The Kentucky softball team is slated to begin its season on Friday, Feb. 9, playing five matches over three days in the San Diego Tournament.
Last year, the team finished with a winning record, but struggled in conference play, going 10-14 in SEC games.
Although the Wildcats were selected for the Evanston Regional in the NCAA Tournament, they were eliminated after consecutive losses to Northwestern and Miami (OH).
This year’s team is without a handful of graduating seniors and other players who entered the transfer portal, but most of Kentucky’s core lineup is back with the team.
Head coach Rachel Lawson and the rest of the staff recruited many skilled high school players and brought in a stellar transfer pitcher to fill in the remaining spots.
Overall, eight of 24 players are new to the roster this season.
00 — Hallie Mitchell
Year: Junior
Position: Catcher
Hometown: Forsyth, Illinois
2023 stats: Played in 42 games, batting .175 with an OBP of .238 while logging ten hits, seven runs and six RBIs along with four stolen bases.
About: Mitchell is a top-100 ranked catcher in the country according to Extra Innings Softball, and one of the best pure base runners on the team. She is an ambidextrous player, batting lefty and throwing righty. She was also a multi-sport athlete in high school as a four-year letter winner in both softball and basketball. She saw 50 more at bats from her freshman to sophomore season and will likely continue to see more.
2 — Karissa Hamilton
Year: Sophomore
Position: Utility / Catcher
Hometown: Flat Rock, Indiana
2023 stats: Played in 45 games and recorded a .286 SLG along with 11 hits, nine RBIs, five runs and one home run.
About: Hamilton’s only home run last season was a walk-off 3-run-bomb vs. Louisville on opening day in the NFCA Lead-Off-Classic. In her final high school season, she was ranked the 22nd overall player in the country by Extra Innings Softball after recording a .604 batting average, 22 home runs and 55 RBI’s, as well as being named first team all state, all conference and All-American.
3 — Taylor Ebbs
Year: Junior
Position: Infield / Outfield
Hometown: Keizer, Oregon
2023 stats: In 110 plate appearances, Ebbs batted a .209 average with a .299 OBP & .455 SLG. She also recorded 23 hits, 24 RBIs, 16 runs and seven home runs, as well as four stolen bases.
About: With similar numbers in her Freshman season, Ebbs has been one of the team’s best hitters since she came aboard. She has provided some truly spectacular moments for the Wildcats. From a lead-taking grand slam on opening day against St. Johns, to a 3-run homer kickstarting an eight run inning against Texas A&M in a blowout win last season. She also gave the Wildcats a 2-run go ahead double in their win against No. 11 Arizona on the road in her freshman year. Ebbs was also named Oregon’s Gatorade Player of the Year in High School.
5 — Taylor Hess
Year: Sophomore
Position: Pitcher
Hometown: St. Augusta, Minnesota
2023 stats: Played in only six games and a total of 13 innings, recorded six strikeouts and a 7.54 ERA with 22 allowed hits and 14 allowed runs.
About: Hess is a 2019 PGF National Champion and 2021 top 20 finisher in alliance, as well as 2019 & 2021 first team all state, first team all conference, and all section for Maple Lake High School. She was nominated as the Minnesota representative for the Gatorade Player of the Year award, and in her junior year she recorded a 0.61 ERA with five no-hitters, 18 shutouts, three perfect games, 249 strikeouts and even a .449 batting average at the plate.
7 — Ally Hutchins
Year: Freshman
Position: Utility
Hometown: Paducah, Kentucky
2023 stats (with McCracken County HS): Played in 16 games, recording 39 at bats with a .487 batting average, 19 hits, 23 runs and 26 RBIs, as well as five home runs.
About: Hutchins was named to the 2021 All-District team and All-Region team, receiving an All-State honorable mention. In 2022, she was recognized as District 2 MVP, Region 1 Player of the Year, and First Team All-State. On the mound she was responsible for over 100 strikeouts and a 2.13 ERA, along with seven shutouts, three no-hitters and one perfect game.
8 — Delani Sullivan
Year: Freshman
Position: Outfield
Hometown: Georgetown, Kentucky
2023 stats (with Great Crossing HS): Played in 34 games, recording 111 at bats with a .541 batting average, 60 hits, 33 RBIs and 31 XBH’s including three home runs and 30 stolen bases.
About: Sullivan was named first team All-State in 2021. Last year, In her senior season, she led her team in at bats, batting average, hits, runs, doubles, triples and stolen bases. She was also named to the Kentucky District and Regional All-Tournament team. She is the younger sister of Kennedy Sullivan, a former UK softball player from 2022-23.
9 — Jaden Vickers
Year: Redshirt Sophomore
Position: Pitcher
Hometown: Crystal River, Florida
2023 Stats: Started 14 games and played 19 total. Finished with a record of 11-8. ERA of 3.23 with 93 strikeouts.
About: Transferred from Rutgers University. Vickers was Rutgers’ leading pitcher last year with a team leading 93 strikeouts. 27 wins in 58 games and 375 ⅓ innings. The left handed pitcher struck out more batters than she walked in each of her four years at Rutgers.
10 — Jenna Blanton
Year: Senior
Position: Outfield
Hometown: Chapel Hill, Tennessee
2023 Stats: Batted a .253 avg, 23 hits, seven RBIs, 16 runs and one home run.
About: Blanton missed the entire 2022 season after having Tommy John surgery. She returned in a promising 2023 season, batting .253 and hitting her first collegiate home run at Bellarmine University.
11 — Vanessa Nesby
Year: Senior
Position: Outfield
Hometown: Corona, California
2023 Stats: Batted .362, with 6 RBIs, 35 runs and 47 hits
About: Nesby is a solid hitter with 11 multi-hit games in 2023, as well as six different streaks of three or more hits. She was moved up to leadoff against NKU in April of last year for the first time in her collegiate career.
12 — Margaret Tobias
Year: Junior
Position: Infield
Hometown: Urbandale, Iowa
2023 Stats: Batted a .316 average, with four RBIs, 18 runs and 36 hits.
About: Margaret Tobias played her best against elite teams, leading the team in hits against Florida and hitting a game winning single against No. 8 Washington. She had at least one run in 13 games last year.
16 — Camryn Lookadoo
Year: Freshman
Position: Infield and Outfield
Hometown: Georgetown, Kentucky
2023 Stats: Batted .374, with 40 hits, 36 RBIs, 48 runs and eight home runs.
About: Coming out of Great Crossing High School in Georgetown, Kentucky, Lookadoo was No. 78 in the nation by Extra Innings Softball. She made the PGFAll-American Futures Watchlist in 2021.
19 — Rylea Smith
Year: Fifth-Year Senior
Position: Outfield
Hometown: St. Louis, Missouri
2023 Stats: Batted a .279 average, added 24 RBIs, 19 runs, 36 hits and one home run.
About: Rylea Smith had four different streaks of three or more hits in 2023. She secured 10 different games with multiple hits last year as well. She hit .375, as well as five hits and two RBIs.
20 — Erica Thulen
Year: Senior
Position: Infield
Hometown: Erie, Illinois
2023 Stats: Played in 23 games with an average of .273. Thulen logged 11 at-bats with three hits and scored four runs.
About: Thulen committed to Kentucky in the 2020 recruiting class. She is mainly used as a pinch runner, first career hit was a double against Jacksonville University on Feb. 24, 2022. She has a .313 batting average over 16 career at-bats.
21 — Erin Coffel
Year: Senior
Position: Shortstop
Hometown: Bremen, Indiana
2023 Stats: Started 54 games, batting .440 with a SLG of .976 while logging 55 hits, 19 home runs and 64 walks.
About: Coffel was a NFCA All-American, CoSIDA Academic All-American, First Team All-SEC in 2023. Set the Kentucky record for RBIs in a game with seven against Miami OH in 2022. Holds the UK freshman and Junior home run record with 16 and 19 respectively while leading the nation in walks and walks per game.
22 — Cassie Reasner
Year: Freshman
Position: Infield
Hometown: Harvest, Alabama
2022 Stats (with Sparkman High School): Played in 51 games with a .447 batting average. She logged 14 home runs, 59 RBIs and 32 stolen bases.
About: Reasner led her team in batting average, home runs, stolen bases and RBIs as well as leading her team in batting average and stolen bases as a junior. She was a 4-year letterman in softball and volleyball, second team All-State and winner of the Heisman High School Scholarship for Sparkman High School. She Led her team to three Area championships and a top-five finish in the state championship.
23 — Stephanie Schoonover
Year: Senior
Position: Pitcher
Hometown: Dothan, Alabama
2023 Stats: Started 20 games, threw 114.2 innings, 11-2 record with a 2.01 ERA while striking out 160 batters. Recorded an 18 strikeout no-hitter against North Texas on March 18, 2023.
About: Schoonover was named the NFCA National and SEC Pitcher of the week after going 3-0 with a save against Dayton and at No. 23 Missouri in 2023. Missed 15 games during the month of April with a forearm injury. Three career no-hitters. First pitcher since Kelsey Nunley in 2015 with multiple no-hitters in the same season.
32 — Sydney Langdon
Year: Freshman
Position: Pitcher
Hometown: Perry, Georgia
2022 Stats (with The Westfield School): Threw 100.2 innings with a 0.974 ERA while striking out 189 batters. Threw six no-hitters and batted .489.
About: Langdon is a six-time State Champion, four-time All-Region and All-State selection. All-state Pitcher of the Year in Georgia for her 2021 and 2022 seasons. One-time NFCA High School Player of the week. 2022 Region 5-AAA and 2021 Region 4-AAA Player of the Year.
33 — Grace Lorsung
Year: Senior
Position: Infield
Hometown: New Palestine, Indiana
2023 Stats: Started 54 games batting .297 with an OPS of .892 while logging 41 hits, 9 home runs, 31 RBIs and 20 walks.
About: Lorsung transferred to Kentucky from Indiana University for the 2023 season. She was childhood friends with Erin Coffel. She tied Coffel for the single-game RBI record with seven against Texas A&M on March 25, 2023. She made the All-Freshman team and All-Big Ten First Team and Academic All-Big Ten during her time at Indiana.
35 — Alexia Lacatena
Year: Junior
Position: Pitcher
Hometown: Stanhope, New Jersey
2023 stats: Pitched 94 innings in 31 games, earned an 11-7 record with a 3.72 ERA and 66 strikeouts.
About: Lacatena was one of the team’s main starting pitchers in the 2023 season, stepping up while Stephanie Schoonover was injured. She carried the Cats to many crucial wins, including a 7-4 victory over rival Louisville on March 29. She is also a member of the Italian National Team.
37 — Peyton Plotts
Year: Freshman
Position: Infielder/Outfielder
Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky
2022 stats (with Tates Creek HS): Hit .512 with 42 hits, 11 home runs, 41 RBIs and 38 runs.
About: Plotts, the No. 38 ranked player in her class according to Extra Innings Softball, decided to stay in Lexington after a successful career at Tates Creek High School. She earned Second Team All-District, All-District All-Academic and All-State Academic honors in 2022 and also helped her travel team, Fury Platinum X, finish top 10 in multiple tournaments.
64 — Ella Emmert
Year: Junior
Position: Catcher
Hometown: Lexington, Kentucky
2021 stats (with Lexington Catholic HS): Played 32 games, batted .500 with a .609 on-base percentage, recorded 45 hits, 24 RBIs and 26 stolen bases.
About: Emmert has made only two place appearances in her career as a Wildcat, but with longtime catcher Kayla Kowalik graduated, Emmert has the opportunity to step into a bigger role on the team this season. She comes from nearby Lexington Catholic High School, where she was named Region 11 player of the year after a very strong season at the plate.
77 — Meeko Harrison
Year: Senior
Position: Infield
Hometown: Fontana, California
2023 stats: Played 53 games, recorded 25 hits and had five games with multiple hits, batted in 18 runs and earned 10 walks.
About: Harrison is one of the more experienced players on the team, entering her fourth season as a Wildcat. She was a regular part of the lineup for the past two seasons and is great at getting hits in key situations. Although she is not known for being a power hitter, she hit a home run against Florida in last year’s SEC Tournament.
88 — Lauryn Borzilleri
Year: Sophomore
Position: Infield
Hometown: Riverside, California
2023 stats: Played in 26 games, batted .125 and registered two hits, three runs, and earned six walks.
About: Although not a regular starter, Borzilleri saw decent playing time as a freshman, playing in 26 games and recording 16 at-bats. Her key moment was batting in Kentucky’s only run against Oklahoma on March 4. She also scored two runs against UIC on March 5, 2023.
99 — Emory Donaldson
Year: Freshman
Position: Utility
Hometown: Louisville, Kentucky
2023 stats (with Ballard HS): Batted .504 and logged 64 hits, 15 home runs and 22 stolen bases.
About: Staying in-state after a successful career for known powerhouse Ballard, Donaldson is an excellent hitter that can also play many positions in the field. She was named to KHSAA’s First Team All-State in 2022 after finishing second in the state in both home runs and triples and also fifth in hits.
