Alumni Spotlight: Karla Claudio
This week’s Alumni Spotlight is Karla Claudio who played Softball from 2011 to 2013!
Gainesville, FL
Karla Claudio Rivera had a stellar two-year career with the Saints and has continued to stay involved in the softball world both as a player and a coach. As a Saint, Claudio totaled 32 wins in her two years and remains third all-time in strikeouts with 347. A two-way player, Claudio also mashed 28 home runs, good for second all-time in SF history.
Claudio was named an NJCAA First Team All-American, FCSAA Pitcher of the Year, First Team All-FCSAA, First Team Mid-Florida Conference, and MFC Pitcher of the Year.
The Saints were NJCAA Atlantic District Champions and finished 8th in the NJCAA National Tournament her sophomore season.
After Santa Fe, Claudio transferred to the University of South Florida, where she spent the remainder of her career with the Bulls. In 85 games, she threw 104.2 innings and posted a 3.02 ERA while striking out 114. She is still 7th all time in saves at USF.
On offense, Claudio hit .208 with 22 hits, half of them going for extra bases. She was a unanimous AAC First Team member her senior season.
Not only did she represent USF, but Claudio went on to represent Puerto Rico, and still does, on the international stage. Claudio has helped PR to two Pan American Games medals, and a gold medal at the Central America and Caribbean Games in 2018.
This summer, Claudio and her team, Cidra Bravas, secured their second straight championship in the Puerto Rico Softball Federation. Claudio, the captain of the team, was instrumental to their success and will defend their championship season in 2026.
Claudio made her return to Gainesville during the 2016-2018 seasons under head coach Christine Ahern. The 2017 team advanced to the FCSAA Tournament. She was inducted into the Santa Fe Athletics Hall of Fame in 2023.
Now, Claudio enters her 5th season as the Bulls Assistant Coach, primarily helping with the pitching staff.