A pair of local teams highlight the 2004 University of Kentucky fall softball schedule as the Wildcats will entertain Georgetown College and Western Kentucky University at the UK Softball Complex this autumn.

UK will host doubleheaders against NAIA member Georgetown Saturday, Sept. 25 at noon and intrastate foe Western Kentucky Sunday, Oct. 3 at noon. The Wildcats, who finished the 2004 regular season with a 25-31-1 record, including a 6-24 mark in Southeastern Conference play, are under the direction of first-year head coach Eileen Schmidt.

?This group has worked extremely hard in the last two weeks to pick up a new system from a new staff,? Schmidt said. ?These tournaments are not so much about what we have learned or the outcome, but about attitude, enthusiasm, and focus. Obviously, to compete in the SEC, we have got to pick up the pace both physically and mentally. The physical and outcome part will come with time if we are doing things right, the attitude and focus has got to change now. I am interested to see who is ready to make that jump.?

Kentucky returns 15 players from last year?s squad and welcomes the addition of six newcomers to the roster. Infielder Megan Cooper returns to anchor the Cats? lineup after batting.290 last season. She led the team in sacrifice bunts with nine and was tied for the team lead in triples with two.

The Wildcats open their spring schedule on Feb. 4, 2005, as they travel to Miami, Fla., to compete in the Florida International Tournament. Kentucky fans will have their first chance to watch the Cats this spring on March 5-6 when UK hosts the Kentucky Invitational.