Two Wildcat Softball Players Voted to Preseason All-SEC Team
A pair of Kentucky softball players, Kayla Kowalik and Erin Coffel, have been voted preseason All-SEC members, the league office announced on Thursday.
All head coaches in the Southeastern Conference, along with various players, voted for who they believed should be on this year’s preseason All-SEC team, which consisted of 22 members.
Cats knocking preseason awards out of the park
Both Wildcats have built impressive resumes while playing for Kentucky.
Kowalik, a graduate student and the starting catcher for the ‘Cats, has hit above .450 over her last couple of seasons in Lexington.
Not only has she been named to the All-SEC team in three seasons since being a Wildcat, but she was also in the running for National Player of the Year in the 2021 season after setting the new single-season record for UK while hitting above .500.
Coffel, just a junior infielder for the ‘Cats, also set a new single-season record for UK in her sophomore season after securing 68 RBI. Tallying this amount of RBI gave her the most in Kentucky softball history.
Coffel also was voted to the All-SEC first team following her stellar sophomore campaign.
Wildcats ranked nationally in preseason top-25
Although Kowalik and Coffel are being recognized in the preseason player polls, head coach Rachel Lawson has her team ranked among the top 20 across multiple preseason polls.
USA Softball has the ‘Cats ranked #17 nationally, while D1 Softball ranks them #16 nationally.
The Wildcats 2023 season will start on Friday, February 10th. UK will be playing in the NFCA Lead-Off Classic in Clearwater, FL, facing off against St. Johns and Louisville in a doubleheader.
Kentucky’s first home game at John Cropp Stadium will be Wednesday, March 8th at 5 pm. The Wildcats will host the University of Dayton.
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