2022 Kentucky Softball Preview - Meet the Wildcats

Be in the moment. The Kentucky Softball team will travel south to Florida this weekend to start their 2022 season with that goal in mind: just be in the moment.

Coming off a Super Regional appearance last year, the Wildcats are hungry to do even more this season. And with plenty of returning star power, they certainly have the chance to do so.

You’ll be able to find all the best Kentucky Softball coverage right here — including a preview of the 2022 team. For more this season, be sure to follow me on Twitter @kass_stumbo where I’ll be providing game previews, recaps and all kinds of fun stuff in between.

Let’s get right to it.

THE INFIELD

We have some notable ‘Cats returning to the infield this season, starting with sophomore star Erin Coffel at shortstop. Coffel, who was named Preseason All-SEC this year, is back and ready to pick up where she left off. Coffel spent the summer playing in the 2022 U-18 World Cup, where she led Team USA in hitting. Head coach Rachel Lawson was highly complimentary of Coffel on Tuesday.

“She looks outstanding right now,” Lawson said. “That is going to be big for us.”

Moving to first base we’ll see a change from last season. Mallory Peyton was with UK for four years but has now graduated and left her spot up for grabs. Coach Lawson says sophomore Meeko Harrison and freshman Taylor Ebbs are battling for the position still, but she was very complimentary of Ebbs. Lawson said Ebbs is very mature for her age and made a point to mention her strength.

Emmy Blane, who Lawson calls the “leader of the infield,” will likely start at second base. Though she played almost exclusively defense last season, Blane has been working on her hitting in the offseason and will hope to make more trips to the batter’s box this year. She played in 40 games last season, including almost all conference matches. If she is not available, Erica Thulen or freshman Margaret Tobias are reliable options for head coach Rachel Lawson.

Her teammate Miranda Stoddard will be the go-to third baseman this season — when she isn’t pitching of course. Stoddard started in 55 of UK’s 57 games last season and pitched in 19, going 5-0 from the circle. When she is pitching, we might see freshman Margaret Tobias or Victoria Fragoso.

“We just gotta figure out which one is going to get it done when the lights come on,” Lawson said.

THE OUTFIELD

More returning experience in the outfield, namely in fifth-year graduate student Lauren Johnson. Johnson is known as one of the most clutch players on the team, leading the Wildcats in two of the last three postseasons. The Owensboro native will be the only Kentucky player in this class to use her COVID-19 redshirt year. She is bringing back a .344 batting average, 11 doubles and 42 RBI.

The ‘Cats will return senior Renee Abernathy in the outfield as well. Abernathy was named to the NFCA All-Region Team last year after she posted a .357 batting average with 13 home runs on the season and 48 RBI. Fellow senior Tatum Spangler is also back after her breakout season, where she had 53 hits, 12 doubles and seven walks.

Rylea Smith will return as well. Smith had moments of brilliance last season, namely her walk-off hit in the bottom of the eighth inning to clinch the series against No. 3 Alabama.

As far as new talent, look for freshman Taylor Ebbs to contribute in both the infield and the outfield this season. Ebbs, Oregon’s Gatorade Player of the Year, is one of the most highly-accomplished recruits that UK has ever signed. She will also most likely play at first base occasionally.

THE PITCHERS

While Rachel Lawson’s main title might be head coach, she also calls all the pitches for the ‘Cats and serves as the team’s pitching coach. As such, she is known to place a heavy emphasis on a deep bullpen.

This year’s team will certainly feel the woes of losing the trustworthy arms of Grace Baalman and Autumn Humes but have the potential to make up for it. Miranda Stoddard is perhaps the biggest returning name. When she’s not at third-base, Stoddard is nasty on the mound. She will return with a 3.17 ERA and more than 53 innings pitched for UK last season. Tatum Spangler is another noteworthy returner. Spangler pitched 28 innings last year and finished 4-3 in the circle.

Sloan Gayan and Stephanie Schoonover will both return as well, hoping to make more contributions for the ‘Cats this season. Both played mostly in non-conference outings last season, but have worked hard to improve this offseason. Lawson said that Schoonover has been particularly impressive.

WKU transfer Kennedy Sullivan looks to provide some promising depth for the ‘Cats as well. Sullivan was the Hilltoppers’ winning pitcher in UK’s loss to WKY last April. She went 9-0 with a 2.44 ERA last year. Lawson was very complimentary of Sullivan at Tuesday’s Media Day, saying “she is big time under pressure. She’s a winner.”

As far as new faces, there are several to look for. First is freshman Izzy Harrison, a first-team All-American out of Franklin, IN. Perhaps the most notable addition to this year’s team, though, is incoming Olympian Alexia Lacatena, who pitched for Italy’s national team in last year’s Olympic games.

On Tuesday’s Media Day, Rachel Lawson said that pitching will be the biggest question on opening weekend. “We have plenty of people,” Lawson said of the depth on the mound. “We just don’t know quite yet how we all fit together.”

THE CATCHERS

Kentucky should be pretty confident behind home plate. Senior Kayla Kowalik is back and looking to extend her already long list of honors earned in her time here in Lexington. Last month, in fact, Kowalik was named the No. 3 player in college softball by Extra Innings Softball. Since then, she has been named to the Team USA roster for the 2022 Canada Cup, been named Preseason All-SEC and placed on the USA Softball Player of the Year watch list. Not too shabby, eh?

Kowalik caught more than 300 innings last season and threw out four runners from behind the plate. This year, though, she has some valuable help if needed. Freshmen Hallie Mitchell and Ella Emmert will look to learn from Kowalik. Both bring lots of new talent to the team. Emmert graduated from Lexington Catholic High School.

WHAT’S IT ALL MEAN?

That was a lot of information, but the main takeaway is this: this Kentucky team is loaded with talent and has the potential to have a really special season.

“Everyone on this team brings something unique to the table and that’s what makes us so strong this year,” senior Renee Abernathy said on Tuesday.

As far as motivation, Lawson said this team has plenty. “I know that they’re hungry. I know they want to go far,” she said. Make no mistake: the goal for this Kentucky team is Oklahoma City.

The ‘Cats will start at the Northern Lights Southern Nights tournament in Florida later this week, starting on Thursday and continuing into the weekend. The four-day tourney will feature matches against Wisconsin, Michigan State, Liberty, Hofstra, Iowa and Virginia Tech. From there, they will travel to two more away tournaments before coming back to Lexington for the home-opener against Michigan on Thursday, March 3.

Kentucky will play 23 home games at John Cropp Stadium this season in a very tough overall schedule. The ‘Cats will play 30 games against 15 different teams that made last year’s NCAA Softball Tournament, including 14 games against Super Regional teams and five games against World Series teams.