Get on board with Extra Inning Softball’s regular feature, The Last Inning!
We are scouring the Internet and Social Media and keeping our ears to the street for the latest going on in the softball community.
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Here’s our TLI for Monday, April 4:
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EXTRA ELITE PROFILE: KATIE O’CONNOR
Uncommitted 2023 P/IF Katie O’Connor has made a name for herself as one of the top pitchers in Virginia and she recently talked to Extra Inning Softball and playing for the Virginia Legends, Monticello High, recruiting, cheesecake and hitting her first home run…
EXTRA SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Katie O’Connor
Hometown: Covesville, VA
High School: Monticello High
Club Team: Virginia Legends 18U Premier-Johnston/Freitager
Graduation Year: 2023
Height: 5-foot-4
Position: P/IF
Twitter: @K_OConnor2023
Honors: 1st Team All-Jefferson District 1st Team All-Central Virginia; Atlas Award (Most Valuable Player); and Daily Progress Weekly Athlete Spotlight (Mar. 21-27, 2022).
Travel Ball Fall Stats: 79 IP, 102 Ks and .933 fielding percentage.
High School Stats: Pitching — 26.0 IP, 4 GP, 3-1 record, .000 ERA, .385 WHIP, 50 Ks, 3 BB, .078 BAA and 1 no-hitter; Batting — .345 AVG, .429 OBP, 1.049 OPS, .621 SLG, 2 HRs, 10 hits, 10 RBIs, 11 runs, 3 SBs and 0 Ks.
Talk about your travel team, the Legends, and how you became involved with them…
I play with the Virginia Legends 18U Premier based out of Virginia Beach, VA. I started playing with the Virginia Legends when I was in 12U because my coach Heidi Freitager started a 12U in my area. I knew when I joined the team that I wanted to compete at a high level and eventually play at the college level and I knew that joining the Legends was the best way for me to do that. This past season I have gotten to play against some of the best teams in the nation, including, Mojo-Fisher, Team NC-Eaton and PA Chaos Gold-Spina.
Tell us about your experiences at Monticello High…
Unfortunately, my freshman season was canceled due to COVID, but last year, my sophomore season, we ended up making it to Region. Luckily, I get to have a travel coach, Heidi Freitager, as my high school coach, so I am constantly getting to learn from her on a daily basis.
I have also had the opportunity to play with fantastic players like George Mason outfielder Hayley Shifflett and against some of the best pitching in Central Virginia. I feel that at Monticello I am being pushed to be the best pitcher and player I can be because of the fantastic teammates and coaching I have had throughout my high school career. This year, I believe that my team has a good chance of going far in the postseason because not only do we have a solid pitching staff, but we also have a great defense and offense that will make us a tough team to beat.
Can you talk about your game against Louisa County (of Virginia) the other night?
My game against Louisa was a true pitcher’s duel with Louisa’s pitcher Emily Gillespie and I was holding the offenses at bay for the entire game pretty much, aside from a few hits here and there. I struck out 22 of the 36 batters I faced and only gave up three hits. I also walked zero batters and gave up zero earned runs. My riseball was on point all night and I was able to generate many swings and misses. Unfortunately, the game did not tip in our favor after a marathon-long 10-inning game with some errors in the final inning. But overall it was a good game for my team and myself because we really showed strong grit and fight.
*** Scroll down to read more about Katie including her most memorable softball story pitching… and one hitting…
