Tucson High School senior-to-be Carlie Scupin is accustomed to accolades and achievements in her softball career dating to pre-high school days with the Oro Valley Suncats.
The Arizona commit who can sign with the Wildcats this fall, added to her honors last week when USA Today selected her an All-American as part of its second-team picks.
“I think it was a real cool honor because not a lot of people get picked for it,” Scupin said Sunday before the Suncats’ 18-and-under game at Hillenbrand Stadium against the Hotshots Gold. “I guess I want to keep working hard and do the same thing next year.”
Scupin was one of three Class of 2020 recruits on the USA Today All-American second and third teams who have committed to Mike Candrea’s program.
Pitcher/utility player Jesse Fontes of Simi Valley (Calif.) Grace Brethren High School joined her on the second team. Fontes had a 0.36 ERA in 136 1/3 innings, striking out 264 of the 537 batters she faced during the regular season. She also batted .530 with seven home runs, 36 RBIs and 10 doubles.
The third team included infielder Sophia Caroll of Surprise Shadow Ridge. In 14 games, Caroll had a .647 average in 34 at-bats with 19 runs, 22 hits, 18 RBIs, two doubles, one triple and six home runs.
“I talk to (Candrea) a lot and he watches our club team a lot because we are local,” Scupin said. “This summer he’ll be out watching us a lot, here and there for sure.”
Two of her former Suncats teammates now play for Arizona — catcher/infielder Isabel Pacho, formerly of Ironwood Ridge, and pitcher Marissa Schuld of Pinnacle.
Scupin mentioned she has learned from them about elevating their game to the next level.
“(I am) focusing in on what they struggled with and then trying to learn from their mistakes and learning from them because they are going through it right now,” Scupin said.
Scupin, also selected the Gatorade Arizona Player of the Year, hit two home runs on Saturday at Hillenbrand, a likely preview of what’s to come for Arizona fans at that stadium.
Scupin led the Badgers to the Class 6A semifinals batting .683 with 17 home runs, 11 doubles and 41 RBIs. She also served as a relief pitcher, earning two saves and striking out 17 in 11 2/3 innings.
Scupin had a slugging percentage of 1.730 with a .783 on-base percentage.
Asked what she has to work on the most between now and when she completes her senior season, Scupin said, “Individually, I feel like the mental side of it because obviously the next step at U of A, playing Division I, will be something completely different than high school ball.
“And then, I guess as a team, just being a better leader and leading by example and getting my whole team all together and working toward the same goal.”
FOLLOW @JAVIERJMORALES ON TWITTER!
ALLSPORTSTUCSON.com publisher, writer and editor Javier Morales is a former Arizona Press Club award winner. He is a former Arizona Daily Star beat reporter for the Arizona basketball team, including when the Wildcats won the 1996-97 NCAA title. He has also written articles for CollegeAD.com, Bleacher Report, Lindy’s Sports, TucsonCitizen.com, The Arizona Republic, Sporting News and Baseball America, among many other publications. He has also authored the book “The Highest Form of Living”, which is available at Amazon.
Recommended for you
