Get on board with Line Drive Media’s regular feature, The Final Pitch!

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 carlos.arias@linedrivemedia.com, DM at @los_stuff on Twitter or text (949) 606-3602.

Here’s our TFP for Monday, June 9, 2025:

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THE FINAL PITCH: KAT JOHNSON

Uncommitted 2028 C/UT Kat Johnson recently talked to Line Drive Media about Fury Platinum X-Higdon/Huckabay, PGF/Alliance Nationals, Tennessee players, winning the recent Alliance Spring Bash, playing multiple positions, Birmingham Thunderbolts Premier 2028-Brashears, moving across the country, athletic family, future college, college camps and law enforcement.

THE FINAL PITCH Q&A

Name: Kat Johnson

Hometown: Elmwood, TN

High School: Gordonsville High

Club Team: Fury Platinum X-Higdon/Huckabay 14U

Graduation Year: 2028

Height: 5-7

Position/s: C/UT

Nickname: “Kat,” my full name is Kathleen, named after my great grandmother, and my dad just said he was calling me Kat because it was short and easy.

Social Media: @katjohnson2010 Instagram and Twitter

Honors: 4.0 Honor Roll, 1st Team All-District, All-American MVP, Alliance All-Tournament and Middle School Softball Captain.

Travel Ball Summer 2024 Stats: .452 AVG, .509 OBP, 7 doubles, 4 triples, 42 RBIs and 57 runs.

Travel Ball Fall 2024 Stats: .413 AVG, .481 OBP, 7 doubles, 1 HR, 6 RBIs and 11 runs.

High School Spring 2025 Stats: .422 AVG, .536 OBP, 15 doubles, 2 triples, 5 HRs, 21 RBIs and 60 runs.

Travel Ball Spring 2025 Stats: .650 AVG, .720 OBP, 3 doubles, 4 HRs, 8 RBIs and 10 runs.

Tell us about your travel team/organization and how you became involved with them? Fury Platinum X-Higdon/Huckabay is definitely one the best team I’ve ever played on. The coaches are so supportive and respect every players’ differences and preferences. Coach Jeremy (Higdon) and Coach Crosby (Huckabay) never fail to help me feel confident and invincible. They truly help remind me that this sport is a game and is played to be fun. The girls on the team are the absolute best, each one of them bringing something to the table and everyone contributes in different ways helping us compete at the highest level. Every player on our team can be put in pretty much any position on the field and perform. When I first moved here, I wasn’t sure which team I wanted to try and play for, until I went to a Fury Platinum X practice. I fell back in love with the game all over again. Everyone was so welcoming and it felt like home.

Tell us about your experience at PGF/Alliance Nationals? I have not yet played in an Alliance National tournament. However, I am looking forward to it! I was able to experience PGF while I was in California and it was so much fun! My team, Athletics Mercado-Walker, played in the Premier Bracket in 2023 and the Platinum Bracket in 2024, placing 3rd and 8th. It was such a great environment facing the best competition across the country. The opening ceremonies are what I remember most about PGF. All the teams from all over the country together in one park; trading pins, all the different booths and stations, the guest speakers and most importantly the bonding it provided with not only our own team, but other teams as well.

What makes players from the state of Tennessee special? Softball, whether played in Tennessee or California, brings a sense of belonging and family among players. I feel the biggest difference in Tennessee is the balance, allowing you to play more than one sport vs. softball year-round. It has allowed me to decompress off the field. The players made me feel welcomed and part of the team from Day 1. Not only grinding on the field, but even experiencing team bonding together off the field. They included me in get togethers outside of softball practice and school, in a way they helped me come out of my introverted shell and I feel like I’ve made some great friendships that I hope continue through college and life in general. Another difference I have noticed is that in Tennessee, there seems to be a lot of big hitters. We have not played many games with small ball, like bunts or back picks like there were in California.

Can you tell us about winning the recent Alliance Spring Bash? The Alliance Spring Bash was an awesome experience. Of course, winning it felt great too. It was incredible to see how the whole team jumped right back into the game like we never left. Each one of the girls came back from high school ball with a different sense of confidence that I feel helped us win and push through those close games. We fell into the losers’ bracket early against a very talented, big-hitting team and we were able to pull together to battle back, having to beat a tough team twice to win it all. Several of us had just come back from emotional games in the High School State Tournament. The competition in this tournament was fierce and competitive, forcing us to come together as a team and bring our A game. Everyone contributed at the plate and in the field. Our Pitchers were on fire and our bats were hot. We had 11 OTFs from seven different girls!

What was your highlight of the fall? What have you been focusing on this offseason? The highlight of my fall season was being able to play multiple positions on the field. For most of my softball journey, I’ve been primarily a catcher, which I have loved, but it was a great opportunity to get to experience new positions. Being given the opportunity to play different positions has helped me become a more well-rounded player. It gave the game a new sense of excitement with being able to experience a different position and accepting the challenge to perform for my team. In the offseason, I primarily focused on my mental game and adapting to how my team needed me most, settling into our new lives across the country and being the new kid in a small town. I played shortstop all year and tried to be vocal and encouraging while on the dirt. I also focused on my fielding with footwork, glove work and being as efficient as possible in the field. I focused a lot on being as consistent as possible at the plate and having a strong approach/plan when I stepped in the box, which translated into a successful spring season so far.

Which player/team has been your toughest opponent and why? We have faced some tough teams. I would say the toughest opponent we have faced so far is probably the Birmingham Bolts (Premier) 2028-Brashears 14U. They are the defending PGF Platinum champs. It took all of us to come together as a team to compete and pull out a win. The Bolts are a very competitive team with speed on the bases, power at the plate and movement on the mound. As a team, these are the games you want to play in. To be the best, we have to compete against the best. It was a close game the entire time, the final score being, 3-2. This game also showed us our grit and never quit mentality coming back from behind and going ahead in the 7th inning. We all played for each other and there was not a single “I” mentality on the field. We had each other’s backs the entire game.

What have you faced/overcome in life that has made you the person you are today? A difficulty I have faced recently was moving across the country in August. I lived in California my entire life and had the same set of friends and softball team for most of it. Moving out here took away my safety blanket. This forced me to realize I needed to come out of (my) shell to become successful. The move has given me a new sense of confidence, not only socially and athletically, but personally as well. I knew that I needed to prove myself and define myself in a new place. I started taking life straight on and having a new approach to everything. Although one of the most difficult things I have faced, it feels like it has been one of the best. I have had the opportunity to find a healthier balance in myself as a person and as an athlete.

Do you have any family members/siblings that are athletes? Tamara Johnson, mom, played basketball at Fullerton College; Richard Johnson, dad, played baseball at Cypress College; Rebecca Vickers, aunt, played hockey for team USA at the IIHF world championships; and Justin Vickers, cousin, played hockey at Colorado State University where he was the President and Captain of the team.

What are you looking for in a future college? For my future college, I hope to find somewhere that feels like a home away from home. Where there is the same family feel with all (of) my teammates and coaches where we will push each other to reach our fullest potential. I am hoping to find somewhere that has a great support system for student-athletes. I don’t want to go too far from home so my family can still make most of the games and I can still visit on holidays. I’m hoping to be able to attend a college that will push me to be not only the best athlete I can be, but also the best person outside of softball.

What college camps have you attended and are you planning to attend and why? So far, the college camps I have attended are Redlands University, a multi-college prospect camp in Naples, LSU and multiple University of Tennessee hitting camps. In the future, I’m planning to attend Prospect Camps with the University of Tennessee, Georgia Tech, University of Georgia, University of Kentucky, Western Kentucky University, Auburn University and University of Alabama. The reason I will be attending these camps is because they are all within reasonable driving distance from home and all have great softball programs along with educational systems.

What areas are you interested in future occupations and why? My future occupation interests are going into some form of law enforcement, possibly a lawyer, homicide detective or working for the FBI. I want to join law enforcement mostly because I grew up hearing my grandpa and uncle tell stories.

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NEWS & NOTES

***Top Gun Invitational is June 12-15 ay Kansas City, MO. To follow the tournament online, CLICK HERE.

***So Cal A’s Invitational is June 13-15 in Irvine, CA. To follow the tournament online, CLICK HERE.

***Team1 Elite Club Summer Invitational is June 12-15 at Kansas City, MO. To follow the tournament online, CLICK HERE.

***Triple Crown Brashear Summer Invitational is June 14-15 at La Habra/Whittier/Garden Grove/Mission Viejo/Lake Elsinore, CA. To follow the tournament online, CLICK HERE.

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SIGNING/COMMITMENT ALERTS

Sam Claire (2025, RHP, Top Gun National/Eudora High, KS, Kansas)

Welcome to the family young lady!
Rock Chalk!! ❤️💙 https://t.co/WGluQJEet6

— Justin lewis (@JackNLucysDad) November 13, 2024

Ella Boyer (2025, IF, Texas Blaze United/Oak Ridge High, TX, Kansas)

Welcome to the family, @EllaElizabethB 🔴🔵#RockChalk pic.twitter.com/bHdCYVwj24

— Kansas Softball (@KUSoftball) November 13, 2024

Audri Youngblood (2025, OF, Select Fastpitch-Jones/R1 High, MO, Kansas)

Lila Mae Partridge (2025, RHP, BSC Bengals/Casa Grande High, CA, Kansas)

Blakely Barber (2025, RHP, Texas Blaze United/Rouse High, TX, Kansas)

Straight from signing day to the cages!! Monday night bullpen to get ready for my final fall tournament this wknd!! @sarahpauly23 @C_robertson10 @JackNLucysDad @LauraHeberling @CoachChiles3 @CoachMcFalls pic.twitter.com/fAFJ6goIhc

— Blakely Barber (@BlakelyBarber4) November 19, 2024

Brinley Ramirez (2025, OF, Texas Bombers Gold/Shriner High, TX, Kansas)

Welcome to the family, @BrinleyRamirez 🔴🔵#RockChalk pic.twitter.com/Oav2MHePN1

— Kansas Softball (@KUSoftball) November 13, 2024

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HSOTD

Today’s Hype Song of the Day is …

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BTITW

Today’s Best Thing In The World is …

‘LILO & STITCH’ has passed $750M worldwide so far.

Read our review: https://t.co/IqdTDbevFa pic.twitter.com/hZdyO5utL3

— DiscussingFilm (@DiscussingFilm) June 8, 2025

— Carlos Arias, Line Drive Media (Follow Carlos on Twitter @los_stuff)