Versatile Rethlake Ready for Big Role in 2018
The Kentucky softball team has had a great deal of success during the tenure of head coach Rachel Lawson. Much of the winning can be contributed to a pitching staff that annually keeps the Wildcats in the hunt for the Women’s College World Series.
Most recently, Kentucky has relied on ace pitchers Kelsey Nunley and Meagan Prince, who anchored the pitching staff for the past five seasons. This year, Kentucky will turn to Erin Rethlake to be the ace in the circle.
The senior from Huntington, Indiana, saw action in a number of crucial spots last season. And according to Lawson, she stepped up in those pressure-packed scenarios.
“I was so impressed at the work she did in regionals and in super regionals,” Lawson said. “To be able to pitch in those games and to have that big-game experience coming back is something that our program has always had as a cornerstone, and we believe that Erin is going to be able to take that, and along with our pitching staff, the rest of them is a little bit unknown, but I feel really good about where they’re at.”
Last season, Rethlake had a career-high 10 wins in the circle, with a career-low 1.95 ERA. She struck out 73 hitters in 104 innings and opponents hit just .204 against her.
Rethlake is ready to step into the role of staff ace.
“I welcome it, very much,” she said. “It’s been an honor of mine to get to learn behind the girls that have been before me. Kelsey Nunley my freshman and sophomore year, Meagan Prince last year, Shannon Smith. Getting to throw behind them has been something that I get to sit back and learn from day in and day out and I think that only helps me more this year as I step into this different role.”
Rethlake proved her versatility last season by becoming a significant contributor on offense. After hitting just .120 during her first two seasons at Kentucky, Rethlake hit .300 last season, knocking in 15 runs in the process. It was a change in philosophy that led to her success at the plate.
“Last year, we were out west for a series and we were in the middle of a game and coach said ‘hey, why don’t you slap’ and I had never done that before,” Rethlake said. “When she asked, I tried it in a game and we kind of just built off of that. I could see the ball a lot better, I was a lot more confident, just because it was something new. We ended up working on that and it just changed the entire game for me last year in the box.”
Rethlake and the Wildcats are off to a 1-2 start, after dropping a pair of games to New Mexico State over the weekend. The senior got her first win of the season on Sunday, and she had four hits in 12 at-bats in the three games.
The Wildcats hope that Rethlake can step into the role as staff ace in 2018. And if she can produce at the plate like she did last season, big things could lie ahead in 2018.
