RANKINGS
EVENTS
I COMMITTED
COLLEGE
ABOUT
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.
To contribute information, insights, thoughts or content ideas, email us at [email protected], [email protected] or text (949) 606-3602.
Here’s our TLI for Friday, May 5, 2023:
*****
EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT: KAITLYN PALLOZZI
Uncommitted 2025 RHGP/1B Kaitlyn Pallozzi recently talked to Extra Inning Softball about Firecrackers-Wallace, Mercy High, PGF Nationals, BSC Bengals-Briggs, future college, pediatric nurse, Montana Fouts, Eminem, “Friday Night Lights” and singing Disney songs.
EXTRA ELITE SPOTLIGHT Q&A
Name: Kaitlyn Pallozzi
Hometown: Wixom, MI
High School: Mercy High
Club Team: Firecrackers 16U-Wallace
Graduation Year: 2025
Height: 6-foot-0
Position: RHP/1B
Nickname: KP, Michy
Twitter: @KaitlynPallozzi
Honors: All-League; All-District; All-Region; #1 player in Metro Detroit and in the state (Detroit News); and Top 10 list for state champs Player of the Year for both freshman and sophomore years.
Travel Ball Highlights/Fall Stats: 143.2 IP, 286 Ks and a 1.63 ERA; While playing for Firecrackers-Wallace — 38.1 IP, 73 Ks and a 0.944 ERA.
High School Highlights/Stats: To start her freshman season, she threw a no-hitter in the first game followed by a 21-strikeout perfect-perfect game the next game. She had a few more no-hitters last season, including the league championship game and she finished her freshman season with 224 strikeouts while averaging 17.2 strikeouts a game. She pitched 90.2 innings with a 1.08 ERA and 0.085 BAA and at the plate hit .376 with 2 HRs and 34 RBIs. So far this season, she’s 5-0 as a starter and has pitched 21 innings with only 1 hit and 4 walks while striking out 60.
Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? Up until December, I was with Texas Glory Midwest. Coach (Allison) Bussell and Coach (Tarrah) Beyster were such an inspiration to me and had such an influence on the confident player that I am today. I am so grateful for that experience and relationship, but I felt that I had outgrown the program and needed something more to continue developing and improving. In December, I joined Firecrackers-Wallace. I had several opportunities to guest play with them last year and was very impressed with Coach (Mike) Wallace’s practice intensity and competitive spirit. I meshed with the team right away and knew that I had found the right home on a strong team that knows how to compete at a high level while still keeping the game fun and enjoyable.
Tell us about your high school team and how you are doing? My high school team thrives on a winning culture and everyone loves to compete, but the day-to-day pressure is not as intense as the travel season and we all have a lot of fun together. So far this season we are 9-0 and I have pitched 21 innings with 60 strikeouts, only giving up one hit and four walks. I am hitting .607 with 2 HRs and 11 RBIs. I’m very excited for our prospects this season and fully expect to finish what we couldn’t last year and win a state championship. With my fellow pitchers Asia Barbato and Sophia Paluk, we have one of the deepest pitching rotations in the state. We have an awesome catching and hitting threat in Kat Burras and our hitting lineup is solid top to bottom, including two sets of sisters, Izzy and Sophia Chaput and Gage and Charlie Lambert.
Can you tell us about your experience at PGF (14U Premier) Nationals last summer? With Texas Glory, we were not scheduled to play at PGF Nationals and our season had finished. This opened the door for my first opportunity to guest-play with Firecrackers-Wallace/Snider as Coach Wallace was looking for a pitcher. He reached out and we agreed to fly to California for the week — I was super excited to play on a national stage in California and see where I stood against the best players in the country, but I was even more excited to have the opportunity to do that with my best friend and favorite catcher, Sydney Hastings. While drawing a challenging path through the bracket, together we pitched and caught all five bracket games, finishing tied for (25th) out of 76 teams at 3-2 with some wins against very good teams.
What tournament/showcase/event are you looking forward to this summer and why? I am most looking forward to PGF Nationals. Living in Michigan, I do not get to see my teammates as much now, but I really look forward to being with them and competing with them — they all love the competition and everyone always goes out there and puts in 100 percent. I also love how Coach Wallace expects and accepts nothing less! Huntington Beach is also a fun and beautiful place to be and I think my whole family will be there to encourage and support me.
Which player/team was your toughest opponent and why? BSC Bengals-Briggs 16U was my toughest competition this fall because their lineup is full of some of the best hitters in the country from top to bottom and their pitching is also among the best out there. I loved the challenge both on the mound and at the plate — we only learn to be the best if we are challenged by the best! Going into the game I knew that they were going to be a hard team to beat, but we were able to pull out a 3-1 win with some clutch hitting in the bottom of the 6th and a walk-off HR from my teammate, Addison Finegan!
What are you looking for in a future college? In a college coach, I am looking for someone just like I have found with Coach Wallace — someone who expects and accepts nothing less than my best effort, but also strongly believes in my current ability and future potential. In the past few months, I have been blessed with the opportunity to meet and work with some of the best coaches at some of the top programs in the country. I have been very impressed about how they truly care about the whole person and well-being of their athletes, and how they stay focused and competitive in a relaxed and fun atmosphere. I would look for all of those things when deciding where to go to college.
What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? Ultimately, I would like to be a pediatric nurse — I love interacting with infants and small children. With my love for softball, I would also like to stay involved in the sport even if only to coach a community team or teach young girls how to pitch.
Who is your sports hero and why? My sports hero is Montana Fouts — she ran a pitching camp in Michigan and was such an inspiration to me. Her love for the game is undeniably amazing. She is someone to look up to because she puts all her effort into her team and plays for her teammates.
What’s the best hype song and why? “Lose Yourself” by Eminem. As a pitcher, I find the theme matches how I approach each opposing hitter. Just them and I — “lose yourself in the moment, you own it.”
What’s your favorite TV show to binge and why? “Friday Night Lights.” I like the small-town Texas setting and find it relatable currently being in high school and playing sports myself.
Do you have a secret talent/skill? Spending a lot of time on the road traveling to softball tournaments, it has now become tradition to turn up the radio and sing all of my favorite Disney songs as loud as I can. It also helps keep my parents alert on the long drives!
Scroll down to see more highlights …