For the third time in her distinguished career, Ceres High School grad Callie Nunes has been recognized as an All-American by the National Fastpitch Coaches Association (NFCA).
Nunes was named an NFCA Second-Team All-American in May after starring at pitcher for the fourth year in a row with the Concordia University Irvine softball program.
It marked the seventh time in Nunes’ college career that an organization has named her an All-American.
The NFCA, Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) and Fastpitch News (FPN) recognized Nunes as an All-American her sophomore and freshman years.
“I have worked so hard my entire life and pitching career, and this year was no different,” Nunes said.
Nunes helped lead the nationally-ranked Eagles to a 34-13 overall record, berth to the NCAA Division-II West Regional Championship and the PacWest Southern California pod title this season. Concordia also won the PacWest Conference regular-season crown during Nunes’ first two years on campus.
Nunes posted a 12-3 record in 2021 with a 1.71 earned-run average, 86 strikeouts, eight complete games and three saves.
She ranked first on the team in wins, ERA, strikeouts, complete games, saves and innings pitched (1101/3).
Nunes’ team was victorious during her final start in the pitcher’s circle.
She allowed one earned run and four hits with three strikeouts as Concordia University edged Biola 3-2 in Game One of the NCAA D2 West Regional Final on May 22 in Irvine. Biola earned a trip to the National Tournament with a 2-1 win over Concordia in an elimination game.
“We never stopped practicing and one of our players said it perfectly today that the standards at this school and this program are set very high and we expect nothing less and (coach) Crystal (Rosenthal) expects nothing less than our best,” Nunes stated. “Today sucks because it wasn’t the outcome we wanted but we seniors told the rest of the team that what we expect from them next year is to go the next step.”
Nunes was selected to the NFCA and D2CCA All-Region First Teams.
She was voted PacWest Pitcher of the Year for the third time.
Nunes was named Concordia University’s Female Athlete of the Year at the Senior Legacy Banquet.
“She leaves as one of the all-time greats in CUI softball history and that list is hard to make. I am proud of her for all she has done and who she is."Coach Crystal Rosenthal
“It is a fitting way to end a remarkable career,” Rosenthal said. “She leaves as one of the all-time greats in CUI softball history and that list is hard to make. I am proud of her for all she has done and who she is. I will miss her out on that field but am so grateful she chose to be an Eagle.”
Nunes amassed a 77-15 record at pitcher with a 1.21 earned-run average, 717 strikeouts, 54 complete games, 26 shutouts, six no-hitters and 11 saves during her four-year career at Concordia University.
She ranks in the top 10 in more than 20 different categories in the Eagles’ record book.
Nunes set program records for career strikeouts (717) and career saves (11). Nunes is the only player in team history with 700-plus career strikeouts.
She ranks second in career wins, shutouts and no-hitters, and is tied for third with former teammate Grayson Harvey for most complete games (54).
Nunes was named PacWest Pitcher of the Week 12 times, the second-highest total for a pitcher in conference history.
She won the NFCA Freshman of the Year and D2CCA West Region Pitcher of the Year awards in 2018.
Nunes led all NCAA Division-II pitchers with 33 wins during the Eagles’ historic season in 2019 when Concordia University earned its first-ever No. 1 ranking in the D2 era. She totaled 266 strikeouts, posted a 1.34 ERA and tossed four no-hitters.
Nunes was an NFCA All-America Scholar-Athlete and Academic All-PacWest honoree every year.
“We’ve been blessed to have great teams every year, have great pitching, great hitting all the way around,” Nunes said.
Nunes played three seasons of varsity softball at Ceres High.
She helped propel the Bulldogs to the Sac-Joaquin Section Division-III crown during her junior year in 2016, ending a 21-year drought between titles.
Nunes and third-seeded Ceres High compiled a 5-1 record in the playoffs.
She posted a 20-3 record with a 1.14 ERA, 239 strikeouts, two no-hitters and 10 shutouts on the year.
Nunes amassed a 20-3 record with a 0.52 ERA, 291 strikeouts, one no-hitter and 11 shutouts during her final season with the Bulldogs.
She ranked fourth in the state in strikeouts.
Ceres High qualified for the postseason for the sixth straight year and captured its fourth consecutive Western Athletic Conference championship.
Nunes won the WAC Pitcher of the Year award for the second time.
She was selected to the Cal-Hi Sports All-State Medium Schools First Team.
Nunes had a career record of 51-13 with 686 strikeouts, four no-hitters and 26 shutouts.
