Two Kentucky Softball players named finalists for National Player of the Year

On3 imageby:Tyler Thompson04/19/23

MrsTylerKSR

Two Kentucky Softball players are still in the running for National Player of the Year. Junior infielder Erin Coffel and graduate catcher Kayla Kowalik are among the 25 finalists for the 2023 USA Softball National POY.

Coffel leads the nation in walks, and recently ascended to second all-time at UK in career home runs with her 14th long ball of the season for her 50th career homer. Tuesday afternoon, she hit a two-run bomb for her 15th of the season and 51st of her career to pull within 10 of Abbey Cheek for the Kentucky all-time lead. She’s hitting .424 this season with 15 homers, 48 RBI, 47 walks, nine doubles, and 39 total hits.

Kowalik leads all UK players with a .440 average on 59 hits in 134 total ABs. On Monday night, she was drafted No. 8 overall in the second round of the 2023 WPF Draft by the USSSA Pride. She has logged a homer, 15 RBI, and 10 extra-base hits on the season while hitting leadoff in 39 of Kentucky’s 40 games.

The Top 25 Finalists for USA Softball National Player of the Year will be narrowed down to 10 on May 3, and again to the Top 3 on May 17. The 2023 USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year will be revealed before the Women’s College World Series, which is scheduled for June 1-9 in Oklahoma City.

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Kentucky Softball bounces back vs. Northern Kentucky

The No. 20 Wildcats needed a win after being swept by No. 6 Tennessee at home over the weekend. Last night, they got it, beating Northern Kentucky 9-0 in five innings. Coffel, Kowalik, and Kennedy Sullivan all had multiple-RBI games and sophomore pitcher Alexia Lacatena threw a one-hit complete-game shutout to help the Cats secure the victory. They’re now 26-13-1 on the season, 7-8 in SEC play.

This weekend, Kentucky hosts No. 11/12 Arkansas in a three-game series at John Cropp Stadium. The fun starts on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. ET. The game will be streamed on SEC Network+ with Dave Baker and Jenny Dalton-Hill on the call but if you’d like to cheer the Cats on in person (and maybe enjoy an adult beverage or two), tickets for all three games are available at UKathletics.com.

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