Katie Kutz from Bishop O’Connell High School in Arlington was named the 2021-22 Gatorade Virginia Softball Player of the Year June 9. Kutz is the fourth Bishop O’Connell student to be named a Gatorade Virginia Softball Player of the Year and is now a finalist for the Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year award, which will be announced later this month.
Each year, the Gatorade Player of the Year program names one winner from each of the 50 states and Washington, D.C., that sanction high school football, girls volleyball, cross-country, basketball, soccer, baseball, softball, and track and field. The program awards one National Player of the Year title in each sport. The Gatorade Player of the Year selection committee conducts the selection process and includes coaches, scouts, media, and other experts to help evaluate and determine the state winners in each sport.
A right-handed pitcher, Kutz led the Knights to a 21-1 record and helped win tournament titles this past season for both the Washington Catholic Athletic Conference and the Virginia Independent School Athletic Association Division I. Kutz compiled a 17-0 mark in the circle with a 0.39 earned run average and struck out 235 batters while allowing only 38 hits and 11 walks in her 107 innings pitched. She batted .487 with seven home runs, 44 runs batted in, and a .907 slugging percentage, ranking her as the nation’s Number 6 recruit in the Class of 2023 by Extra Inning Softball.
The award names Kutz as Virginia’s best high school softball player, as it recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also a high degree of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field. Also a competitive bodybuilder, Kutz has a fitness, nutrition and faith-oriented Instagram account where she frequently posts training videos and nutrition tips. She often volunteers locally distributing food to people in need and uses her spare time as a youth softball coach.
“Katie made O’Connell a dominant team in our conference when she was in the circle,” said Diane Romo-Thomas, head coach of St. John’s College High School. “She also contributed with her bat. She is a game-changer.”
Since the program’s inception in 1985, Gatorade Player of the Year award recipients have won hundreds of professional and college championships. In addition, through Gatorade’s “Play it Forward” platform, Kutz may award a $1,000 grant to a local or national organization of her choosing that helps young athletes realize the benefits of playing sports. To date, Gatorade Player of the Year winners’ grants have totaled more than $3.5 million across more than 1,300 organizations.
As a junior, Kutz has maintained a weighted 4.35 GPA in the classroom. She has made a verbal commitment to play softball on scholarship at Oklahoma State University beginning in the fall of 2023.
