Carmen Montes de Oca brings freshman poise, glove-first value, and upside behind the plate
In the 2026 season, NC State catcher Carmen Montes de Oca showed early glovework value: she appeared in 34 games, started 27, and handled 146 putouts with 11 assists while posting a .987 fielding percentage and throwing out five runners. Offensively, her numbers were modest (.150 average, two RBI), but she was trusted enough to earn a Softball America preseason freshman watchlist nod and multiple starts. The appeal here is clear: a big-framed, defense-first catcher with real game management upside and enough pedigree to project as a steady ACC contributor.
