Spirit Lake alum and former Iowa Hawkeyes first baseman Katie Brown is one of four former high school standouts being inducted into the Iowa Girls High School Athletic Union Softball Hall of Fame today. Brown, a 2006 graduate, was a member of four state tournament teams, including the squads that won the Class 3A title in 2004 and finished runner-up in 2005. During her time in an Indians uniform, Brown established 18 school records for pitching and hitting, was a four-time first-team all-conference selection, and was named to the all-state team three times. She becomes just the second player ever chosen out of the Lakes Conference for the hall of fame. The induction ceremony will take place prior to the Class 3A title game in Ft. Dodge this afternoon.
The following is an excerpt from the IGHSAU press release on the induction:
Brown, a 2006 graduate from Spirit Lake, was a four-time All-State selection, three-time Elite All-State pick and twice named the Class 3A State Player of the Year. As a sophomore, she led the State with a 42-4 record with a 0.29 ERA with a state-best 431 strikeouts. She also hit .396 with 13 homeruns and a state best 64 RBIs in leading Spirit Lake to the Class 3A state title. In the Indians’ state tournament run, she allowed just two earned runs in 21 innings and was captain of the 3A all-tournament team. She was 41-4 on the mound as a junior as her team was the Class 3A state runner-up and she was, again, selected to the all-tournament team. Spirit Lake was fourth in 2006 State Tournament, where she pitched a no-hitter in the team’s first round game and earned all-tournament honors. She finished her career with a pitching record of 163-29, which ranks 20th on Iowa’s all-time win list. She earned a scholarship to the University of Iowa and was a key contributer for the Hawkeyes. As a sophomore in 2008, She earned first-team all-Big 10 honors , batting .280 with 27 RBI’s and eight homeruns. She was a second team All-Big 10 pick as a junior, hitting .346 with 12 doubles, seven home runs and 33 RBIs. She was also a two-time Academic All-Big Ten selection.
