by Eric Francis
Mount Vernon's Ally Kutz played basketball and softball for the Bulldogs.
MOUNT VERNON — As a softball player, particularly as a catcher, Ally Kutz subjects her body to a certain amount of abuse.
And when she’s not playing softball, the recent Mount Vernon graduate plays basketball with the same intensity, doing everything she can in pursuit of the ball.
It’s that intensity that earned Kutz a full-ride softball scholarship to Oregon State University and the Skagit Valley Herald’s Female Athlete of the Year honors.
“I don’t think anyone plays any game harder than Ally does,” Mount Vernon girls’ basketball coach Scott Stromer said. “She’s a great teammate. She’s been a joy to coach. She’s going to excel at Oregon State. She’s the type of kid who can change the game single-handedly. It was a lot better to be coaching her than coaching against her.”
Since she was 12, Kutz’s athletic focus has been on softball. Before that, playing baseball with the boys gave her a foundation on which to build her softball game.
“When the (baseball) fields got bigger, we thought it was a good time to switch over (to softball),” Kutz said. “I enjoyed playing baseball with the guys. I wouldn’t have liked softball as much, or been as good at it, if I hadn’t.”
Kutz spent the first half of her senior high school season at shortstop before moving behind the plate. She hit .583, with seven home runs, 34 RBI and walked 20 times — almost once per game.
“She was an amazing leader, especially moving from shortstop to catcher,” Bulldogs softball coach Jennifer Francis said. “We had somewhat of a younger team. She knows when to be funny and when to be serious. She leads by example with her ability.”
Kutz made the switch to catcher much earlier in club softball, where she has played behind the plate the past three years.
While she doesn’t rule out playing shortstop in college, she said she expects to spend most of her time at catcher.
“It’s harder to find someone who wants to catch,” Kutz said. “It’s a hard job, but I really like it. You get a lot of action. As a shortstop, you only get the ball when they hit it to you.”
Where she plays is a decision for the Oregon State coaching staff.
With the Beavers, Kutz will get to test her skills in the Pac-10 against some of the nation’s best players.
“I really wanted to play in the Pac-10. It’s the best there is and it’s going to make me better,” Kutz said. “Coach (Kirk) Walker, he’s a teacher. I’m going to learn a lot.”
During basketball season, Kutz led the Bulldogs in shooting percentage (40 percent) and rebounds (7.2 per game) while averaging 10.5 points per game. Mount Vernon fell one win shy of the Class 3A state tournament.
“It was always so fun,” Kutz said. “Softball is fun too, but there’s something about high school basketball.”
And with Kutz, there’s always the hustle factor, which doesn’t show up in statistics. At the girls’ basketball team’s banquet following her sophomore season, Stromer presented her with a green bike helmet.
“I’ve talked to Ally about this,” Stromer said. “I have no doubt that if she put the same emphasis in basketball as she did softball, she would be going to college to play basketball.”
• Eric Francis can be reached at 360-416-2131 or by e-mail at .
