RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
What can’t Katie Kutz, the senior pitcher from Arlington, Virginia, and excellent all-around athlete, do?
She throws 70-mph (click HERE to read more about that), has been an Extra Inning Softball All-American, a Gatorade State Player of the Year, is headed to Oklahoma State and carries a 4.39 GPA in her final year of high school
In the previous 2023 Extra Elite rankings (note: the final one for this class begins later this month), Katie was ranked #6.
And, if that’s not enough, the amazing athlete who has played high school volleyball in addition to fastpitch has also become a dedicated and winning athlete in another sport: body building!
Yes, and not just a “wannabe;” in her most recent bodybuilding competition, Katie won the Teen class, Open Tall class, and was named overall Bikini Champion.
And, for winning, the world class softball player has now received her Organization of Competitive Bodies (OCB) Professional Card and happily says, “I now get to compete against OCB bikini professionals!”
The multi-sport athlete is heavily into working out and eating well: she works with noted Strength & Conditioning Coach Annie Hromada who also is a Nutritionist and owns Bulletproof Performance in Reston, Virginia.
With Coach Hromada’s help and tutelage, Katie has made a splash in that sport just has she has in fastpitch softball… here’s some resume-type successes and achievements she has received and be sure to check out her insightful comments below in our Q&A with her on bodybuilding!
Katie Kutz Quick Hitters
Home City: McLean, Virginia
Position: Pitcher (RH), UT
Grad Year: 2023
Club: Bombers Fastpitch 18U – Patrick Lewis
High School: Bishop O’Connell High School (Arlington, Virginia)
College: Verbal Commitment to Oklahoma State University
GPA: 4.39
Twitter: @kutzkatie
Instagram: katiekutz_
Ht: 5-foot-8
Bats: right
Throws: right
Recent Awards/Honors
Click on the links to access articles; note some may be behind a pay wall…
Bombers Fastpitch 18U – Lewis Summer 2022 Results
- June 3-5, 2022, Birmingham Thunderbolts Invitational – 6-0
- June 17-19, 2022, So Cal A’s Invitational – Runner Up (2nd)
- June 22-25, 2022, Top Club Oklahoma City – 5th
- June 27 – 30, 2022, IDT Colorado – 5th
- July 8-10, 2022, Atlanta Legacy – 5-0
- July 24-30, 2022, PGF Premier – 2-2 Bracket record
Bishop O’Connell High School Spring 2022 Results
- Overall Record 21-1
- VISAA Division 1 State Champion
- WCAC Conference Champion
- Washington Post Metropolitan Area Final Ranking #1
- Extra Innings National Ranking #35
Katie Kutz 2021-22 High School Stats
Pitching
- 17 Wins 0 Losses
- ERA: 39
- Innings Pitched: 107
- Strikeouts: 235
- Walks: 11
Hitting
- Batting Average .487
- RBI: 44
- HR: 7
- On Base %: .552
- Slugging: .907
- OPS: 46
Body Building
- Organization of Competitive Bodies (OCB) professional bodybuilder
- 2022 OCB Natural Viking –Overall open class Bikini Division champion
- 2022 OCB Virginia Natural – First place Bikini division open class B and 2nd place overall open class
- 2021 NPC Battle Royale – Overall open class Bikini division champion
*****
Extra Inning Softball: First question is obvious! How and when did you first get into bodybuilding?
Katie Kutz: In 2020 I fell in love with both the training and nutrition aspects of bodybuilding. During quarantine I did a ton of cardio, tried to eat “healthy”, and did trendy workout videos every day which left me feeling tired, hungry, and weak.
Before my sophomore year I started lifting for the first time with a trainer. We did an Olympic Powerlifting style of training. Although I didn’t love it, I wanted to give it a real shot, so I continued with it for several months.
Later, in November 2020, before Thanksgiving break, I got COVID-19. With Thanksgiving break, winter break, and a school-wide COVID-19 outbreak ,I was home for two consecutive months but we had a home gym with weights, machines, and cardio equipment.
With all of the time I had on my hands, I ended up spending hours lifting almost every day. I wasn’t doing the type of lifting I had been taught where you just try to move as much weight as possible from point A to point B. I like lifting heavy, don’t get me wrong. But, I did the type of lifting where you lift with intentionality and learn how to use and control your body. It didn’t take me long to fall in love with it.
One day, after I had been back at the gym, my trainer couldn’t be there so a trainer named Annie Hromada took his place. To my surprise, she had me doing the type of movements that I loved. Therefore, I asked to train with her every time I went in.
I also fell in love with the most crucial part of bodybuilding: nutrition. For several years before I started bodybuilding, I had struggled with eating disorders.
In November of 2020, seeing the scale trend down eventually became an obsession. I went into a dangerous place physically and mentally that required a lot of time, hard work, help, and God’s intervention for me to truly recover.
But, because of God’s grace I did recover and throughout the recovery process I learned how incredibly advantageous proper nutrition can be. I started researching it and became fascinated with how it impacts every aspect of our lives. I started to incorporate what I was learning and began to see the results, not only in my health, but also in my physique.
On Instagram one day, I saw a video of a woman training the way I loved to. Her name is Lauralie Chapados and her bio said “IFBB Bikini Pro.” She was muscular but wasn’t what I thought of when I heard the word “bodybuilder.”
After a lot of research, I learned that there are divisions in bodybuilding for different physiques. After weeks of diving into the bodybuilding world on Instagram, I wanted to compete in the bikini division, but I thought competing would be impossible with school and softball.
I told Annie, who happened to also be a bodybuilder and coach, that I wanted to compete.
Over the next several months she taught me more about the sport. After summer softball ended, with Annie as my coach, I prepped for my first show, on November 21, 2021. At 16-years-old I won every class I was in, was crowned overall Bikini champion, and became a nationally qualified bodybuilder.
After I stepped on stage for the first time I was hooked. Ever since, Annie has been my coach and she has helped me figure out how to properly fuel my body and train for softball, bodybuilding, and life. I have never felt more strong, confident, and healthy in my life!
EIS: What about it has made you fall in love with the training and the sport?
KK: Honestly, on the outside bodybuilding seems a little vain. And for some people it may be. But I fell in love with it because of what it teaches me day in and day out.
For example, God has been able to teach me through bodybuilding to make decisions based on what will be beneficial in the long term and to be disciplined. Eating the same meals every day, though I eat foods I enjoy, isn’t easy. It would be easier and more enjoyable in the moment to eat whatever. But it wouldn’t be beneficial to my long-term goals.
When I wake up early to train before school, it would be easier in the moment to go back to sleep. But it won’t be beneficial for my long-term goals. Before bodybuilding, I was missing that ideology behind decision making. In all areas of my life, I would make decisions based on what I felt like doing in the moment rather than making decisions that would be better in the long term.
In bodybuilding you have to work hard when nobody’s watching, organize your time, get out of your comfort zone, fuel your body properly, don’t shrink it (it’s called body BUILDING for a reason)… all if you want to be successful.
The lessons God has taught me through this sport have bled into my academic life, my softball training, my social life, and, most importantly, my spiritual life. And I continue to learn and see the fruits of what I learn in my everyday life, which is why I have fallen in love with bodybuilding.
EIS: What is the reaction like from people when they find out you’re so accomplished in bodybuilding also?
KK: Usually, when people find out I am a bodybuilder, they are surprised. I don’t really look like what most people think of when they think of a “bodybuilder.”
I compete in the Bikini Division, but most people usually think of the women’s bodybuilding or physique divisions. But most people that don’t know much about the sport don’t understand that in men’s and women’s bodybuilding there are various divisions with different criteria.
EIS: Last year we did a spotlight on you where you said you got up at 3 am every day to train and get ready for the day… that still true?
KK: Currently, on the days that I train at home I get up at 3:30 a.m. to train before school and on the days I train with my coach, Annie, I get up at 4:30 a.m.
But, this is because I do my cardio after I pitch or just later in the day now. I am also doing much less cardio than I was when you did the spotlight. At that point I was doing so much cardio that it was impacting my recovery.
Annie has helped me significantly decrease my cardio to a much healthier place for my body. Once high school practice starts, I will likely go back to doing the cardio that I do have, in the morning. Therefore, I may get up at 3 a.m. again during the season. But I feel it’s important to mention that I manage my time in a way where I get 8 hours of sleep and I don’t train every day.
Recovery is a key aspect to muscle development and performance on the field. In season, I schedule my training and cardio around my game days in a way that makes sure I am doing all that I can to be at my best for games.
EIS: How do you manage the bodybuilding training (time) with the softball workouts, practices, training, etc.?
KK: Right now, since we are not in season, we don’t have high school practices after school. Therefore, on the days I pitch, I train before school, pitch after school, and do my cardio after I pitch (if it is one of my cardio days).
On the days I don’t pitch, I train before school and do cardio when I get home. During the high school season, I train and do cardio before school and have practice immediately after school. During the summer travel season, flexibility in my training is key. Coach Patrick Lewis has helped me during this time. I make sure I get in the gym four times a week.
I am also flexible and conscious with the movements I do, the times I train, and the days I train so I can be recovered for games. I also prepare most of my meals for the week on Sunday which saves an incredible amount of time.
EIS: You’re amazingly successful across the board. Which, of all your impressive accomplishments, means the most to you?
KK: The most meaningful one to me is my commitment to Oklahoma State University. It has been my dream since as long as I can remember to play for a team that could play in the World Series, but I didn’t always think it was a realistic goal for me.
Oklahoma State is also very supportive of my bodybuilding. The coaches want me to pursue bodybuilding and have shown a ton of support. Coach Kenny Gajewski called me after I won my OCB Pro card to congratulate me because he knew how important that was to me.
EIS: What do you plan on majoring in at Oklahoma State University?
KK: I plan to major in Nutritional Sciences and eventually become a Registered Dietitian. I want to help others learn how to fuel their bodies properly, reach their goals, and fuel their life the right way.
I am tired of seeing all the lies on the internet that tell people that they need to do a crash diet, juice cleanse, eat no fat or carbs, etc. to reach their goals. This type of misinformation is what I used to read and what millions of other people around the world are reading as well.
Eating healthy does not mean starving yourself, it does not mean you have to eat disgusting food, it means that you are giving your body what it requires to function optimally. It means that you are giving it the micro-nutrients and the right amounts of each macro-nutrient that your body needs.
This will look different for everyone. And this is what Registered Dietitians help people figure out.
— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball