SAN MATEO, Calif. – Sofia Earle of Saint Mary's Women's Softball has been named the recipient of the WCC Postgraduate Female Scholarship by the West Coast Conference.
 
The West Coast Conference Postgraduate Scholarship is awarded to two student-athletes pursuing graduate school or professional school education. Candidates must own a minimum 3.5 GPA on a 4.0 scale, demonstrate a significant athletic contribution on the varsity athletic level in a WCC sponsored sport, and participate in a WCC sport for a minimum of two years.
 
In addition, candidates must have a record of participating in campus or community activities, completed their athletic eligibility, and competed in intercollegiate athletics in the academic year in which they are nominated.
 
Earle is the first winner of the WCC Postgraduate Scholarship from SMC, and certainly checked every box for a nominee. Along with a. 3.50 GPA, Earle made 26 starts in 31 appearances and finished the 2022 season third in the WCC strikeouts, strikeouts per nine innings, and in complete games.
 
She finished fourth in innings pitched (132), ninth in ERA (3.23) and recorded the fourth-most strikeouts in a season in SMC history (138). The Concord, Calif. native led the conference in strikeouts per nine innings as a junior and was second in total punch outs and saves. She was also third in innings pitched and in wins in 2021.
 
In 2020 she finished fifth in the WCC in strikeouts and was in the top 10 in ERA, opposing batting average, and innings pitched. In 2019 she led the WCC in saves while also finishing fifth in wins, fourth in strikeouts, and sixth in opponents' batting average.
 
"I am honored to receive this scholarship that will greatly aid in my pursuit of my master's degree," Earle said. "I am also very thankful to Saint Mary's and the many people who have helped me achieve success both in my academic and athletic career. Go Gaels!"  
 
Earle is a three-time recipient of the Saint Mary's President's Scholar Athlete Award, and has twice been named to the All-WCC Second Team, WCC All-Academic Honorable Mention, and the Dean's List.
 
Her volunteer work includes sorting and packing food for families in need at the Contra Costa Food Bank, volunteering with SMC's sustainability efforts, and with GaelsLight which helps to bring awareness to human trafficking and support to victims. She also volunteered at the Breast Cancer Awareness Run in San Francisco and helped run baseball clinics for the Jr. Giants Day.
 
"Sofia is a brilliant young woman and hardworking student-athlete," said Softball Head Coach Sonja Garnett. "She is a phenomenal pitcher and has spent her career at Saint Mary's positioning herself as a strong candidate for graduate school at Boston College. I am so proud of the person she is and am thrilled she earned this scholarship. It is well deserved, and I am proud she is a Gael!"
 
The southpaw ace for Saint Mary's does not shy away from her ambitious career goals, and the Gaels community expects her to go after them the same way she went after hitters in the circle.
 
"I want to change the world," Earle said. "It's a lofty and somewhat impossible goal, but when asked what my goals and aspirations are, my answer is the same. Throughout my academic career thus far, sustainability and climate change have been passions of mine. It is why I minored in environmental science in my undergraduate degree and why I want to apply what I know about the topic to my other passion, economics.
 
"I want to take what I know about the economy and help make it better and more sustainable. More specifically, my career aspiration is to become a consultant to companies or the
government and help turn sectors of the economy that historically pollute, into sustainable ones. I think these industry transitions will not only be more sustainable but will create a culture of sustainable consumption and production will be the norm across the world."
 
Earle plans to pursue a Master's Degree in Applied Economics at Boston College after majoring in economics at Saint Mary's.
 
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