I Committed: 2024 Extra Elite 100 First Baseman Katie Knarr Trading One Beach for Another (3,000 Miles Away)!

There’s no place like home… unless you decide to go 3,000 miles away to play your college softball!

That’s what talented infielder Katie Knarr has decided after the 2024 Extra Elite 100 first baseman for Mike Rogers‘ USA Athletics 18U Gold squad committed to Rhode Island last Fall.

Katie, who hails from Southern California, tells Extra Inning Softball:

“When I walked on campus, I knew that was where I wanted to be. The campus is absolutely beautiful and minutes from the beach. After meeting with the coaches and learning more about the softball program, I knew I wanted to be apart of its future.”

The junior says another important reason for heading East–about 44 hours by car mostly along I-80 East, if you’re tracking it–is because they are strong in an area she wants to major in.

“URI offers an excellent Criminal Justice program, which was also very important to me,” she added.

She, in effect, will be leaving the West Coast’s Long Beach touching the Pacific Ocean with the East Coast’s Atlantic Ocean which isn’t too far away from URI; on the school’s site is says: “There are a dozen public beaches near our main campus in Kingston, and our Narragansett Bay campus has its own beach just a few steps from its classrooms.”

The distance from one coast to the another may be lengthy, but at least there will be beaches and sand to help Katie feel more at ease!

Last Fall, when the 2024 Extra Elite 100 was released, Katie was ranked in the Top 50–at No. 49, to be precise and as the No. 13-rated first baseman… here’s what was written on her at the time:

Katie played in several top tournaments and showcases last fall (2021) at this time and led her travel team with 37 hits, 31 RBIs and seven home runs before going dark for the high school season where, for Millikan High in Long Beach, Calif., she helped her team win the Moore League title for a second year in a row and finish as runners-up in the CIF Southern Section D2 Championship. As a sophomore, Katie led her team in home runs and was second in hits, doubles and RBIs. She also played a solid first base making only one error all year (a .987 fielding percentage). At the club level this summer, Katie shined in the Colorado Fireworks Power Pool, TCS Nationals and PGF Nationals. In Colorado, she hit an impressive 14-for-21 (.667 average) with three home runs, four doubles, and nine RBIs and also helped her team finish in 5^th place at TC Nationals. Katie finished the season leading her team in every offensive category.

Thank you @CoachWhitSB @coach_toric @coachakcer for this opportunity! 🐏 pic.twitter.com/pDLZouXJGU

— Katie Knarr (@KatieKnarr) November 5, 2022

And here’s what we wrote specifically about Katie on July 6, 2022 when she blew up at the Colorado Fireworks:

* Katie Knarr, a 2024 first baseman for the USA Athletics Gold 16U – Rogers/Gunnar team, was spectacular at in the 2022 Colorado Fireworks 16U Power Pool this past week as she went 14-for-21 at the plate for a .667 batting average and had three home runs to give her a 1.286 slugging percentage.

Katie also made the PGF Futures Finalist List (Sophomores), also drove in nine runs.

Playing in the Power Pool Division against more than 60 top teams nationally, Katie had an amazing start last Saturday as she went 9-for-11 Saturday with nine straight hits before her first out against the likes of name programs such as the Birmingham Thunderbolts, the Corona Angels, Texas Impact Gold, Atlanta Vipers, Texas Glory and Virginia Unity.

This was in the Power Pool Division with 61 of the top teams in the country:  The above stats were against the below teams:

Katie’s performance helped USA Athletics Gold go 5-3 in one of the most competitive tournaments of the season and she continues to led the team in several offensive categories including batting average (.432), Ops (1.208) and slugging percentage (.773).

The high school junior has been on our national radar for several years; here’s an impressive home run she hit in the Fall of 2020 when she smashed a shot directly in the wind at the PGF Surf City Showcase for a home run:

#21 Katie Knarr • 1st/3rd • C/O 2024 • Katie with a 💣 straight away against the wind 💪 @NDsoftball @NDcoachGumpf @ExtraInningSB @BrenttEads @Los_Stuff @ondecksoftball pic.twitter.com/qZF6SpOmLG

— USA Athletics Rogers/Mathis (@MathisUsa) November 7, 2020

— Brentt Eads, Extra Inning Softball