh, St Kate’s

    Potential Tournament Schedule

Mission 18u National builds its schedule based on the college recruiting needs of the team. We try to attend tournaments that we know schools of interest attend, while playing the best competition available to us. For example, if multiple players want to go to school in California, we will try to play a tourney in California. 

Fall:

  • September

    • Aug 31-Sept 1, S&C Labor Day Showcase OR 

    • Sept 20-22 PG MN  Showcase

  • Oct 18-20

    • LP4U Strike Out Cancer, Orland Park, IL OR

    • Easton Invitational, O’Fallon, IL, OR

    • Team 1 Elite Fall Invite, St. Louis MO

  • Nov 1-3

    • Scenic City Fall Showcase, Dalton, GA

  • Then 1-2 of the following, pending team needs:

    • Oct 25-27 , Top Gun Invitational

    • TBD, Alliance Qualifier

    • Nov 8-10, Alliance Fall Championships

Summer:

  • Top Gun Invitational OR Team 1 Elite Invitational, Kansas City

  • S&C Summer Showcase

  • Another local tourney- Lexi, Top Tier State or others

  • TBD, pending team need - LP4U Stars and Stripes Showcase, Orland Park, IL

  • National Tourney - Alliance Nationals OR PGF Midwest Regional