Burkhart pro softball's top pick

 published on Tuesday, February 19, 2008

Andrea Bloom / THE STATE PRESS

CRITIC'S PICK: Katie Burkhart throws the ball around during practice earlier this season. The Sun Devil senior pitcher was selected No.1 during the National Pro Fastpitch’s annual Senior Draft Monday.

Katie Burkhart, the ASU softball team's senior ace, became the first top pick in school history Monday when she was selected No. 1 overall in the National Pro Fastpitch draft.

The professional softball league and its six-affiliate teams held their annual four-round draft to select 24 senior college softball players.

Burkhart, picked by the Philadelphia Force, is a first-team All-American who finished the 2007 season with a 35 wins, 517 strikeouts and an ERA of 1.11.

Her 517 strikeouts ranks ninth all-time in NCAA history, and her three year total of 1,157 is a school record and in the top 20 career records in NCAA history.

A season ago, Burkhart was the 2007 Pac-10 Pitcher of the Year and was a USA Player of the Week, and in 2006 was a member of the gold-medal USA World University Games' team.

Burkhart ironically pitched against her new team last summer when she played for the Amateur Softball Association's Stratford Brakettes. In the game, she gave up only two runs and stuck out six as the winning pitcher.

The Force's 2008 season begins on May 29, which is also the first day of the NCAA Women's College World Series. In 2007, the Sun Devils, with Burkhart at the top of the rotation, won the Tempe Super Regional, but were eliminated after two rounds in the WCWS.

— Chris Ramirez