Kari Gillett Witherspoon
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- Sport(s):
- Softball
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- Years Played:
- 1997-00
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- Year Inducted:
- 2017
Kari Witherspoon Gillett played softball for four seasons (1997-2000) at Bellevue for then-Coach, and current Athletic Director, Ed Lehotak.
Along with fellow inductee Kelly Secord Cheshier, Gillett became one of the first All-Americans in the softball program’s history, earning first-team honors in her senior season. She also holds the distinction of becoming both the program’s first two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete and three-time first-team all-MCAC honoree. For her in-season efforts, Witherspoon was named MCAC Player of the year as a junior in 1999.
Witherspoon remains one of the most highly-decorated athletes in BU history and maintains her place amongst the finest in the softball program’s pitching record book. She still has single-season records for both ERA (0.89 in 2000) and winning percentage (.875 in 2000) while ranking among the top 10 seasons in seven other categories as part of her total of 23 single-season top 20 rankings.
For her career, Kari holds top 10 rankings in seven categories: wins (2nd, 77), innings pitched (2nd, 669.0), strikeouts (3rd, 599), winning percentage (4th, .748, 77-26), ERA (5th, 1.91), strikeouts per seven innings (7th, 6.27), and WHIP (7th, 1.118).
She currently resides in Dallas, Texas, with her husband, Brandon Gillett, and their two daughters, Aubrey (5) and Kinley (3).
Kari is presently self-employed contracting her services as a cardiovascular perfusionist with Texas Health Resources in Dallas and Plano, Texas.
