Sports

Three softball pitchers from Arlington schools enjoying college success

Three standout pitchers from girls high-school softball teams in Arlington are continuing their success during the early season among the college ranks.

On the Division I level, Bishop O’Connell High School graduate Katie Kutz has a 7-2 record with a 2.58 earned run average for the women’s team at Oklahoma State University.

In 43.3 innings, the sophomore right-hander had 41 strikeouts. She had appeared in 13 games with seven starts.

Last season, as a freshman, Kutz appeared in eight games, had a 3-0 record and struck out 19 in 24 2/3 innings.

For O’Connell, Kutz was a multi-time Division I private-school Player of the Year in Virginia, leading the Knights to multiple conference and state championships.

In Division III, Wakefield High graduate Abby Kohan continues to be a top pitcher for the Dickinson College team in Pennsylvania.

Through early action this season, the junior right-hander had a 3-2 record with a 1.70 ERA. She had thrown 33 innings, including three complete games, had fanned 15 batters and appeared in seven games.

Last season, Kohan had a 5-7 record and a 3.24 earned run average in 16 appearances. She struck out 48 in 81 2/3 innings.

Kohan was 2-3 as a freshman in 38 innings.

Kohan also hits, and had an early .212 batting average. She hit .245 last season and .270 as a freshman.

Also on the Division III level, Washington-Liberty High graduate Emilie Doty is a junior right-hander for the Smith College Pioneers in Massachusetts. Early in the 2025 season, Doty was 0-2 and had nine strikeouts in 9 1/3 innings.

As a sophomore, Doty had a 12-8 record with one save, a 3.12 ERA and completed 11 games. In 121 1/3 innings, Doty struck out 108.

Doty played her freshman season and compiled an 11-2 record for the Tufts University team, also in Massachusetts. She was chosen as the conference Rookie of the Year.

At Washington-Liberty, Doty was the top pitcher and a top hitter on a region-champion team.

Ava Lansbury was a teammate of Doty at Washington-Liberty and is a sophomore catcher for Smith College. She played in three games and had two hits last season.

About the Author

  • Dave Facinoli grew up in Prince George’s County, Md. and attended Friendly High School. After attending Prince’s George Community College and James Madison University, where he covered sports on both college papers, he launched a local newspaper career that included roles as the sports editor of the Alexandria Gazette, the Arlington Sun Gazette and GazetteLeader, and other local papers.