Former Kaskaskia College standout Karlie McKenzie has added one more prestigious honor to an already remarkable collegiate career.
The Eastern Illinois University graduate has been named the 2025-26 Female Athletic Director Award Winner, one of the highest individual honors presented by the Panthers’ athletic department. The award recognizes a student-athlete who has excelled not only in competition, but also in leadership, academics and representing the university with distinction.
For local sports fans, McKenzie’s journey to becoming one of the most decorated pitchers in Eastern Illinois history began just down the road in Centralia. Before transferring to EIU, McKenzie starred at Kaskaskia College, where she helped lead the Blue Angels to the NJCAA Division I National Tournament, establishing herself as one of the top junior college pitchers in the Midwest.
She carried that success to Charleston and quickly became the ace of the Panthers’ pitching staff.
McKenzie capped her EIU career by leading the Panthers to back-to-back Ohio Valley Conference Tournament championships and consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. She was named the OVC Tournament Most Valuable Player for the second straight season after once again dominating the conference tournament and helping Eastern Illinois punch its ticket to the NCAA postseason.
Her name is now firmly etched throughout the Panthers’ record book. McKenzie finished her career with the third-best winning percentage in school history while recording 283 career strikeouts, tying her for eighth all-time at Eastern Illinois.
Beyond the numbers, McKenzie earned a reputation as one of the OVC’s toughest competitors. Whether pitching in conference play or on the national stage, she consistently gave the Panthers a chance to win and helped elevate the program to one of its most successful stretches in recent years.
From helping Kaskaskia College reach the national tournament to becoming a conference champion, NCAA Tournament pitcher and one of Eastern Illinois’ most accomplished softball players, McKenzie’s career has been defined by winning.
Now, with the Female Athletic Director Award added to her list of accomplishments, the former Kaskaskia College standout leaves Eastern Illinois as one of the most successful pitchers in program history and an outstanding representative of both schools.
