Women’s Softball Team Says Goodbye to Two Seniors
The women’s Viterbo softball team, coached by Brandi Alonzo, is going to be saying farewell to two fellow seniors this season: Caitlyn Kozik and Lauren Davis.
Caitlyn Kozik is a senior majoring in business administration with a minor in healthcare management. Her teammates call her Caito, and she is the team’s pitcher. A memory that really stands out to her is her final spring break trip to Tucson, Arizona, this year. She saw huge improvements in the team from the first day of training to the last day, stating, “It was exciting to see the progress that we made as a team and it really set the mood for the rest of our season.”
Caitlyn started in 2016 with a team-high 30 appearances while starting 14 games in the pitcher’s circle. She finished the year with an earned run average of 6.08 which was ranked second on the team amongst all pitchers. She earned her first collegiate win on April 10, 2016, after scattering five hits without an earned run in seven innings. This led her to finish the season with a 5.1 straight scoreless inning, only allowing three hits.
Continuing into her 2017 season where she started in 19 of the 40 games she appeared in, struck out 38 batters in just 97.1 innings, and led the team overall with the fewest home runs allowed, with only seven. Going into her 2018 season, she was named the NSAA Scholar Athlete, pitching in 10 games and starting in nine, holding a win-loss record of 2-4. Unfortunately, Caitlyn tore her ACL, which ended her junior year season, but she was able to come back and play in her senior season, which is something she considers an accomplishment.
When asked what she’s going to miss the most about her time here at Viterbo she said she “likes the family atmosphere at Viterbo, and it is something I will miss. I will also miss all of the professors that I had at the Dahl Business School. They have had an enormous influence on me, and I couldn’t be happier that I decided to go to Viterbo.”
Caitlyn is not looking to continue softball after graduation beyond potentially slow pitch leagues. She is looking to get her Master’s (MBA) here at Viterbo University, and she’s looking to complete this within the next year and then follow with an administration position at a nursing home or an assisted living facility.
One piece of advice she has for future players is, “Enjoy every moment and never take the opportunity to be a college athlete for granted because it goes faster than you think.”
We thank you, Caitlyn, for your time here at Viterbo University, on and off the field. Continue doing great things.