In a season that hasn’t been too kind to Kentucky softball, there has been one thing that has stood out.
Carly Sleeman, a transfer from Central Michigan University, has been the highlight for Kentucky this season.
Sleeman came in with heavy expectations after two great seasons with Central Michigan earning First Team All-MAC Honors in her sophomore season. She held a .324 batting average with 104 hits, 21 home runs, 80 RBIs, and walked more than she struck out in her two seasons with the Chippewas.
This season, Sleeman is leading Kentucky with a .380 batting average, a .419% on-base percentage, second in runs batted in with 32 and .685 slugging percentage. Sleeman an Karissa Hamilton are tied with a team-leading nine home runs. Outside of striking out more (19) than walking this year (11), she has been everything and more for an offense that has really struggled to put runs on the scoreboard.
Ranking third or better on the team in all those statistics in her first year in the SEC is not to go unnoticed. We often see players struggle at times when the competition becomes better, but for Sleeman that is simply not the case. Sleeman falls in the top-40 in all of the SEC individual stats for average, on-base plus slugging percentage, hits, home runs, and runs batted in.
As good as the offense has been for Sleeman, the defense has been excellent as well. Sleeman has played multiple positions for the Cats, but her main position has been catcher, catching in 25 of her 40 total games there.
Kentucky is now 22-19, 1-14 in SEC play, and at risk of missing the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2008.
Sleeman was the only highlight for the Cats in game two of the weekend series in Norman, Oklahoma. Sleeman hit a solo shot in the first at-bat of the ballgame, giving the Cats an early 1-0 lead. That was all Kentucky could do, though, losing the game 9-1 in five innings.
It’s been downhill since the start of SEC play for Kentucky, but Sleeman has continued to show she is ready for the big stage. Sleeman is hitting .333, since league play began with five multi-hit games.
Kentucky has scored just 34 runs in 15 SEC games. Sleeman has accounted for 17 of those 34 runs meaning 50% of Kentucky’s runs have come through Sleeman’s bat.
The Cats have just 13 games left in the regular season, with the Conference tournament starting on May 5th. Sleeman will need to continue playing excellent if Kentucky wants a chance to continue their historic 16 consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances come May 15th.