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Fowler first to win national softball honor twice
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| Kenzie Fowler |
TUCSON, Ariz. (June 16, 2009) - Kenzie Fowler, the granddaughter of Dave and Marilyn Fowler of Willcox, became the first student-athlete ever to win back-to-back Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year recognition last week. She is also the sixth athlete in the program's 24-year history to win Gatorade National Player of the Year honors more than once, joining LeBron James (2001-02, 2002-03), Greg Oden (2004-05, 2005-06), Candace Parker (2002-03, 2003-04), Marion Jones (1990-91, 1991-92, 1992-93) and Cynthia Barboza (2003-04, 2004-05).
'It's amazing," said Marilyn Fowler. "We were excited (for her win) last year, but this is overwhelming."
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Fowler as the nation's best high school softball player.
Fowler has maintained a 3.39 GPA in the classroom. She volunteers extensively in the intensive care unit at University Medical Center in Tucson, where she herself was treated for life-threatening blood clots in her throwing shoulder in 2007.
A national advisory board comprised of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the country helped select Fowler from more than 371,000 high school softball players nationwide. Fowler is now once again a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special afternoon ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.
Dave Fowler quipped, "As Kenzie would say, 'awesome.'"
The returning Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year, the 6-foot senior pitcher is a three-time winner of the Gatorade Arizona Softball Player of the Year award. The No. 1 -ranked player in the country by ESPNU, Fowler led Canyon del Oro (34-2) to its third straight Class 4A Division I state title this past season, compiling a 25-2 record and a 0.05 earned run average while recording 344 strikeouts. Her father Lance, is a Willcox High School graduate who works and lives in Tucson
A three-time Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen Player of the Year, Fowler recorded six no-hitters, including four in a row, as well as three perfect games in 2009. At the plate, she batted .466 with seven home runs and 45 RBIS, including a .795 slugging percentage. A three-time EA Sports First Team All-American, Fowler posted a 105-8 career pitching record, along with 1,449 strikeouts and an ERA of 0. 15 in 685.1 innings, 30 no-hitters and a school record 161 career hits as a batter.
An Amateur Softball Association of America 2009 USA Softball Women's National Team Selection Camp invitee, Fowler's fastball tops out at 71 mph, the same speed University of Arizona legend and Olympic Gold Medalist Jennie Finch peaked at as a collegian.
Kenzie didn't make the cut at the National Selection Camp, but enjoyed the opportunity to eat lunch with Finch and pitch against Caitlin Lowe, another UA alumnus she greatly admired, said David.
"The award came at a nice time," Marilyn said. "Despite not making (the National cut), she was very complimentary about the experience."
"Kenzie is a tremendous young talent," said Jay Miller, head coach of the USA Softball Women's National Team. "She had problems with injury earlier in her career and hopefully that's behind her. I look forward to an outstanding career from her, not only in college, but beyond with the Team USA. She throws very hard and has tremendous upside as a pitcher, so she'll develop that skill set even more, but she has all the tools. She's someone we're very interested in from a National Team perspective."
Fowler has signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball on scholarship at the University of Arizona this fall.
"Without question, Kenzie is deserving of recognition as the nation's best high school softball player based on her statistics on the field and the impact her play had on Canyon del Oro's success," said Gatorade Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Jeff Urban. "But she is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young players of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. She represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient."
Kenzie gave a remarkable speech at the Gatorade awards ceremony, Dave said.
"She acknowledged her parents first, then came to the table where we (her grandparents) were sitting, and acknowledged us. Then she went around the entire room and thanked her teammates (15 in attendance) each by name, her coaches, her other friends, and even her assistant principal," he said.
(Steve Reno contributed to this article.)
'It's amazing," said Marilyn Fowler. "We were excited (for her win) last year, but this is overwhelming."
The award, which recognizes not only outstanding athletic excellence, but also high standards of academic achievement and exemplary character demonstrated on and off the field, distinguishes Fowler as the nation's best high school softball player.
Fowler has maintained a 3.39 GPA in the classroom. She volunteers extensively in the intensive care unit at University Medical Center in Tucson, where she herself was treated for life-threatening blood clots in her throwing shoulder in 2007.
A national advisory board comprised of sportswriters and sport-specific experts from around the country helped select Fowler from more than 371,000 high school softball players nationwide. Fowler is now once again a finalist for the prestigious Gatorade Female High School Athlete of the Year award, to be presented at a special afternoon ceremony prior to The ESPY Awards in July.
Dave Fowler quipped, "As Kenzie would say, 'awesome.'"
The returning Gatorade National Softball Player of the Year, the 6-foot senior pitcher is a three-time winner of the Gatorade Arizona Softball Player of the Year award. The No. 1 -ranked player in the country by ESPNU, Fowler led Canyon del Oro (34-2) to its third straight Class 4A Division I state title this past season, compiling a 25-2 record and a 0.05 earned run average while recording 344 strikeouts. Her father Lance, is a Willcox High School graduate who works and lives in Tucson
A three-time Arizona Daily Star and Tucson Citizen Player of the Year, Fowler recorded six no-hitters, including four in a row, as well as three perfect games in 2009. At the plate, she batted .466 with seven home runs and 45 RBIS, including a .795 slugging percentage. A three-time EA Sports First Team All-American, Fowler posted a 105-8 career pitching record, along with 1,449 strikeouts and an ERA of 0. 15 in 685.1 innings, 30 no-hitters and a school record 161 career hits as a batter.
An Amateur Softball Association of America 2009 USA Softball Women's National Team Selection Camp invitee, Fowler's fastball tops out at 71 mph, the same speed University of Arizona legend and Olympic Gold Medalist Jennie Finch peaked at as a collegian.
Kenzie didn't make the cut at the National Selection Camp, but enjoyed the opportunity to eat lunch with Finch and pitch against Caitlin Lowe, another UA alumnus she greatly admired, said David.
"The award came at a nice time," Marilyn said. "Despite not making (the National cut), she was very complimentary about the experience."
"Kenzie is a tremendous young talent," said Jay Miller, head coach of the USA Softball Women's National Team. "She had problems with injury earlier in her career and hopefully that's behind her. I look forward to an outstanding career from her, not only in college, but beyond with the Team USA. She throws very hard and has tremendous upside as a pitcher, so she'll develop that skill set even more, but she has all the tools. She's someone we're very interested in from a National Team perspective."
Fowler has signed a National Letter of Intent to play softball on scholarship at the University of Arizona this fall.
"Without question, Kenzie is deserving of recognition as the nation's best high school softball player based on her statistics on the field and the impact her play had on Canyon del Oro's success," said Gatorade Senior Vice President of Sports Marketing Jeff Urban. "But she is also a shining example to peers and aspiring young players of what a leader and a student-athlete should be. She represents everything we hope for in a Gatorade Player of the Year recipient."
Kenzie gave a remarkable speech at the Gatorade awards ceremony, Dave said.
"She acknowledged her parents first, then came to the table where we (her grandparents) were sitting, and acknowledged us. Then she went around the entire room and thanked her teammates (15 in attendance) each by name, her coaches, her other friends, and even her assistant principal," he said.
(Steve Reno contributed to this article.)
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| Abbl drafted by Diamondbacks | Cochise County Jr. Golf Championship |
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