College Player Showcase: Coach Cat (University of Tennessee)

Coach Cat was the pitching coach at Kennesaw State University when I was being recruited. I had the pleasure of attending camps and clinics under her pitching instruction all 4 years of high school. Due to the number of clinics I attended, I was able to grow a relationship with her before I arrived on campus as a freshman. Sadly, I never was able to officially play under her instruction, but I’ve learned a lot from her in the 4 years leading up to college ball. I’m lucky enough to keep a strong relationship with her and her family.  

Name: Cathleen Fritts 

College: Univ. of Tennessee 

Position(s): pitcher freshman- junior year / 1st base and hit my senior year 

Year/Age: Grad 2012, currently age 30

 What’s your pregame ritual? 

I would fix my hair and makeup while listening to upbeat motivational music. I know that sounds silly, but for me, it worked. Some of my closest teammates and I had a motto: look good, feel good, play good, WIN! 

 What was your favorite travel ball memory? 

I enjoyed the relaxed atmosphere of travel ball. In college, there is way more pressure put on you to perform. You have to be 100% focused on every pitch in every game. That kind of mental and physical pressure wears on you and drains your strength a lot faster than playing 3 games a day in travel ball!

 What was your favorite high school ball memory? 

I enjoyed the games in high school that my team and I dominated our opponent. Most of my high school teammates played travel ball. So it was an awesome feeling when we played a team that didn’t have the same training because we saw how much our hard work paid off. In college you are definitely playing on a more even playing field, so that kind of dominance doesn’t happen often! 

What made you fall in love with the game?

When I started pitching against batters. It brought out the competitiveness in me that I didn’t know existed. Every pitch I threw I was trying to beat the batter. 

 Who is your favorite athlete & why?

Stacey Nelson- pitcher from Univ. of Florida class of 09. She had a great presence on the mound. She carried so much confidence that it intimidated batters. It always seemed like she was in such control of her pitches and emotions on the mound. She also always looked like she had a lot of fun!

What was your favorite college ball memory? I

just loved competing with my best friends. I truly enjoyed spending all of my time with them. The adversity we shared brought us closer than any other friends I ever had. Beating the #2 seed on the road during a Super Regional to get to the WCWS when we were the #15 seed wasn’t bad either