Kentucky Softball 2025 Season Preview

The Kentucky softball team will be looking to make their 16th straight NCAA Tournament appearance this season with the help of some talented transfers and star freshmen.

With eight seniors graduating last season, the Wildcats come into this year with a young roster including five freshmen and three new players in the program. Rachel Lawson, the head coach entering her 18th season, is optimistic about her team this year regardless of their youth and inexperience.

“I think we have lots of stars on this team. It’s going to be a much more balanced team, so I’m looking forward to watching them compete,” said Lawson on BBN Tonight.

Kentucky will start their season on Feb. 7th at the NFCA Lead-Off Classic in Clearwater, FL. The team will be on the road for their first 20 games before starting SEC play. The new SEC schedule will include eight series, with four at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, KY.

With Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference this year, the SEC will be tougher than ever. The Wildcats finished 12th last season in SEC standings and will be looking to improve on that. They will face five SEC and five non-conference opponents that are in the preseason top 25, according to the NCAA.

Transfers

With a tough schedule ahead, Lawson wanted to add some star power to replace the seniors who left. In the offseason, the team added three transfers to the roster that will help on both the offensive and defensive sides.

Senior pitcher Sarah Haendiges and junior designated player Madyson Clark both transferred in from Oregon State to Kentucky. Haendiges pitched in the 2022 College World Series and had an impressive 3.78 ERA last season. Clark will help the team in the batter’s box hitting at a .271 efficiency with four HRs last year for the Beavers.

Kentucky also added McKenzie Bump, a 5th-year utility player, transferring in from Ohio State. Bump has a career clip .300 hitting efficiency and will provide experience and leadership to such a young team.

“I think we hit the transfer ‘lotto’ (lottery) because we added on the mound and then our two position players that we added, they are just awesome. The are great in the lineup. They’re great teammates, they bring a lot of energy and a little bit of an edge which I really like”, Lawson added.

Freshman and Returning Players

Some returning players to keep an eye on are two sophomores. Sydney Langdon and Ally Hutchins had great freshmen campaigns and should have large roles in the upcoming season. Langdon had a 4.22 ERA on the mound and Hutchins hit a walk-off single to beat Michigan in the NCAA Tournament last season.

Kentucky also brought in a star-studded freshman class with three players being named to the Softball America watch list. Julie Kelley and Carson Fall are both pitchers who will help Haendiges and Langdon on the mound. Allie Blum was also named to the watch list as an infielder.

Last Season Recap

Last season, Kentucky started off strong with two ranked wins over Stanford in the first weekend and held a record of 14-4 before SEC play began. Their fast start and record against non-conference opponents earned them a ranking in the top 25 heading into conference play.

The Wildcats went 8-16 during SEC play, only winning three series. Although their record was poor, they had six ranked wins and proved they could beat great teams. This got them selected to the NCAA Tournament.

They were placed in the Stillwater Regional along with #5 Oregon State, Michigan, and Northern Colorado. A walk-off win against Michigan put them against Oregon State in the winner’s bracket. Ultimately, Kentucky lost to OSU and then Michigan to end their season.