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ABOUT
Who is she? Kathryn Downing, a former ace pitcher for the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers.
What’s she known for? After beginning her career as a role player, Downing settled into a role as one of the Hilltoppers’ key pitchers during the latter portion of her career. In 2015, she earned C-USA All-Tournament Team honors as a hitter and was one of the team leaders offensively in the NCAA regional opening game that same year. As a junior in 2016, Downing was a true two-way player, registering a 2.76 ERA and batting .242 at the plate. For her senior season, she morphed into a pitcher-only role, recording zero at-bats for the first time in her collegiate career. In the circle, she posted a 2.25 ERA and held opponents to a .256 batting average; she also notched 105 strikeouts and won 16 games. After her senior season, she was named one of fourteen recipients of the C-USA’s spring Spirit of Service Award.
Here’s something interesting… Downing wasn’t the first member of her family to exceed athletically at WKU… her grandfather, Dero Downing, played basketball for the Hilltoppers, suiting up for legendary head coach E.A. Diddle (who led WKU basketball from 1922-1964).
Quotable quote: “There were so many times I got caught up in what was next. Graduating, getting a job, buying a house… All of the “grown up” things. But the reality is you have the rest of your life to do those things. There are no better years than the four you get to wear your college’s name across your chest. Soak it all in, and try to be where your feet are. You can’t ever go back… ENJOY THE MOMENT!”
What’s she up to now? After graduating from WKU in 2017, Downing got a job at Fruit of the Loom working for the Dudley Softball brand. She spent three and a half years with the company in the product marketing department, and her role also led to her getting to know softball legend Jennie Finch through various projects. In July of 2021, Downing left Dudley to return to Western Kentucky where she now works for the Hilltopper Athletic Foundation and WKU Sports as the Assistant Director of Development. No longer Miss Kathryn Downing, she is now Mrs. Kathryn Smith following her 2019 marriage.
Keep up: You can find her on Twitter at the handle @KatDSmith.