Former Amphitheater standout Kristiana Watson to play softball for ASU.
As a freshman at Amphitheater, Watson earned the rare Triple Crown for Southern Arizona. The infielder/pitcher batted .753 with 54 RBIs and 17 home runs. She also went 7-2 from the circle with 58 strikeouts in in only 40 innings of work. She almost pulled off the same feat in her sophomore year with a .716 average and 14 home runs but she missed the Triple Crown by 13 RBI.
Incredibly, Watson was walked 41 times in her sophomore season with the Panthers, rivaling the respect shown to former Canyon del Oro standout Kayla Bonstrom in 2012 and the expected treatment Tucson High senior Carlie Scupin will face this coming spring with the Badgers.
“Kristiana is an amazing young lady that deserves the world,” her mother Laura Espinoza-Watson said. “Her big heart and beautiful soul is what makes this all so very special. This is her journey and we are excited to see her evolve as a player and person under the tutelage of the ASU coaching staff.”
Espinoza-Watson, was a three-time All-American softball player for the Wildcats and Kristiana’s father, David Watson, was a lineman for Arizona and her brother David is a current lineman for the Wildcats.
NOTE: My daughter played club softball for Espinoza-Watson. We have known Kristiana since she was about 9.
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Andy Morales was recognized by the AIA as the top high school reporter in 2014, he was awarded the Ray McNally Award in 2017, a 2019 AZ Education News award winner and he has been a youth, high school and college coach for over 30 years. His own children have won multiple state high school championships and were named to all-state teams. Competing in hockey, basketball, baseball and track & field in high school, his unique perspective can only be found here and on AZPreps365.com. Andy is the Southern Arizona voting member of the Ed Doherty Award, recognizing the top football player in Arizona, and he was named a Local Hero by the Tucson Weekly for 2016. Andy was named an Honorary Flowing Wells Caballero in 2019. Contact Andy Morales at amoralesmytucson@yahoo.com
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