Part 2
ArkansasRazorbacks.com has developed a multi-part series on new softball coach Courtney Deifel, which will be posted in individual parts over the coming weeks. The series continues with her relationship on and off the field with her sister, Amanda.
When the Women’s College World Series returned to Oklahoma City in 1997, it marked the start of a seven-year vacation trip for the Scott family. University of Arkansas head coach Courtney (Scott) Deifel playing for California (2000-03) and older sister Amanda Scott playing for Fresno State (1997-00) became mainstays on the sport’s highest stage.
“It was like the family vacation,” older sister Amanda said of the impressive streak.
“Our family was at the World Series every year possible of our college careers. We were fortunate to be part of such great programs with great coaches. Nowadays, it’s just so hard to get there.”
The run of appearances featured a pair of national titles, one for both. Amanda was up first, leading the Bulldogs to an NCAA crown in 1998 behind Most Outstanding Player accolades. Four years later, she was in the stands as Deifel helped Cal to the 2002 national championship.
And then there was the time—the only time they played each other at any level—the sisters had to face one another with a WCWS berth on the line. Deifel was a freshman catcher at Berkeley while Amanda was capping a stellar career at close-to-home Fresno State. The six-team regional, played in front of a Fresno crowd very aware of the circumstances, narrowed to a final game between Cal and Fresno State with the Bears taking the win to advance to Oklahoma City.
“I’m sure it was just a nauseating experience for my mom and dad because only one of us could go to the World Series,” said Amanda, who is currently the head softball coach at Roosevelt University in Chicago.
“The sister aspect of that regional was huge. We hosted at Fresno so all the fans there knew her and had followed us growing up in nearby Clovis. There was a weird feeling when she was being introduced at the plate because you want to cheer for her, but I also really wanted to beat her team.”
It wasn’t any easier for their mom, Leslie, sitting in the stands.
“It wasn’t a lot of fun to watch because only one of them could come out a winner,” Leslie said of the 2000 NCAA Regional matchup. “Those are the times you wish you could avoid but you can’t. It was a tough spot for everybody. If they had just been in separate regions, they both could have been winners. So when (Cal) won the game, mama bear has to take care of the other cub, too.”
The sisters had come a long way from playing in the batting cages during their dad’s games as head coach at Fresno City College. Back in those days, the players chose their position based upon the team’s needs.
Deifel began catching around the age of 10, but became a shortstop during the only high school season she played with her sister in 1996. That one year resulted in a valley-area championship, a familiar winning aspect of their playing careers.
With Amanda staying close to home at Fresno State, Deifel was able to catch a front-row view of her older sister blooming into a star at the collegiate level. A star to the tune of a four-year All-American career for Fresno, in which she led the Bulldogs to three Women’s College World Series appearances and the 1998 national title. Amanda finished her career at Fresno State with a career record of 106-18, 851 strikeouts and a 0.55 ERA.
In case she needed it, Deifel got the motivation from the person closest to her in the softball world. Putting together a standout collegiate career of her own, she earned All-America accolades as a senior in 2003 to go along with a pair of All-Pac 10 selections.
“She was my biggest role model in the game and the best pitcher I’ve ever caught,” said Deifel. “Amanda wasn’t a dominant strikeout pitcher.”
When pressed, she made the baseball comparison to Greg Maddux, who used precision control and a very high intellect throughout his Hall of Fame career.
“She didn’t take the easy route,” said Deifel. “Her signature pitch was the peel drop, which takes incredible precision and has the slimmest margin for error.
“It is so emblematic of my sister’s character. If she is going to compete, she is going to compete at the highest possible level and she literally had to do that on just about every pitch. When you get to work that closely with such a gifted athlete, but more so, one of the most competitive people on the planet, you can’t help but feed off that energy.”
With Deifel set to graduate from Cal following a national runner-up finish, the softball playing world was facing life without the sisters from Clovis.
So what next?
For Deifel, the playing days were still fresh in her mind and it didn’t take much convincing to have her older sibling give a go at a new challenge: professional softball. For the first time since Amanda’s last year in high school, the sisters were going to be teammates for the 2004 New York Juggernaut team of the National Pro Fastpitch league.
“I’m glad they got that chance to (play together) again,” Leslie said. “They enjoyed being together but when college started for Amanda, they didn’t have that same time together. They had started their own lives, so the fact that they could have that summer together, was invaluable.”
There would be one difference from their year together at Clovis, however. Amanda would still take the ball in the circle but for the first time in a competitive setting, she would be throwing to Deifel behind the plate.
Finally, the Amanda-Courtney battery would be in effect.
Deifel would get to catch for, what she still calls, the most disciplined and controlled pitcher she played with. The winning ways were also back with the Juggernaut winning the league title that year.
“That was one of the most enjoyable experiences of my playing career,” Amanda said of the sisters’ reunion as teammates. “We were adults having fun and living in New York City. Having the chance to play with (Courtney) was really the difference maker for me. It was a totally different experience throwing to her because it’s someone you instantly trust. She was definitely the most honest catcher I ever had and, at the time, that’s exactly what I wanted.”
As both sisters have progressed in their coaching careers, Amanda praises her sister for developing relationships that have sped up her progress as a head coach. It also doesn’t hurt to be a former catcher, which Amanda says gave her sister the best view of the game.
“When the Arkansas position became available, I just kept telling her ‘this is crazy, this is crazy’ because it was such an amazing opportunity,” Amanda said. “Before she coached her first game at Maryland, I thought ‘oh yeah, she’s going to be good at this.’
“I always imagined her on the biggest stage. Did I think it would happen this fast? No, but everyone will tell you there’s no timeline for success. Now I just have to make sure to get the SEC Network to keep track.”