Katie Burkhart

Katherine Burkhart (born February 24, 1986)[1] is an American, former collegiate All-American, retired pro All-Star softball pitcher and softball coach originally from San Luis Obispo, California. She won a national championship for the Arizona State Sun Devils where she played from 2005-2008 and also pitched for the USA Softball team. Burkhart also played professionally for the USSSA Pride, Tennessee Diamonds and Carolina Diamonds in the NPF, where she currently is a top-10 career leader in strikeout ratio, WHIP and complete games. Additionally she also played in Japan. She owns numerous records for the Sun Devils and in the NCAA Division I. Following the 2012 NPF season, Burkhart announced her retirement as a player.

Katie Burkhart
Biographical details
Born (1986-02-24) February 24, 1986
San Luis Obispo, California
Playing career
2005–2008Arizona State
2008Philadelphia Force
2010USSSA Pride
2012Carolina Diamonds
2013NY/NJ Comets
Position(s)Pitcher
Coaching career (HC unless noted)
2012Central Connecticut (pitching)
2015Tennessee State (pitching)
Accomplishments and honors
Championships
Awards

Arizona State Sun Devils

Burkhart began her freshman year with a top-5 season strikeouts record and throwing a no-hitter on March 4, 2005 vs. the San Diego State Aztecs.[2] She debuted on February 5 throwing two shutout innings with two strikeouts to earn her first save against the UTSA Roadrunners.[3]

For her sophomore campaign, Burkhart was named to the Pac-10 Second Team.[4] She threw a no-hitter and set new school records in strikeouts, shutouts (tied), innings pitched and strikeout ratio. Her wins were good for second all-time; all of her marks remain top-10 for the Sun Devils.

Beginning on March 2 in a win over the Southern Utah Thunderbirds, Burkhart went on a career best 41.2 consecutive scoreless inning streak that was snapped in a 10-inning loss to the FSU Seminoles on March 16.[5][6] For the streak, Burkhart went 6-1 over 9 games (4 complete) fanning 69 and giving up 17 hits and 4 walks for a 0.51 WHIP. On April 8, Burkhart set a school and career record by recording 23 strikeouts in a loss to the Washington Huskies. The single game total tied her for 5th all-time in the NCAA.[7] Combined with pitchers Caitlin Noble and Danielle Lawrie, the game featured the then most strikeouts combined ever in a game at 42. Later on April 14, Burkhart won a 10-inning duel with Alicia Hollowell and the Arizona Wildcats to combine for an NCAA record 37 strikeouts.[8] On May 11, Burkhart tossed a 15 strikeout, one-hit shutout over Washington; the game featured the most combined strikeouts ever in a regulation game at 34, which she also holds with Lawrie.[9] The Sun Devils made it to that year's Women's College World Series and had a win over the Oregon State Beavers but eventually were eliminated by the Tennessee Vols in extra innings on June 3, 2006.[10]

In her junior year, Burkhart earned her first 2007 NFCA First Team All-American citation to accompany First Team Pac-10 and Pitcher of The Year honors.[11][12][13] She set the season strikeouts and innings record with career bests, while also breaking her own wins and strikeout ratio marks and tying the shutout record again.

Burkhart fired her first career perfect game against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on March 15.[14] Later on April 24, Burkhart reached 1,000 strikeouts in relief vs. the UNLV Rebels.[15] She joined an exclusive list of NCAA Division I pitchers to accomplish the feat in three season or less.

For her senior year, she was awarded First Team All-American, All-Pac-10 and Pitcher of the Year for a second year in a row.[16][17] Burkhart achieved the conference pitching Triple Crown for her strikeouts, wins and ERA (the two latter both career best). Her shutouts, WHIP and strikeout ratio (11.3) were also career highs and together with her wins set new school records; in addition, her ERA was ranked in the top-10 also for a season. She threw two perfect games.

On February 15, Burkhart struck out 18 Western Michigan Broncos in 7-innings for a career high in regulation.[18] That same game also started a career best 15 consecutive game win streak that was snapped on March 20 in a one-run loss to the FSU Seminoles.[19] Defeating the Arizona Wildcats on April 9, Burkhart won her 100th career game.[20]

Arizona State won the 2008 Women's College World Series, and Burkhart was named the Most Outstanding Player on June 3 vs. the Texas A&M Aggies.[21] She pitched back-to-back shutouts against Aggies with 13 strikeouts in the final game to clinch the title.[22] This was Arizona State's first WCWS championship under the current format. She also matched the finale game record for strikeouts with the 13 in the game. To get there the Sun Devil went undefeated and ended her career on an 11-game win streak.

In her career overall, Burkhart set and owns the Arizona State records for wins, strikeouts, shutouts, strikeout ratio and innings pitched.[23] She is top-10 in the newly named Pac-12 for the same records. In the NCAA, Burkhart ranks 7th in strikeouts and is tied 5th for perfect games (3) for her career.[24]

During the summer of 2007, Burkhart also competed in the Amateur Softball Association with other college players on the Stratford Brakettes.[25]

Professional career

On February 18, 2008, before her final season at Arizona State, Burkhart was selected first overall in the National Pro Fastpitch Draft.[25] After posting league highs of 13 wins and a 1.87 ERA along with team highs of 149 strikeouts, 15 complete games, and 131⅔ innings pitched during her rookie season in the NPF,[26] Burkhart was voted as the NPF Player of the Year. For the American offseason, Burkhart commenced her rookie season in the Japan Softball League, for Toyota Shokki- the team Michelle Smith has played with for 16 years.[21] Burkhart has played for the Philadelphia Force, USSSA Pride, & the Carolina Diamonds, before retiring in 2012. Since then she has coached D1 programs as the assistant coach and runs Pitch Responsibly, Inc. a company dedicated to giving back to the young women and parents in the sport.

In 2016 alone she was announced as Pac-10 All-Century team along with players like Lisa Fernandez, Jennie Finch, Natasha Watley, etc. and ASU retiring her #7 jersey in honor of her outstanding records held at the university. She has also been inducted into the ASA Hall of Fame and her high school, San Luis Obispo as a Hall of Fame Athlete. In April 2016 Arizona State University honored her by retiring #7, before their game against the Oregon Ducks.

International competition

In 2006, Burkhart was part of an American team of college players that won gold at the 2006 World University Games in Taiwan.[21]

Burkhart was first named to the USA Softball national team on June 15, 2009.[21] She made her first appearance at the 2009 Canada Cup and combined with Jennie Finch to pitch a no-hitter against the Netherlands, which the United States won 8–0 in five innings due to the run rule.[27]

Coaching career

In 2012, Burkhart was pitching coach at Central Connecticut, helping the program to its first 30-win season. In 2015, Burkhart was pitching coach at Tennessee State.[28]

Career Statistics

Arizona State Sun Devils
YEAR W L GP GS CG SHO SV IP H R ER BB SO ERA WHIP
2005 12 14 38 29 15 6 5 184.1 116 55 40 29 220 1.52 0.79
2006 30 8 44 38 32 13 1 268.2 152 59 44 42 420 1.15 0.72
2007 35 13 54 42 41 13 2 323.0 155 68 51 51 517 1.10 0.64
2008 41 5 52 41 41 21 4 315.1 143 44 34 49 513 0.75 0.61
TOTALS 118 40 188 150 129 53 12 1091.1 566 226 169 171 1670 1.08 0.67
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References
  1. "Katie Burkhart". TheSunDevils.com. Arizona State University. Archived from the original on April 19, 2012. Retrieved June 27, 2018.
  2. http://www.thesundevils.com/ViewArticle.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=30300&ATCLID=207855375
  3. "Softball Tops Texas-San Antonio, 4-2". Thesundevils.com. 2005-02-05. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  4. "Eight Sun Devils Named to the Pac-10 All-Conference and All-Academic Teams".
  5. "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2014-07-24.CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. "#10 Softball Drops Game to Florida State in Extra Innings, 1-0".
  7. "#8 Softball Falls to #14 Washington 3-1 in 11 Innings".
  8. "No. 9 Softball Rallies Back to Defeat No. 4 Arizona in Extra Innings".
  9. "Burkhart Pitches ASU Past Washington". Thesundevils.com. 2006-05-11. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  10. "Tennessee Ends Softball's Title Run in Extra Innings".
  11. "NFCA | National Fastpitch Coaches Association".
  12. "Katie Burkhart and Kaitlin Cochran Named NFCA First-Team All-Americans".
  13. "Burkhart and Cochran Named Pac-10 Pitcher and Player of the Year".
  14. "Nothing Less Than Perfect; Burkhart Pitches Perfect Game Against Notre Dame".
  15. "Burkhart Sets History as No. 7 Softball Goes Full Throttle Against UNLV".
  16. "NFCA | National Fastpitch Coaches Association".
  17. "Unstoppable! Softball Sweeps Pac-10 Conference Awards for First Time Since 1998".
  18. "No.4 Softball Battles Thru Rain to Top Western Michigan 6-0".
  19. "No. 1 Softball Splits Doubleheader in Day Two of Judi Garmen Classic".
  20. "No. 1 Softball Takes Monumental 8-1 Win over No. 7 Arizona".
  21. Aird, Donovan (2009-06-27). "Softball's Future: Burkhart's most important pitch: Return softball to the Olympics". The Tribune. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  22. Latzke, Jeff (2008-06-03). "Arizona State wins NCAA softball title in rout". Associated Press. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  23. "2020 Sun Devil Softball Record Book" (PDF). Thesundevils.com. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  24. "Division I Softball Record Book" (PDF). Ncaa.org. Retrieved 2020-03-26.
  25. "Katie Burkhart goes No. 1 in the 2008 National Pro Fastpitch Draft". ASU News. 2008-02-18. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  26. "Philadelphia Force Presents Clinic with Katie Burkhart" (Press release). Philadelphia Force. 2008-11-13. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  27. "USA gets two more wins". Amateur Softball Association. 2009-07-09. Retrieved 2009-07-20.
  28. "Softball | Roster | Official Site of Tennessee State Athletics".
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