Notre Dame’s Rey sisters land college scholarships

SALINAS >> Inseparable since the age of 4, Samantha Rey has cherished having her older sister Victoria in the dugout with her for each step in their softball journey.

Yet, while both have worked for a common goal on the softball field, the Rey sisters understood that both would likely be going in a different direction after their high school careers at Notre Dame.

“We knew at some point it would be time to move on,” Samantha Rey said. “We will always cheer each other on and support each other from across the country.”

Samantha Rey’s decision this week to verbally commit to Central Florida University as a junior comes on the heels of Victoria signing with Weber State before the start of her senior softball season.

For one more spring, the two Spirits will be teammates, chasing a goal that has eluded them and the Notre Dame softball program since 2015 — a Central Coast Section title.

“I’m relieved I don’t have to go through that stress of making a decision,” Victoria said. “I’m excited that I can achieve my dream of playing college softball. Now my focus is on going out and winning a CCS title.”

The Spirits were close last year in a pandemic shortened season, falling in the Open Division finals to state power St. Francis — their only loss to a team in the CCS.

Hitting at the top of the Notre Dame order, the Rey sisters put up fantasy-type numbers last spring, with Samantha hitting .628 in the leadoff spot and Victoria batting .575.

Slap hitters with deceptive power at the plate, Samantha stole 19 bases in 19 games, scoring 34 runs and hitting three homers for Notre Dame.

Victoria led the Spirits in runs batted in with 27 in 18 games, hitting four homers, while scoring 23 runs and playing flawlessly in center field. Both tore up pitching this past summer on their travel teams as well.

With COVID-19 basically shutting down all sports in the spring of 2020, the pair did not get that summer exposure two years ago that often comes from playing travel ball, unless it was out of state.

“Honestly, I started panicking,” Victoria said. “That was my sophomore year. That summer was lost. That’s usually a big year for recruiting during the summer. I just had to trust the process and believe in my abilities.”

Putting up those numbers in a shortened season last spring got the attention of several programs. Yet, one visit to the Weber State campus sold her on the future.

“I fell in love with the state of Utah,” Victoria said. “The environment and Weber State’s coaching staff sold me. It’s like a sisterhood. It’s extremely competitive. There is a direction.’’

Last spring Weber State was 15-3 in conference, winning 25 games overall before falling in the Big Sky Conference Tournament to Portland State, which reached the NCAA Tournament.

Recruited to play all three outfield positions, Victoria has spent her first three seasons at Notre Dame as a centerfielder.

“I got an opportunity to visit other schools over the summer,” Victoria said. “But Weber State was my No. 1 choice. I’m excited for the future.”

While Samantha can’t officially sign until November because she’s a junior, the slick-fielding second baseman didn’t feel the need to wait any longer after visiting the Orlando-based campus last week.

There was an instant connection for the 16-yearold after Whitney Jones left the University of Washington to become an assistant coach at Central Florida, which was 41-19 last season.

“Coach Jones has been following me since I was 11,” Samantha said. “When she took the job at Central Florida, she reached out. I got invited to a camp and got to see the campus.”

Conversations with the coaching staff and their direction, along with the intangibles she learned while taking part in the camp put the left-handed hitter in a comfort zone with her decision.

“I loved how they teach things in their practices,” Samantha said. “The campus was beautiful. I didn’t see myself living in Florida until I took the visit.”

Samantha had offers from at least 10 other Division I programs. A chance to get on the field as a freshman in 2024 and be a part of a program surging forward made her decision easy.

Last year, Central Florida reached the NCAA Tallahassee Regionals before falling to Florida State, which advanced to the College World Series.

“It’s a program that is still building,” Samantha said. “I want to be a part of a program that will have a shot at winning a College World Series.”