RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
One of the best parts of our working at Extra Inning Softball is seeing the growth and development of student-athletes; not just on the field of competition, but in the classroom and, ultimately, post college as they begin their career of choice.
A good example of this is Kassidy Krupit, who we featured as a high school All-American back in 2018 where she set 23 school records at Lambert High in Suwanee, Georgia, before she started her college career at Baylor, then played three years at South Carolina and now has one year left of softball eligibility and two years left of schooling as she’s working on her Master’s Degree in Liberal Studies.
In May, we ran a story titled: Throwback Thursday: New to the Transfer Portal, Kassidy Krupit Has One Year Left to Play… But Could Coaching Be in Her Future (Like Last Summer)? in which we wrote about Kassidy graduating Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Sport and Entertainment Management at South Carolina and how was looking to get in one more year of playing ball while working towards her Master’s.
Earlier this week, the Univ. of North Carolina at Charlotte announced that Kassidy would be transferring in for her final year of eligibility (see the press release below).
We caught up with the softball player and asked her about the move to the 49ers program and what she’s looking to accomplish in her last year of collegiate softball.
“What won me over with Charlotte is the environment and the direction the program is heading in,” she began. “Coach Ashley (Chastain, also a South Carolina grad) and the other coaches are doing amazing things with the program, and I can’t wait to be a part of it! Charlotte is a great place to be and I’m going to give everything I’ve got. This will be a fun year!”
In the classroom, Kassidy will work on a Liberal Studies grad degree but don’t be surprised to see her back on the softball fields as a coach where her love of the game and experience at the Power 5 level should really resonate with young student-athletes.
Last summer, she helped coach two East Cobb Bullets teams (click HERE to hear Kassidy talk about that experience) and this year she’s been with the Starz National 16U program and has continued to love being on the mentoring side of coaching.
“I’ve had a blast so far coaching Starz National 16U!” she continued. “My team has been hitting a lot of bombs this summer at a high level including 18 in Colorado. I have learned so much about coaching and about myself, doing this, and I want to be coaching at the collegiate level post grad as it’s my passion.”
Kassidy adds that she’s excited to explore college coaching as her career.
“Yes, I want to coach full-time in college post-grad!” the current student-athlete confirms. “I want that to be my career.”
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Charlotte Welcomes South Carolina Softball Transfer Krupit
Official press release published on July 5, 2022 by the Charlotte Softball SID
Charlotte 49ers softball head coach Ashley Chastain has announced the addition of experienced four-year transfer Kassidy Krupit (Suwanee, Ga. / Lambert), a three-year starting infielder for South Carolina. Krupit began her collegiate career at Baylor before transferring to the Gamecocks. She will complete her career with the 49ers.
POP AT THE PLATE
Krupit is a talented hitter who batted over .300 in two of her three years at South Carolina. As a junior in 2021, she led the Gamecocks with 45 RBI while belting six home runs. She batted .301 with a .487 slugging pct. In her first season at South Carolina, she batted .308 with a .538 slugging pct. in 22 games played. She hit 10 home runs as a freshman at Baylor. In her four-year career, she owns a .269 batting average with 18 doubles, 20 home runs and 104 RBI.
EXPERIENCE
This past year, she made 35 starts in 47 games played, primarily at first base. In 2021, she was one of three players to start every game for the Gamecocks while she started 22 of the 23 games played in the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.
TRANSFER TAKE
Chastain has now bolstered the 49ers roster with the addition of three four-year transfers. In June, Chastain announced the arrival of pitchers Georgeanna “GG” Barefoot and Sam Gress. Barefoot starred for Big South Champion Campbell while Gress put up an 11-3 record with a 2.67 ERA in her three seasons at NC State.
CHARLOTTE MAKING MOVES
In Chastain’s three-year career with the 49ers, Charlotte has captured the 2021 Conference USA East Division Title and, in 2022, moved into the NFCA National Rankings for the first time in program history. The historic season included a win over sixth-ranked Virginia Tech, which is the highest-ranked team that Charlotte has beaten.