After playing a key role in Texas’ improbable Women’s College World Series run in 2022, sophomore third baseman phenom Mia Scott is currently on USA Softball’s top 50 watch list for National Collegiate Player of the Year for 2023. 

While being placed on the watch list can put pressure on players, Scott believes that it’s best not to pay attention to it and let it affect her.

“It doesn’t really make any difference in what I’m going to do,” Scott said in an email. “I’m going to play my game the way I know how to.”

During her freshman season last year, Scott finished her campaign with a .377 batting average and a .554 slugging percentage. The third baseman played 64 games and had 77 hits and 38 runs.

Scott said that she and her teammates have been working hard in their offseason to live up to their 2022 national runner-up finish and refute the people who believe that 2023’s roster won’t compare.

“My team and I have really just been working on living up to the standard from last season and learning how to play together as a new team.” Scott said. “Everyone says, it was luck and that we lost Mary (Iakopo), Janae (Jefferson) and Hailey (Dolcini), so we’re not going to be any good, but we’re here to prove to people that our squad runs deep. We can and will compete with anyone we’re put up against.”

Scott played a major role in the team’s success in the Women’s College World Series. The unseeded Texas triumphed over UCLA 7-2 in its tournament opener, where Scott went 4-for-4 on four pitches with two RBIs. Later in the third inning, she increased the team’s momentum with an RBI triple. 

In the final matchup of the tournament against the No.1-seeded Oklahoma team, the Longhorns struggled to keep up with the Sooners, who claimed the championship 10-5. In the bottom of the seventh, Scott hit a three-run homerun, which despite being late in the game, showed her importance to the team.

Scott now joins Jefferson, Iakopo, Dolcini, Shea O’Leary, and Miranda Elish as the only Longhorns who have been added to the watch list since head coach Mike White began coaching the team in 2018.

Additionally, Scott was unanimously chosen to the 2023 Big 12 Softball Preseason Team. In her freshman season alone, Scott was selected to the All-Big 12 Second Team, All-Big 12 Freshman Team and NFCA All-Central Region Second Team.

The 2023 watch list consists of athletes from 26 universities, with 11 of the athletes coming from the Big 12 Conference. Scott is the only Longhorn on the list.

Former Longhorn pitcher and three-time Olympic medalist Cat Osterman earned the highly coveted award in 2003, 2005 and 2006, making Texas one of three schools to have obtained the award three times alongside UCLA and Oklahoma.

With the 2023 season now underway, and many eyes focusing on Scott’s performance, she has full trust in herself because of her familial support system.

“(It’s) the people I do it for,” Scott said. “My parents have put in so much time and money to see me in the position I’m in. My grandparents were my biggest supporters and I know how much they want to see me succeed in life even if it is from heaven. I go out and trust my ability to do what I know I can and don’t really think too much about it.”