Kate DeSimone — a 2020 graduate of Wellington High School and a member of the 2017 WHS softball team that played in that year’s Florida High School Athletic Association Class 7A state championship game — has been named an NCAA Division II All-American softball player, based on her play during the spring 2024 season.
DeSimone has just started her final year of athletic eligibility at the University of Tampa, which competes in the Sunshine State Conference. DeSimone is expected to be a dominant pitcher for Tampa in the upcoming spring 2025 season, based on how well she performed inside the circle last season.
Following the 2024 season, DeSimone was selected as the Sunshine State Conference Pitcher of the Year. She was also named as the Conference Commissioner’s Award NCAA Division II All-South Region Pitcher of the Year, which encompasses seven states; named to the CCA/NCAA Division II First Team for the All-South Region; chosen as a member of All-Sunshine State Conference First Team; and named to the CCA/NCAA Division II Third Team All-American team.
Last year, her pitching record was impressive. Her win-loss record was 11-3. Of the 16 games she started, she had 11 complete games, of which seven were shutouts. She pitched a total of 102 innings, struck out 68 batters and only issued 15 walks. Her earned run average (ERA) was 1.30.
Last spring, the Spartans advanced to the final of the NCAA Division II South Regional, where they fell to fourth-ranked Mississippi College, 3-0. The Spartans finished with a record of 43-11.
Looking forward to next spring, Leslie Kanter, the head women’s softball coach at the University of Tampa, is impressed with DeSimone’s growth since she arrived at the university in the fall of 2020.
“Kate has matured nicely in her years at UT,” Kanter said. “When she is on the mound, you can’t read her expressions and would not know if we were winning or losing, as she does a great job of keeping her emotions intact.”
In addition to her exploits on the softball field, DeSimone has done well academically. She was named to the Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll in each of the past four years. She graduated in May of this year with an undergraduate degree in psychology.
DeSimone earned a fifth year of athletic eligibility because the 2021 season was marred by the pandemic. She is currently pursuing a master’s degree in instructional design and technology.
DeSimone, a resident of Royal Palm Beach, is the ninth player in University of Tampa history to be recognized as a softball All-American.
One of the keys to DeSimone’s success is her excellent command of the curveball, screwball and rise ball.
“Kate throws a curve, rise, screw and inside curve, and her velocity is probably around 62 miles per hour, but keep in mind that she is throwing from 43 feet away, so it comes at the batter very quickly,” Kanter said.
Kanter is also impressed at how passionate DeSimone is about softball and is amazed how powerful she is, despite her small stature.
“The thing that surprises me the most about Kate is that for her thin stature, she is very strong and loves to eat!” Kanter said. “In the dugout, if she is not eating, she is cheering her teammates on.”
While DeSimone was an excellent high school pitcher, she has improved as a pitcher since she started her collegiate softball career.
“Every aspect of my pitching has improved,” DeSimone said. “My pitching coach made some adjustments to my pitching style early on, and I quickly gained some speed and had some better movement on my pitches.”
Another key to DeSimone’s success has been her ability to successfully make the transition from being a high school athlete to a collegiate athlete.
“College softball is your job,” DeSimone said. “It requires a lot of dedication and hard work. The physical training in college is much more intense.”
While DeSimone’s softball talents extend beyond the pitching circle, her true value to the team is to focus more on pitching than hitting.
“In the 2023 season, I hit and played first base, but last year, my role was strictly as a pitcher,” DeSimone said of the 2024 season. “Last year, I still hit at practice and warmed up before games in case I needed to hit in the game.”
DeSimone and her Spartan teammates will open the 2025 season on Sunday, Feb. 2, when they play Georgia Southwestern at home. The goal is to reach and win the NCAA Division II Women’s College World Series, which will be held May 22-28, 2025, in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
