Kentucky Softball Starts Season Strong with Two Top 5 Wins in San Diego

Kentucky Softball played its opening weekend in San Diego, California over the last few days. The Wildcats competed in the San Diego State Season Kickoff tournament which began on Friday, February 9, and finished on Sunday, February 11, playing five games in three days.

After starting the weekend strong on Friday against UC Santa Barbara, Rachel Lawson’s group put together back-to-back wins over the No. 3 ranked Stanford Cardinal. Although Kentucky couldn’t go undefeated on the weekend, falling to No. 24 San Diego State on Saturday night, the Wildcats recovered on Sunday to beat Minnesota in extra innings.

All in all, it was a 4-1 stretch out west for Kentucky and a terrific start to the 2024 season.

Starting out hot in San Diego

No. 25 Kentucky had to adjust to the three-hour time difference between the Bluegrass State and West Coast on Friday as they played at 10 a.m. PT, or as they’re used to, 1 p.m. EST. The Wildcats’ first game of the season was against UC Santa Barbara. Things began rolling quickly for UK in the bottom of the second after two ‘Cats were walked with two outs on the board. Senior standout Erin Coffel nailed an RBI single to right field which brought Kentucky’s first run in to put them up 1-0.

All cylinders were working for the Wildcats in the third as Alabama native and senior Stephanie Schoonover recorded two Ks and allowed no runs. The offense continued to roll in the bottom of the third as fifth-year Rylea Smith hit a double. Smith’s speed allowed her to steal third with only one out against UK. An RBI ground out from freshman and Paducah native Ally Hutchins gave Smith the lane to make a run for home and put Kentucky up 2-0.

The fourth was slow for both squads. Although Schoonover tallied another strikeout at the top of the inning, a flyout from Coffel in the bottom of the fourth sent it to the fifth. The top of the inning added yet another K to the stats for the Alabama pitcher as she kept UC Santa Barbara scoreless. Smith was not done in the third inning when it came to making it home. She knocked out a two-run homer at the bottom of the fifth which made it a 4-0 ballgame.

After Schoonover gave up an RBI double in the sixth to put UC Santa Barbara on the board at 4-1, junior New Jersey native Alexia Lacatena stepped on the mound for relief. Lacatena came up big after striking out the next batter and getting a ground out to send it to the bottom of the inning with no more damage done. Errors courtesy of UC Santa Barbara’s defense gave way to success for the ‘Cats’ offense. After Coffel reached first on a fielder’s choice, another run came in for Kentucky to put the No. 25 ranked team up 5-1. A stellar final inning from UK’s defense held UC Santa Barbara scoreless and gave the Wildcats their first dub of the season.

Smith had a huge part in Kentucky’s sixth-straight opening day win. The fifth-year went 3-4 from the plate and hit her fifth career homer to put her team up 4-0 in the fifth inning.

Hello Jaden Vickers!

The Wildcats faced No. 3 Stanford for their second game on Friday, February 9. Graduate transfer and former Rutgers star pitcher Jaden Vickers made her debut in the blue and white against the Cardinal.

Vickers lived up to the high expectations that were set for her after coming to Kentucky. The left-handed pitcher held the Cardinal to a no-hitter up until the fifth inning. A bomb over the right field fence from junior Taylor Ebbs at the top of the second gave UK an early 1-0 lead.

At the bottom of the fifth, Vickers’ no-hitter was stopped after Stanford scored off an RBI double to tie the match up at 1-1. The Wildcats’ bats continued to work in the sixth as senior speedster Vanessa Nesby stepped up to the plate with two ‘Cats on base. Nesby hit an RBI single to center field to bring another Wildcat home and put her team up 2-1, which is how this one would end.

The upset over No. 3 Stanford made Kentucky Softball history as it marked the program’s highest-ranked victory on opening day.

Even though the ‘Cats had reason to celebrate on Friday after going 2-0 on the season’s first day, their work for the weekend was not over. Kentucky’s first game on Saturday, February 10, was a rematch against Stanford.

UK was up bright and early on Saturday morning as they took on the Cardinal once again at 9 a.m. PT. Schoonover started on the mound for the ‘Cats. Two early walks at the top of the first placed two Cardinal on base. A throwing error by Coffel put Stanford on the board first at 1-0. Stanford also placed their ace and the 2023 National Freshman of the Year, NiJaree Canady, in the circle against Kentucky.

Canady shined in the bottom of the first as she struck out the Wildcats’ one, two, and three batters to send it to the second. It was a battle on the mound throughout the game. Schoonover held the Cardinal scoreless into the seventh inning. Canady continued to excel on the mound after tallying six straight Ks through the second.

At the bottom of the fifth, the score remained 1-0 in favor of Stanford. However, it did not stay the same for long after sophomore Karissa Hamilton broke Canady’s no-hitter with a homer to left center field. Heading into the sixth, it was a tied-up game at 1-1. The sixth and seventh innings were uneventful for both teams on offense as the pitching remained strong from both Schoonover and Canady.

The game headed into extra innings as the score remained 1-1 through seven. At the top of the eighth, a fielding error by Kentucky allowed the Cardinal to advance home and drive in a run to put them up 2-1. Luckily for the Wildcats, Stanford’s defense had a lapse at the bottom of the inning which gave UK room to make it home and tie it up at 2-2. With Smith on third and one out, Kentucky star freshman Ally Hutchins hit an RBI single to drive Smith home, get the 3-2 win, and sweep the nation’s number three-ranked team.

Later on the second day of play in San Deigo, Kentucky faced the tournament host, No. 24 San Diego State. Through two, the score was 0-0 due to solid pitching from both teams. At the top of the third with two batters on base, Coffel hit an RBI double down the line to drive in redshirt sophomore Jenna Blanton.

Pitching struggled for both teams in the third as Kentucky newcomer Sydney Langdon gave up two runs off an RBI single in her debut as a ‘Cat. The Aztecs remained up 2-1 into the top of the sixth. Senior Grace Lorsung knocked a double to center field in the sixth to give the Wildcats hope, but the rest of the offense could not help her out. At the bottom of the sixth, Langdon held her own on the mound after pitching a scoreless inning to send it to the seventh.

In the top of the seventh, things were looking rough for the ‘Cats. Kentucky needed a miracle to make a comeback after San Diego State got the first two batters out. With two outs against her junior infielder, Margaret Tobias nailed a single to the pitcher to get on first. Smith reached base on a fielding error which advanced Tobias to second. Now with two outs on the board and two Wildcats in scoring position, Hutchins stepped up to bat. Unfortunately for the freshman, she lined out to third base which gave Kentucky their first loss of the season, 2-1.

Closing the Weekend Strong

Although UK fell in their previous game to San Diego State on Saturday night, the loss did not affect their performance on Sunday against Minnesota.

Coffel roped a ball over the fence at the top of the first to give her team a 1-0 lead. Lacatena pitched for the ‘Cats. The New Jersey pitcher held the Gophers scoreless through three innings but struggled in the fourth. Lacatena gave up two runs off an RBI double, letting two Minnesota players run home.

After getting off to a hot start offensively, Kentucky could not get their bats to work in the fourth or fifth. The Wildcats were down 2-1 at the start of the sixth, but this did not last long. A Lorsung homer at the top of the sixth tied the game up at 2-2. Vickers entered the game for Lacatena at the bottom of the fifth but was quickly replaced by Langdon in the sixth.

The UK offense was held scoreless at the top of the seventh. Thanks to relief pitching from Kentucky ace Schoonover, the ‘Cats headed into their second extra-inning game of the weekend. Tied at 2-2, all eyes were on Kentucky’s offense at the top of the eighth. Lorsung came up big again after being placed on second. Georgetown native and freshman Delani Sullivan came in to pinch run for Lorsung and stole third. A throwing error by the Gophers gave Sullivan room to run home and make it a 3-2 game. Schoonover threw two Ks at the bottom of the eighth to secure the 3-2 nail-biter and get the ‘Cats’ final dub of the weekend.

Overall, opening weekend for the No. 25 Kentucky Wildcats went extremely well. The team went 4-1 on the weekend, with two of the four victories coming against Top-3 ranked Stanford. Pitching and hitting were stellar throughout the long weekend, and newcomers played a huge role in the success that UK had.

Looking ahead, the ‘Cats will travel south to Clearwater, Florida, to compete in the ESPN Shriner Children’s Invitational. Play will begin on Thursday, February 15, with Kentucky taking on North Carolina at 11 a.m. EST. UK will take on some big teams in Clearwater, one of them being No. 5 Texas who just crushed No. 8 UCLA in a 16-0 mercy-rule result on Saturday. The ‘Cats will also face No. 10 Washington in the upcoming weekend.