‘I’m just looking to go up and crush a pitch.’ Freshman rolling for red-hot UK softball.
Not even the lone team to reach the College World Series in University of Kentucky softball history got off to a better start than this season’s Wildcats.
UK’s 2014 squad that earned a trip to Oklahoma City and the grandest stage in college softball began its campaign 12-0. The 2021 Cats won five contests during The Spring Games in Orlando, Fla., last weekend to improve to 14-0 and rose to No. 11 in the ESPN.com/USA Softball poll released Tuesday, and a newcomer who’s off to a ferocious start has played a major role in the Wildcats’ early-season success.
Erin Coffel burst out of the gate to begin her college career. During UK’s season-opening three-game sweep of Samford, the freshman infielder batted .667 with five RBI and had multiple hits in each contest — including her first home run as a Wildcat — on the way to being voted D1Softball National Freshman of the Week and Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week.
Coffel has yet to slow down. The native of Bremen, Ind., had at least one hit in each of Kentucky’s five wins during The Spring Games — including four homers — and drove in 11 runs. Heading into UK’s trip to the Florida Atlantic University Tournament — in which the Wildcats will play six games beginning with Pittsburgh on Thursday — Coffel is batting .453 and leads the team in home runs (eight) and RBI (25).
“Obviously, I’m a freshman so not many people know about me. So, I’m just looking to go up and crush a pitch,” Coffel said during a media teleconference Wednesday. “Get on base, making sure that I’m getting the situations right that I’m in.”
‘A surreal feeling’
During her four years at Bremen High School in the northeastern part of the Hoosier State, Coffel also played basketball. But softball was the sport she held most dear. Coffel grew up a fan of the Wildcats and fondly recalls watching all-time UK great Katie Reed patrol the infield at shortstop.
“In the COVID times and over the summer, I was like, ‘This is amazing, I cannot believe I’m about to step on Kentucky’s campus and play softball here,” Coffel said. ”It’s honestly just been such a surreal feeling. It’s been amazing. It’s been everything I dreamed of.”
Coffel bats second in the order, right behind Kayla Kowalik — whom UK Coach Rachel Lawson said in the preseason could go down as the best lead-off hitter in program history. Coffel has been soaking up all the knowledge she can from Kowalik, who leads the Cats with a .542 average and 25 runs scored.
“I know when she goes up, something good’s going to happen,” Coffel said of following Kowalik. “That motivates me to get on base, get a hit. I love hitting behind her, she is an absolute stud.”
‘I love this team’
Coffel has quickly bonded with her teammates both on and off the field. She calls sophomore Emmy Blane one of her best friends and said the Hopkinsville native “has been literally my life-saver coming in. From dorm stuff to softball, to school, to friends, to getting adjusted on campus in the fall. She has been such a big help for me.”
UK’s roster is littered with players who have made Coffel feel right at home.
“I love this team. All the girls were so welcoming coming in. We worked really, really well together, even over the winter when we were apart,” Coffel said. “I can already call all of these girls on the team my friends, which is awesome.”
Coffel is ready to face with those friends the gauntlet of SEC play, which the Cats will begin with a three-game series at Florida March 12-14.
“I’ve been waiting for this moment for a really, really long time now. I am just excited to get on the field to start playing in the SEC. Obviously, it’s the best conference in the nation,” Coffel said. “I am just excited to step onto the field with the girls and play the best of the best.”
This weekend
Florida Atlantic University Tournament
When: Thursday-Sunday
Where: Boca Raton, Fla.
Thursday: UK vs. Pittsburgh, 1 p.m.; UK vs. Florida Atlantic, 3:30 p.m.
Friday: UK vs. Illinois State, 10:30 a.m.
Saturday: UK vs. Coastal Carolina, 5:30 p.m.
Sunday: UK vs. Coastal Carolina, 11:15 a.m.; UK vs. Florida Atlantic, 1:30 p.m.
