NCAA softball player Kendall Kotzmacher’s advocacy against transgender athletes has reportedly put her in danger. She says she reported a threat that someone would come to her college and kill her amid backlash over transgender athletes competing in girls’ and women’s sports. The online hate, she says, has also targeted her teammates.
Kotzmacher, 20, is a sophomore at Division II Colorado Christian University who was recently named a Courage Wins Champion by XX-XY Athletics, a brand founded by former athlete Jennifer Sey, who champions her company as “the only brand standing up for the protection of women’s sports and spaces.”
The infielder told OutKick that the hostility toward her has intensified as her public profile has grown.
“I had a person say that they were gonna come to the school and kill me. That one was a little scary,” Kotzmacher said. She also had a message telling her “to go die.” After reporting the threat to her school, her concerns were documented, but no one has been arrested yet.
An X post was shared by OutKick, a video of Kotzmacher discussing those threats and how they are affecting her life as a student-athlete
“Back home I had to document a (bunch of online threats) over the summer that were rally concerning too,” she said.
When asked if she would like to have any arrests be made, she replied, “It would be nice but, it would be difficult… they always have a different name and spam account. It’s hard to differentitate how you’re going to manage free speech and harrasment. Who’s going to draw that line?”
Kotzmacher is well aware of how hard it is to identify and prosecute online harassment. So meanwhile, the threats keep coming.
“I’ve been getting a lot of people telling me to go kill myself or that I don’t deserve to be alive or that I should die, a bunch of stuff like that, which has been really difficult to hear,” she said.
Understanding the dangers she could potentially face because strangers now know where she attends college has also added to Kotzmacher’s fears.
“I think people knowing where I go to school has been a little bit scary just because I never know if someone’s going to show up or what’s going to go on,” she said.
Kotzmacher’s Teammates Have Also Received Online Death Threats
Kotzmacher is not only concerned for her own well being, but that of her teammates who publicly support her crusade against men participating in women’s sports. She said one person replied to teammates’ comments on her social media posts after visiting their accounts and looked up their names and statistics.
“I think I want to protect them as much as possible,” she said. “So trying to make sure that they’re not getting any of the backlash and that it’s kind of just on me has been a focus of mine.”
Kotzmacher even offered to remove her teammates’ names from her social media and publicly clear them from any association with her advocacy , but her teammates refused to fold, she said.
“And they’re like, absolutely not. Like, we’re in this together. We’re going to be supportive of you,” Kotzmacher recalled. “Like, we’re all here for you, which has been so refreshing to hear because I didn’t really get that last year.”
Kotzmacher’s a sophomore catcher and infielder who previously attended Western Michigan University, before transferring this past summer to the school in Colorado. She explained her college journey in her September Fox News op-ed, attributing her transfer from Western Michigan to poor coaching and an arduous courseload.
The softball player’s entrance into advocacy began after her high school team, White Bear Lake, lost 3–2 to Champlin Park in the 2025 Minnesota Class AAAA state semifinals. Champlin Park won the championship with a transgender star pitcher.
Kotzmacher went from hitting a seventh-inning, two-run home run in a 3–1 quarterfinal victory over Farmington, to her current position, a year later juggling college softball and classes with an increasingly public role in passionate debates about sports eligibility.
Her passion and plight is part of the trickle-down effect that WNBA star Sophie Cunningham’s explosive comments about transgenders participating in women’s athletics triggered during the WNBA season.
Right-Wing Politicians Have Embraced Kotzmacher: Fans React To Death Threats
The advocacy aspect has put more on the plate of a student-athlete who already practices four days a week and attends classes daily. Trips to Washington must now fit into that hectic schedule.
“When I went to DC, it was really hard to miss class and go do something so important and work for these females. And then come back on Monday and go to school like any other day,” Kotzmacher said.
No one likes to hear about a person being subjected to death threats for having an opinion. Many netizens blame the government.
“What happened to Kendall in the MN state high school softball championship was terrible. Our politicians have let our girls down. But here she is standing up for the Title IX rights of girls and women throughout the US. Kendall is fantastic,” one supporter commented on X.
“Pitcher?!! A male can fastpitch a softball about 30mph or more than a female, very unfair and dangerous,” one fan said in response to Kotzmacher’s experience in high school.
“Future leader right here,” another supporter expressed in the comments. “Start with what’s right and good. Don’t deviate. Keep your head held high.”
“This young lady, the REAL speaking truth to power….” a netizen quipped.
“That takes real courage—supporting her voice matters,” a user commented with great sympathy for the death threats Kotzmacher says she’s received.
In addition, she participated in a Sept. 23 Capitol Hill news conference following a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on fairness, opportunity and safety for female athletes. The hearing’s three listed witnesses were ICONS co-founder Kim Jones, former professional soccer player Carly Smolak and attorney William Bock III.
Seems like this young lady is being driven towards a political future, and the right-wing party really digs her platform and willingness to be vocal about the subject.
The Minnesota native said she plans to vote for Republican Senate nominee Michele Tafoya, who has made restrictions on transgender participation in female sports part of her campaign. Tafoya will face Democratic Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan for the seat being vacated by retiring Sen. Tina Smith.
“I mean, I’ve talked to Michelle a lot. She’s been super supportive of everything. We’re pretty close,” Kotzmacher said.
This is a growing issue that people on both sides have passionate opinions about, but that’s no excuse for death threats being directed at anyone.
