Senior pitcher Autumn Kunze took her next step into the record books for UCCS softball this season by jumping into fifth all-time in career strikeouts.
At this point in the season, her 67 strikeouts give her a career total of 315, which is the most UCCS has seen in a career since Braelyne Crenshaw in 2023 with 408.
Kunze’s career will be one that is echoed through the history of UCCS softball, but it has not been the straightest path getting to this point.
“I hated going through the recruiting process…I went out of state because Arizona doesn’t have many options for schools. It was either Division I or JUCO and I didn’t want to go the JUCO route, nor did I want to go division one,” Kunze said.
Growing up, Kunze played softball and volleyball and after a grueling process of deciding which sport to pursue in college, she landed on the diamond.
Although the recruiting process was difficult for her, she was able to find UCCS and fell in love with it immediately.
“It was really awesome though because I found UCCS. I like the weather here, I really like the city of Colorado Springs, and I just fell in love with UCCS’s campus … I enjoy UCCS a lot. I’ve loved my four years here,” Kunze said.
Even after her long recruiting process, the bumps in the road for Kunze were not behind her.
After her 2023 freshman season, former UCCS softball head coach Ricki Rothbauer-Stubbs stepped down from her position, leaving Kunze and the rest of the team stranded until current head coach Dwight Sanders took the position for the 2024 season.
“It was kind of hard. Freshman year my coach was kind of checked out by the end of the season and then we didn’t find out until June that she was leaving. Finding out we were getting a new coach was a little nerve-wracking because we were all up in the air about what was going on,” Kunze said.
Luckily for Kunze, UCCS decided to hire Dwight Sanders from Fort Lewis College, who made a drastic change on her career.
“Finally having a coach to help me with pitching was really helpful because the previous year it was just me doing whatever so learning how to go from that to Coach Sanders style has been so helpful. We’ve both grown a lot and I wouldn’t be where I am today without him, as a person and as a player, so I’ve really appreciated him,” Kunze said.
Upon Coach Sanders’ arrival, Kunze’s career took off.
In her sophomore season, she pitched a career high 136.1 innings with 11 wins and a whopping 104 strikeouts, all of which were numbers that drastically improved from her freshman season.
She was unable to post similar numbers in her junior year, but was just as efficient, striking out 78 in just 90.2 innings pitched.
This brings us to the current season where she is potentially having her best season yet. She currently has nine wins in 16 appearances, where she has struck out 67 and is boasting a career best 2.84 ERA.
“My mentality has 100% changed, both in terms of sequencing and in my approach to the game. I feel like this year I’ve just been a lot looser and gone out there to have fun and enjoy it.” said Kunze
Kunze’s senior season is not solely going to be defined by strikeouts. If she can finish the year with her current ERA, it will be the lowest ERA posted by a starting pitcher in program history.
“I never would have expected to be in the record books to be honest. I was good in high school, but I wasn’t a strikeout pitcher, so to see that progression and to know I’ve succeeded is really cool…looking back I think it will be really cool to know that my name is written down in history,” Kunze said.
Being a part of school history is only possible for players committed to their programs. In a time where transferring and playing at multiple schools is so common, Kunze is one of the rare examples of a star player staying loyal to one school and staying there for all four years.
“One of the coolest things for me is knowing that I have made an impact within our program. I’m one of the few that has stayed here since freshman year, which is so rare now, and I think that makes a big difference on a lot of people,” Kunze said.
Her career is one that goes beyond just numbers. It is deeply rooted in the past, present and future of UCCS softball and her influence will have lasting effects on the program.
“I’ve been given a ton of opportunities through this school. I mean through UCCS I’ve met so many great friends, I was able to get my job, I will have a degree, and I feel like without UCCS as a school I wouldn’t be able to do that,” Kunze said.
After she graduates in May, Kunze will be staying in the Colorado Springs area working as a management trainee at Cintas. She plans on coming to support the team as much as she can next year, which is great news for all fans sad to see her leave.
Autumn Kunze, business major and softball pitcher. Photo by Jade Esquibel.