Off to its best-ever start, undefeated UK softball faces major test at No. 6 Florida
The University of Kentucky softball team faces an uphill battle this weekend in its quest to remain undefeated.
Off to the best start in program history, UK (19-0) opens Southeastern Conference play with a three-game series at Florida Friday through Sunday.
Ranked No. 9 in the latest USA Today/NFCA Coaches poll, the Wildcats are coming off five wins in the Florida Atlantic University Tournament in Boca Raton, Fla., in which they outscored opponents 35-12. No 6 Florida (14-1) is coming off its first loss of the season, having split a Friday-Saturday home-and-home doubleheader with No. 15 Florida State in which each team successfully defended its turf. The series between the Wildcats and Gators is the first among two top-10 teams this season.
Kentucky is fifth in the nation with a team batting average of .397, while Florida’s pitching staff owns the eighth-best earned-run average in the country at 1.06. UK leads the SEC in 10 of 12 offensive categories — including batting average, runs and hits. The Wildcats are second in home runs (35), led by freshman sensation Erin Coffel (nine).
As usual, the conference season promises to be a grind. The Wildcats and Gators are two of 10 SEC teams ranked in the top 25, with Alabama highest at No. 4.
In a preseason poll of the league’s coaches, the Crimson Tide were picked to win the regular-season title, with Florida tabbed to finish third and Kentucky fifth.
UK’s Autumn Humes should play a key role in the series against the Gators. The fifth-year senior anchors the pitching staff and is 8-0 on the season with a 1.94 ERA. She’s also batting .297 with four home runs and 10 RBI.
Kayla Kowalik has been red-hot in the lead-off spot for the Cats, boasting the second-best batting average among SEC players at .522. UK’s Lauren Johnson is the league’s third-leading hitter at .517.
This weekend
No. 9 Kentucky at No. 6 Florida
Friday: 6 p.m.
Saturday: 1 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m.
Live stream: SEC Network Plus
