Kentucky softball (3-1) got off to a hot start through two days of play in the San Diego State Season Kickoff to start the 2026 season.
Day 1-
Opening Day began with Kentucky facing Miami (OH) and securing its first win of the weekend on the West Coast.
The Wildcats last faced Miami (OH) in 2023 during the Big Blue Boo Halloween event, earning a 4-3 victory.
Earlier that year in the NCAA Tournament, Kentucky defeated the RedHawks 9-1. However, the RedHawks returned the favor with a 9-0 win that ended the Wildcats’ season.
Kentucky jumped out to a 7-0 lead against Miami (OH), scoring three runs in the first inning and four in the second. The Wildcats then allowed six unanswered runs, pulling the RedHawks within one.
In the sixth inning, Kentucky responded as Madyson Clark delivered a single up the middle to score a run and extend the Wildcats’ lead to 8-6.
Kentucky went on to achieve an 8-6 victory.
The Wildcats returned to the field for their second game of the day, where Loyola-Chicago jumped out to a 2-0 lead early, but Kentucky answered with a run in the bottom of the second inning.
Loyola-Chicago regained momentum in the top of the fourth, taking a 3-1 lead after a Kentucky error.
Kentucky responded with a rally as Ella Emmert drew a walk with the bases loaded. Carly Sleeman then scored to tie the game at 3-3.
The Wildcats took control in the fifth inning, scoring two runs to secure a 5-3 victory.
Day 2-
Kentucky softball (3-1) went 1-1 in its double-header as it defeated Loyola-Chicago (0-4) 7-0, followed by a 4-3 loss to San Diego State (3-1).
The Cats were led by dominant starting pitching in both matchups.
Freshman Hailey Nutter was a three-time district champion in high school, and she also led her Alliance 18U team to a national championship.
Nutter made her first collegiate start in game one, where she continued her dominance that she displayed in high school.
The righty finished her first start with a no-hitter through all seven innings. On top of that, she also recorded 14 strikeouts, the most by a Kentucky pitcher since 2014. Nutter only allowed one baserunner throughout the entire game, and it was due to an error in the infield.
Her performance led Kentucky to a 7-0 shutout win over Loyola-Chicago.
Nutter was not Kentucky’s only starting pitcher to have a solid outing as junior McKenzie Oslanzi also stood out in Kentucky’s second game of the night.
Oslanzi, who transferred from Eastern Illinois, pitched 205 innings with a 2.70 ERA, 132 strikeouts and just 54 walks in 2025. She was also awarded the 2025 Ohio Valley Conference Pitcher and Player of the Year Awards for her efforts.
The junior pitched five innings against San Diego State in her first start of the season. In those five innings, she gave up just one earned run on five hits and struck out five batters.
It wasn’t until the sixth inning where she was pulled that the Cats proceeded to fall behind.
While the starting pitching for the Cats has been a strength for the team, the bullpen has yet to find as much consistency.
The bullpen had a scare against Miami (OH) after nearly blowing a three-run lead in the seventh inning. That inconsistency finally came back to bite them during the loss to San Diego State.
Kentucky had a 2-1 lead over the Aztecs going into the sixth inning before giving up two runs that gave away the lead. This was followed up by a go-ahead wild pitch in the bottom of the seventh that secured San Diego State the game.
Kentucky is scheduled to play high-powered offenses like Stanford and Cal State Fullerton in the Stanford invitational starting next weekend, so the bullpen will need to find its footing quickly.
