TEMPE – It’s hard to argue that anyone in Division I softball broke onto the scene in with more impact 2025 than Sun Devil Softball’s Kenzie Brown.
Brown, a 5-foot-11 right-handed pitcher from Tulsa and Arthur-Lovington-Atwood-Hammond High School by way of Lake City, Ill., posted a 19-8 record with a 1.28 ERA and 289 strikeouts in 174.1 innings of work throughout the 2025 campaign. She ranked fourth in the country in strikeouts, while her 11.60 strikeouts per seven innings average led the Big 12 Conference.
On March 6th, Brown matched the Arizona State softball program record with an 18-strikeout performance. It was one of 13 double-digit strikeout outings with seven coming against conference foes.
By season’s end, Brown was named a First Team All-American by NFCA and Second Team All-American by D1Softball and Softball America. She was selected to the Phillips 66 Big 12 Championship All-Tournament Team, All-Big 12 First Team and NFCA All-West Region First Team.
During her preparation for Arizona State’s upcoming softball season, Brown took time to answer 24 questions that range from Sun Devil Softball head coach Megan Bartlett to if pineapples belong on pizza.
Question: If you could play another sport, what would it be? Did you play any other sports in high school?
Answer: Basketball. I loved it, but it just wasn’t my best sport. In high school, I played softball, basketball, volleyball and ran cross country.
Q: Lake City, Ill., is nearly midway between St. Louis and Chicago. Do you favor St. Louis or Chicago professional teams? If neither, which team(s) do you follow?
A: The St. Louis Cardinals, all the way. I went to some Cardinals games growing up.
Q: If you could meet anyone – past or present – who would it be?
A: Probably Michael Jordan, because who wouldn’t want to meet him? He’s the GOAT!
Q: Name one thing about yourself that most people don’t know:
A: I’m from a town of 60 people.
Q: What is a game (or event) where you learned the most from?
A: I don’t really think there’s a specific game, but I learned a lot about softball the year I was injured. Not being able to play forces you to learn about softball from an entirely different angle.
Q: Do pineapples belong on pizza?
A: Yes, until I got food poisoning from it and now, I can’t stomach it.
Q: What are three words you would use to best describe yourself?
A: Easygoing. Fiery. Funny.
Q: Which is the better taco shell: corn or flour?
A: Corn.
Q: What is your first memory of picking up a softball for the first time?
A: At my sister’s pitching lesson, I would pitch off to the side, and then my dad let me have my own lessons after that.
Q: What does Kenzie Brown do with her free time away from the softball field?
A: If I’m not at the softball field, I’m either in class, hanging with friends or being outdoors.
Q: Name one thing you wished more people knew about you:
A: I am a follower of Jesus Christ.
Q: What’s the hardest thing you’ve ever done?
A: A rope course we did at our team retreat in Flagstaff this year.
Q: What are the best three movies – or television shows – you’ve ever watched?
A: “Pitch Perfect.” “Hunger Games.” “Scandal.”
Q: What’s your favorite local restaurant? What’s the go-to order there?
A: Perfect Pear. I like the pasta there.
Q: If you were a character on a television show or movie, which one would you be?
A: Patricia Hobart, or ‘Fat Amy’, off “Pitch Perfect.” She’s my spirit animal; literally so funny.
Q: What is your pitching warm-up song and why did you choose that one?
A: “Sold Out” by Hardy. It gets me fired up and reminds me of home.
Q: If you could spend a bullpen session with any former softball pitcher to pick their brain, who would be in there with you?
A: Katie Burkhart, because she’s my other spirit animal or Jenny Finch, because I used to be obsessed with her.
Q: What is it about Coach Bartlett and the coaching staff that makes you enjoy being a Sun Devil?
A: They make me feel like family and they are my parents away from my parents. Being 24 hours away from home can be tricky, but they have made it worth it.
Q: What is the most difficult thing about pitching that you want to share with others?
A: Pitching is a process that takes time and experience to get to the top.
Q: If you could sit down with yourself – when you fell in love with softball for the first time – what would you tell yourself?
A: This is a journey you’ll never want to replace or take for granted for anything. It only gets better from here.
Q: What advice do you have for youth softball players in the early stages of their career?
A: Hard work beats talent when talent doesn’t work hard. Be the athlete so relentless and works so hard that you beat out your competition. That kind of work ethic goes beyond softball.
Q: The season is over. You and your teammates just won the program’s third national championship to cap your collegiate career. You’ve celebrated with the fans in Tempe. You hop on a place for some ‘Kenzie Brown’ time. Where are you going?
A: Somewhere tropical and overseas! I don’t care where it is.
Q: When you take off the Arizona State jersey for the final time, what do you want your legacy to be? What do you want people to say about Kenzie Brown?
A: I want people to remember me as a person and a teammate. I want people to think of me as someone who bleeds Maroon and Gold and who loved Arizona State more than anything along with being the best teammate and someone who could always make someone laugh.
Q: What are you most thankful for?
A: I am most thankful for my family’s support with me being so far away from home. I love my family. My dad has been my biggest fan from the start and none of that has changed even still being 24 hours away from home.
Follow us
For the latest information on the team, follow @SunDevilSoftball on X, Facebook and Instagram. General athletic news can also be found at @TheSunDevils on X, Instagram and Facebook.