CSC softball player Kate Maston hits walk-off home run for Rock Gold Premier in Colorado
Competing in a recent summer travel softball elimination game in Thornton, Colorado, Kate Maston of Coral Springs stepped to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning and delivered one of the most exciting hits of her young softball career.
Tied at 3 against the Carolina Cardinals at the Colorado 4th of July Sparkler Tournament, Maston drove the first pitch over the centerfield wall for a walk-off winner as she celebrated with her Rock Gold Premier/de Leon/Manetta 16U teammates.
Rock Gold Premier, with plenty of local talent, is based in Pembroke Pines.
Not only did Maston win the game in dramatic fashion, but she batted 1.000 for the game while driving in three of her team’s four runs.
Rock Gold Premier went 5-4 in the tournament, finishing in the Top 8 of 67 teams from across the country. In the nine games, she hit .429 with a .680 on-base-percentage and a .714 slugging percentage and was solid in left field.
It’s an interesting story how Maston got there.
She grew up in Coral Springs, playing baseball. Starting at a very young age, she was so good in city ball, playing up, she joined the travel team at age 8 for the South Florida Infernos, based in Coral Springs.
A talented left-handed pitcher/first baseman, Maston also hit the ball extremely well.
As an 8th grader at Coral Springs Charter School, she caught a game for the JV squad.
Her freshman year at CSC, Maston tried out for the JV team, but coach requested she play for his varsity unit. She became the first girl to compete for the CSC varsity baseball team.
From her travel baseball days (including her middle school years), she earned the respect of coaches and peers. A girl competing in a male-dominated sport, she was treated the same by them -- as a baseball player.
Maston recorded her first varsity pitching win in her freshman year.
During her sophomore campaign, CSC softball coach Mark Montimurro convinced her to try softball. CSC has a strong reputation in softball with many talented players and teams, since Montimurro took over the program.
Maston participated in two varsity sports in the same season, baseball and softball as a sophomore for CSC. In softball, she played well in the outfield and batted over .400, helping the Panthers reach the state semifinals.
This past season Maston opted to solely focus on softball, with the potential for more college scholarship opportunities. Enjoying the game more and more, she again batted over .400 for CSC, which made the region finals.
Montimurro said: “Kate is a wonderful young lady with immense upside. I’ve spoken to many Division I college coaches who love her skill set. We are thrilled that she made the baseball to softball transition.”
Maston, who recently turned 17, prepares for her senior season at CSC. She excels on the field and off, carrying a 4.7 GPA.
As for this summer, Maston competed in five tournaments with Rock Gold Premier/de Leon/Manetta 16U. They played in Altamonte Springs; Newberry; Dalton, Georgia; Colorado; and Atlanta.
Rock Gold Premier coach Luis de Leon also says colleges are taking notice.
“Her upside is very, very high,” de Leon said. “You can tell that she’s starting to come around on the softball side of it. She can hit, and defensively, she’s definitely there as well.”
He added: “She’s humble, very humble, and easy to like and a hard worker.”
Maston was a 2023 Miami Herald All-Broward Softball first team selection.
NOTE: In 1993, Julie Luebkert of Coral Springs played JV baseball for Coral Springs High School. Instead of trying varsity baseball, the second baseman and power hitter transitioned to varsity softball per college scholarship opportunities. BTW, her brother, Brian, who also starred at Coral Springs HS, is the current head coach of the Nova HS varsity baseball team.
Tennis
After a strong performance in the classroom, the Florida Gulf Coast University men’s tennis team has been named an All-Academic Team by the Intercollegiate Tennis Association.
Additionally, three members of the team were named ITA Scholar-Athletes including Randy Wilson, a Miami Palmetto alum.
The team had a 3.57 GPA for 2022-23, well above the 3.2 threshold needed to earn the All-Academic Team distinction. Individual players need at least a 3.5 GPA.
In Division I, 959 men were named ITA Scholar-Athletes, and 162 men’s tennis programs garnered All-Academic Team distinction in 2023.
During the spring, FGCU men’s tennis posted its 11th-straight semester GPA of 3.5 or higher (3.45).
On the courts in 2023, FGCU registered a 15-9 overall record and a 7-1 mark in league play.
The Eagles won the 2023 ASUN regular-season title after defeating No. 63 Liberty and then won the ASUN Tournament championship, defeating host North Florida 4-0 in the title match before losing a very competitive NCAA Tournament opener at No. 6 Georgia.
Submit summer sports info
For coaches and teams in Broward and Miami-Dade, if you have high school level athletes competing in summer leagues, events and programs, email hssports@miamiherald.com.
They will run in the newspaper and online. Photos accepted, too. No deadline. Send after the game, the next day or weekly. You will be alerted when it will appear in the newspaper and online.
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Roundup compiled by Jim Varsallone
jvarsallone@miamiherald.com
