It is often said that good things come to those who wait. In the case of Ashley Carrea, the old saying couldn’t be more accurate. Carrea is a Tampa native and a senior on the University of Tampa softball team. She attended Tampa Catholic High School, where she played basketball and volleyball in addition to softball. Carrea says she was recruited by UT during her time at Tampa Catholic, and eventually decided to attend.
“I came here pretty much because I wanted to be close to my home,” Carrea said.
Carrea spent her first three seasons at UT as a situational player.
Her freshman season consisted primarily of pinch running appearances, taking advantage of her natural speed on the base paths.
“When you can bring in someone off the bench who’s fast, it’s very valuable to us as a team to get that one run in,” UT head coach Leslie Kanter said.
Carrea first played for the Spartans in 2007 and appeared in 36 of the team’s 49 games. She was a 2-for-2 base stealer while getting three hits and an RBI in eight at-bats.
Her sophomore season consisted of 38 appearances and her first 10 starts as a collegiate player.
She batted .276 (8-for-29) with three home runs off the bench for the Spartans, but did not steal a base that year.
Carrea reached an academic accomplishment in 2008, as a member of the SSC Commissioner’s Honor Roll.
Carrea saw reduced action in 2009, playing in 23 games while starting five.
She went 0-for-16 at the plate with one stolen base and three runs scored in her junior year.
Although she spent her first three years in a reserve role, Kanter says the team valued her contributions.
“She may have thought it wasn’t a big deal and she was just a pinch runner,” Kanter said. “But it was very important to the team.”
This year, things are looking up for the experienced utility player. Carrea began the season starting in right field, but has recently moved to second base.
“She can pretty much play anywhere other than pitcher and catcher,” Kanter said of her versatility.
In 22 games so far this season, Carrea holds a .950 fielding percentage between right field and second base.
Offensively, she is tied with fellow senior Jessica Tejas for the team lead with two home runs.
With a batting average of .200, her offense is still a work in progress.
“Hitting has always been harder than defense for me,” Carrea said. “I’m still working on that a little.”
“Now she has a good eye on the ball,” Kanter said. “She worked hard this summer.”
As a first-year starter, Carrea is enjoying every minute of her senior season experience.
“It feels great,” Carrea said. “It feels a lot better now that I’m more into it. There’s more to be done. Always more to be done.”