Rock Canyon’s Katie Dack-Howell named Gatorade softball player of the year
Katie Back-Howell’s monster senior season provided an historic honor for Rock Canyon High School. She was named Colorado’s softball player of the year by Gatorade on Friday, the first time a Jaguars softball player has received the honor.
Dack-Howell had a impressive senior campaign as she batted .583 with 14 home runs in just 18 games during the 2020 season.
She finished her career with 42 home runs as she launched 11 of them as a junior, seven as a sophomore and 10 as a freshman. In her junior and senior seasons she helped the Jaguars earned the No. 1 seed in the Class 5A softball state tournament.
“Katie is as close to impossible to get out as any hitter I’ve ever faced,” Chaparral coach Alan DiGiosio said. “Behind the dish, she’s the best our state has seen in a while.”
On top of her outstanding play on the softball field, she was active in her community in a variety of ways. She wrote letters of support for COVID-19 first responders during the pandemic and has volunteered with youth softball programs and initiatives to raise awareness for cancer.
A three-time first team all-state selection, Dack-Howell will continue her softball career this fall at Texas A&M. She maintained a 3.63 GPA in her time at Rock Canyon.
