‘I want them to have that pride.’ Softball great now teaching what she learned at UK.
READ MORE
We Meet Again
The Lexington Herald-Leader and Kentucky.com are publishing a series of stories catching up with former University of Kentucky athletes. Click here to read all of the installments published previously.
Expand All
Editor’s Note: This article is part of a weekly series in which the Herald-Leader is catching up with former University of Kentucky athletes.
In the early stages of the previous decade, the fortunes of the University of Kentucky softball program shifted on the sentiments expressed through an ancient form of communication.
Kelsey Nunley was among the best high school pitchers and most prized college recruits in the country in 2012. The Tennessee native had just led Soddy Daisy High School to its second state championship in three years and was named the Tennessee Softball Gatorade Player of the Year.
For a long time it was assumed Nunley, a lifelong Tennessee fan, would end up wearing Volunteers orange in college. But that didn’t stop Kentucky Coach Rachel Lawson from getting creative in her attempt to pull off a recruiting coup and lure Nunley to Lexington.
Lawson made her pitch via multiple hand-written letters. That made a major impression on Nunley, and once her flirtation with the Volunteers cooled it bumped the Wildcats to the top of the queue.
“She was the only coach that sent me hand-written stuff and I thought that was so special,” Nunley told the Herald-Leader in a recent phone interview. “Once I kind of got the news that (Tennessee) might not be interested anymore, Coach Lawson was the only coach that stayed in touch. She kept sending me these hand-written letters. I still wanted to play in the (Southeastern Conference) and my mom was like, ‘Hey, what about Kentucky? She’s still sending you stuff.’ And I decided I’ll go visit and see what it’s all about.”
Lawson experienced a bit of shock when Nunley committed to the Cats. She told her assistant coaches, “Oh my goodness, I think we just got the kid that’s going to help take us to the promised land.
“And, sure enough, she lived up to those expectations,” Lawson said.
Fast forward half a decade and Nunley graduated as one of the most decorated and, perhaps, the most important player in UK softball history. She owns the program record for most wins (92), most innings pitched (943 1/3) and career earned-run average (1.96).
Nunley was voted SEC Pitcher of the Year and was a finalist for National Player of the Year following her senior season in 2016.
Two years earlier, Nunley led UK to its first and only appearance in the Women’s College World Series as she put together statistically the best season of any pitcher in program history. Nunley went 30-11 that year with a 1.88 earned run average and 219 strikeouts.
“I really accomplished more than I ever dreamed of at Kentucky,” Nunley said.
And the coach who wooed Nunley north with a flair for penmanship remains grateful she chased those dreams in blue and white.
“There’s probably only 10 teams in the country that have done what we’ve done over time, and what Kelsey did was solidify the longevity of the program,” Lawson said. “Not only did she take us to our first World Series, she was able to keep us on the map. And everything kind of snowballs from there.”
Crashing the party
In college softball, it’s not often that an underdog upsets the host of a super regional in the NCAA Tournament. But the Wildcats did just that in 2014.
After Nunley tossed a complete-game shutout to wrap up UK’s third victory in the Lexington Regional, the 14th-seeded Wildcats traveled west to face No 3. UCLA in the double-elimination Los Angeles Super Regional with a World Series berth on the line.
Things looked bleak after the Bruins won the first game, 6-4. But inside the locker room, the Cats’ confidence was still soaring. Nunley found inspiration from one of UK’s offensive stars.
“I was pretty down after that first loss,” Nunley said. “But I remember after the game, Griffin Joiner was like, ‘Listen up, we’re better than them’ ... She just really kept me motivated and I took that into the next day.”
Joiner was right — the Wildcats were better. With Nunley in the pitching circle for all 14 innings, Kentucky won two straight elimination games over the Bruins on their home field. After the final out of the 7-1 victory that would send the Wildcats to the College World Series for the first time, Nunley’s teammates mobbed her in the infield.
”We kind of dog-piled after it was over. Then I saw Coach Lawson standing by herself and smiling and I thought, ‘I’m going to go give her a hug,’” Nunley said. “So I just ran over there and hugged her. That’s a moment I will always remember, it was super special. She was standing alone letting us have our time together and I decided I have to go over there to her.”
Nunley left the scrum and made her way to Lawson near the Kentucky dugout, where the two shared a long embrace.
“That was an amazing moment,” Lawson said.
One step short
“When people ask me what it was like beating UCLA and going to the World Series, I always think of the word ‘magical,’” Nunley said. “It was crazy how once the postseason hit the team started clicking ... We played our best at the perfect time.”
The Cats pulled off one more upset, knocking off No. 6 Louisiana-Lafayette 4-1 on the opening day of the Women’s College World Series in Oklahoma City. But the historic ride came to an end as Kentucky dropped a 2-0 heartbreaker to eventual runner-up Alabama then fell to Baylor, 8-7, in extra innings in an elimination game.
Nunley had been a workhorse all season long, but fatigue finally caught up to her. She threw every pitch for Kentucky in the 2014 NCAA Tournament, picking up 10 postseason wins along the way.
“I think my body just kind of ended up giving out at the end,” Nunley said. “I think my heart kept me going because I knew how bad I wanted it and how bad the rest of the team wanted it. I went hard for as long as I could.”
After the sting of disappointment subsided, Nunley and the rest of the Wildcats were able to take proper pride in the milestone they achieved.
“It was hard going out, but we realized we’d done something we’d never done before,” Nunley said. “It’s hard to see the seniors cry, but I think the fact we accomplished something so special made it easier for everyone.”
The Cats have remained national contenders, reaching the super-regional round of the NCAA Tournament in four of the five seasons since that World Series appearance (UK was 20-4 overall in 2020 before the season was canceled because of the coronavirus pandemic). Nunley expects it won’t be long before they break through the door and return to Oklahoma City.
“All the girls that go to UK now, they’ll know getting to the World Series is something that’s possible,” she said. “They’ve been knocking on the door and I think it’ll happen soon.”
Nunley’s softball journey didn’t end when her time in a UK uniform came to a close. She played three seasons in the National Pro Fastpitch League for USSSA Pride in Florida after being drafted fifth overall in 2016.
She enjoyed her time playing pro ball, but craved the camaraderie she experienced in high school and at Kentucky.
“It was really fun in its own way but it was also kind of hard for me. UK was all about team and family and the idea that ‘we’re all in this together, ‘til the battle is won.’ Then you go from a major team atmosphere, working out together and going to class and practicing together. The pro league is a lot different. It’s fun and challenging in a different way, but the team aspect is not there like it was in high school and college.
“It’s definitely more of an every-man-for-himself vibe. I had to call my own pitches, so I felt like I learned a lot more about the game within the game,” Nunley said. “At Kentucky, Coach Lawson was so good about knowing how to attack every batter so I just put 100-percent trust in her and threw whatever she called. I never thought about the strategy behind it. In the pros I had to learn to strategize, knowing ‘I’m going to throw this pitch first to set up my third or fourth pitch.’ I learned a lot, but the team aspect was not there and I really missed it.”
Nunley has plans to foster that team atmosphere during her newest phase.
Back where it began
Nunley married her high school sweetheart, Cody Moore, in 2018. They remained a couple throughout her time at UK while Moore was building his career at a local business back home in Tennessee.
“Married life is good,” Nunley said. “It’s funny how you find out new things about each other all the time. I’m really enjoying it.”
Nunley completed the return to her roots last year. While playing pro ball, she stayed in regular contact with Soddy Daisy High School Athletics Director Jared Hensley, who repeatedly encouraged her to become a coach at her alma mater.
Once Nunley decided her playing days were done she accepted the challenge, joining the Trojans’ staff as an assistant.
“I decided, ‘all right, I’m going to get out of my comfort zone and just go for this. I’m going to do it,’” Nunley said. “I’m glad I did, because I’ve come to realize that coaching is a good fit for me. It’s challenging day-to-day. You have to have a plan and a goal. You have to accomplish something every day. And that’s the same mentality I had as an athlete.”
She quickly went from understudy to the lead role when Soddy Daisy head coach Travis Hale resigned for personal reasons in 2019. Nunley took over as head coach of the Trojans in September. She gives her Kentucky coach credit for instilling in her the confidence to take the reins as head of a storied program.
“Coach Lawson told me all the time I needed to go into coaching because I’d be really good,” Nunley said. “For a while I thought she was crazy, but I knew that I wanted to stay in softball somehow. I knew it was something I never wanted to give up.”
After working all offseason to train her squad for a run at the program’s ninth state championship, the coronavirus pandemic stole the season from the Trojans.
“It was a huge bummer. We started working three days a week back in October and we only got one game in before it all shut down,” Nunley said. “It was hard because we didn’t get to see all the work we put in pay off. It was tough but we’ll just look forward to the day when we get another shot at it.”
Like high school programs around the country, Soddy Daisy is in the midst of a phased return to team activities, so Nunley is finally getting some face time with her players.
“We’ve started working a little bit this summer as things have opened up. It’s great to get back to it, I finally feel like we’re doing something constructive,” Nunley said. “I’m all about bringing Soddy Daisy back to the level it was at when I was there. We had pride and dedication and we put everything we had into it. We knew we weren’t going to be happy unless we won state. I want to get back to the culture and the chemistry we had back then.”
Nunley plans to lean on her experience at UK as she pushes to instill that culture at Soddy Daisy.
“At Kentucky you didn’t have a choice, you had to have that drive and work ethic. You either showed up and practiced hard and worked out hard or you didn’t make it. That’s where I want to get my high school girls. I want them to have that pride that I had in my school and my team.”
‘Not my comfort zone’
Head coaching isn’t the only new challenge Nunley is enthusiastically embracing. In her first year back at Soddy Daisy she was tasked with overseeing students who were sent to in-school suspension. Nunley plans to continue in that post this school year, but she’s also discovered a new calling. Nunley is working to earn certification which will allow her to teach special-needs students.
“This past year I would take the in-school suspension students to the cafeteria at the same time the special-needs students were there and I got to interact with them quite a bit and it opened my eyes,” Nunley said. “I’ve been praying about it and I kind of feel like God has been leading me toward them. In the past I didn’t feel drawn to those special-needs students, so this is something new in my life. It’s definitely not my comfort zone, but this year I’ve been felt led to find a way to help them.”
None of this comes as a surprise to Nunley’s college mentor, who identified in her early on the kind of qualities that create a successful competitor and leader — and who years ago lured the softball phenom to Lexington with the personal touch of pen and paper.
“For me, one of the things that I think great coaches all possess is empathy,” Lawson said. “Her awareness level and her empathy for others is what’s going to help her take other kids and allow them to elevate ... Her heart and her commitment to people are second to none.”
Q & A
What do you remember most about Rachel Lawson?
“I was always struck by how she’s just super smart. She’s on another level. Now that I’m coaching myself I’ve thought about it even more than I did in college because it’s amazing that you take somebody who never pitched, was always at third base or catching, and she can teach pitching like she does. The fact that she has such a feel for pitching even though she’s never done it is crazy to me ... She’s probably too smart to be a softball coach, but she makes a great one.”
“It’s also crazy that she can be so serious and so demanding, but create an atmosphere that’s so loose and fun.”
If you hadn’t gone to UK where would you have gone?
“I thought I was going to UT (University of Tennessee) for a long time. My dream was to play in the SEC. But it all turned out great. Everything that I set out to do and more came true while I was at UK, so it was the best thing ever for me.”
Was there ever a time when you questioned why you went to UK?
“I was really homesick early in my first year. I’ve always been a homebody. I was never the type to go stay the night at a friend’s house as a kid because I would just wake up in the middle of the night and want to go home. So it was a tough adjustment at first.
“But once we started playing my freshman year and started winning I was having so much fun that I just knew this was why I went to UK, this is what it’s all about.”
Favorite on-field memory at UK?
“When we beat UCLA in super regionals to go to the World Series. That win and that moment with Coach Lawson were so special to me.”
What’s the most recent UK event you attended?
Nunley has returned to Lexington for UK alumni weekend each October since she graduated. She also tries to catch the Cats in person each season. The pandemic scuttled those plans this year, but in 2019 she watched UK win a series at Alabama and go 3-0 during the “Coach ‘B’ Classic” at Tennessee-Chattanooga.
“I love alumni weekend and I try to make it to a game every year.”
Who has been your favorite UK player to watch in recent years?
“It’s probably been Alex Martens. She chose to wear No. 33, so she has to be good,” Nunley (who also sported No. 33 as a Wildcat) said with a laugh. “Plus, she’s been really good. It was fun to watch her grow. I hated that (the coronavirus shutting down the season) happened to her and the other seniors ... You can’t get that senior year back.”
Biggest regret?
“I didn’t go into college in the right shape. I played three sports in high school and I never worked out outside of sports so I went into college thinking I was in great shape, but I was wrong.”
Which of your former teammates do you stay in contact with?
“Probably Griffin Joiner, which is funny because she’s at Louisville now.”
Joiner, a Christian County graduate who hit .299 with 43 RBI as a senior for the Wildcats in 2015, is an assistant coach for the Cardinals, working mostly with pitchers.
“She reaches out and asks me pitching questions and we talk randomly all the time.”
Nunley also remains close with Maisie Steed, with whom she entered the program in 2013.
“She was my freshman roommate and we did not like each other at all, we didn’t get along. But now we’re great friends, we were in each other’s weddings. We get along really well when we don’t live together.”
Who was your sports hero growing up?
“Monica Abbott, for sure,” Nunley said, referencing the former University of Tennessee great who was a four-time First Team All-America pitcher. “She’s probably the best in the world. Once I started pitching she became my idol. She played a game at (Tennessee-Chattanooga) when I was about 10 and my parents took me. I got a picture with her and got to talk to her. From then on she was the one I looked up to.”
What do you wish someone had told you before your college career?
“Enjoy the hard days and the good days, because the hard days are what makes the good days so much better and worth it. If you don’t go through the struggle then the victory is not as sweet.”
This story was originally published July 13, 2020 at 7:33 AM.
