Feb. 11, 2010
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Senior softball player Molly Johnson was selected as one of the 30 finalists for the Lowes Senior Class award it was announced. Johnson is one of five Southeastern Conference players to earn recognition for this award.
The Lowes Senior Class award honors softball student-athletes who excel both on and off the field To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – classroom, character, community and competition.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Johnson is a senior shortstop for Kentucky and has started every game of her career thus far. She is a kinesiology major and holds a 3.216 grade point average. Twice she has earned SEC Academic honor roll honors and she was a member of the Athletic Director’s honor roll in the spring of 2008. Her career aspirations include becoming a softball coach.
Prior to the 2010 season she was voted as one of the team captains and has served in that roll for two consecutive seasons. Captains are voted on by teammates, coaches and support staff for athletes who represent the University academically, through community service and on the field.
Throughout the community she has logged over 50 community service hours and is a mainstay at all of UK’s softball camps, where she is able to begin developing her coaching skills for life after her playing career.
On top of her prestigious collegiate career where she became UK’s first All-America selection following her junior season she was selected as an alternate to the 2010 USA Softball team in January. This summer she played with Team USA at the Japan Cup. She is a .395 lifetime batter with 74 career extra base hits while starting all 162 games of her career. Twice in her career she has had hitting streaks of 10 games. Her storied career also includes a number of spots on UK’s all-time charts. She ranks first in career-batting average (.395) and slugging percentage (.648). Additionally, she ranks second in doubles (45), third in home runs (22), fourth in runs scored (113), fourth in total bases (320), fifth in RBI (110), fifth in stolen bases (46), fifth in defensive assists (379), sixth in hits (195) and seventh in triples (7).
Lowe’s, an official Corporate Partner of the NCAA, will announce the Senior CLASS Award winner at the NCAA Women’s College World Series in June. The 30 candidates will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one finalist who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of classroom, character, community and competition.
Johnson and the Wildcats kick off their 2010 campaign in Tempe, Ariz., this evening. UK who is receiving votes in both preseason polls will face the homestanding Arizona State Sun Devils to begin the season. First pitch is set for 9 p.m. ET.
Stay tuned to UKathletics.com for the most up-to-date information about the UK softball team.
