Julia Scardina is considered one of the top catching prospects in the 2019 class (plug for our Extra Elite 100 starting two weeks from yesterday!) as a 5-foot-10 power-hitter who also plays first base.
She attends Marin Catholic (California) High where she is the batterymate of Sorcerer Old Skool pitcher Annabel Teperson, who pitched in the 2019 PGF 18U Premier National Championship game. Julia hit .571 as a junior this past spring with an on-base percentage of .673 and had 44 hits, 39 RBI and scored 38 runs.
Julia led her Sorcerer team to a 5th place finish in Colorado and 9th place finish at PGF Nationals this summer. Old Skool coach Pete Aguayo, who, along with Bill Sparrey will coach the senior this year on the club level, says that he knew the athlete “had that special ‘IT’ factor since her freshman year. She has a game-changing bat and a Howitzer for an arm.”
Since her freshman year, the NorCal standout had been committed to the Wolfpack of North Carolina State, but over the summer one of the dozens of college coaching changes would have a ripple effect on Julia as the new Wolfpack coaching staff brought in led to her losing her offer to the ACC program.
Shocked, but nonetheless determined to push forward, Julia soon got major Power 5 school interest and quickly found a new school.
In this exclusive interview, we learn how she handled the loss of her scholarship offer and found a new path to take as she gets ready to sign in November!
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The recruiting process must have been the highest of highs and the lowest of lows for you, committing and then having to go through the recruiting process again… walk us through the journey and how you came through so well?
During my last fall season as a 14-year-old, I decided to switch teams and tryout for the top travel softball program in Northern California, Sorcerer. After finding myself with the spot on the 14U Sorcerer team, head coach Gary Gascoigne, had complete faith in my ability to work my hardest every day to challenge my limits and have fun playing softball.
After playing in various tournaments throughout the fall with an exceptional amount of college exposure, our season was sadly coming to an end. During our last tournament in the Fall season, my team and I were playing in the PGF Thanksgiving Shootout when I grabbed Shawn Rychcik’s attention, North Carolina State University head softball coach, with my powerful hitting and solid performance as a catcher and first basemen.
After watching me play in numerous games against some of the top talent in the country, Coach Rychcik set up an unofficial visit with Coach Gascoigne, to give me the opportunity to come look into what being a part of the Wolfpack is about and what NC State’s softball program has to offer. Immediately as I stepped onto North Carolina State’s softball field, I knew this was where I was supposed to be. I loved everything about NC State and what they had to offer me at this school. Through the years, I became more and more excited, of how close I was to be a part of the Pack.
Going into my senior year, I was on Sorcerer 18u Williams. At the beginning of the summer season, I found out the some of the worst news I could receive: Coach Shawn Rychcik announced he was leaving NC State. I was completely shocked by this news.
