The University of Kentucky softball team has gained national recognition in the latest edition of the USA Today/National Fastpitch Coaches Association Division I poll. Second-year head coach Eileen Schmidt?s Wildcats are listed among those receiving votes after collecting 18 nods, which ranks them No. 30 in the country.

This is the Wildcats? first appearance in the poll in the history of the program which began play in 1997.

?The NFCA poll is a great accomplishment, but our goal is to get in that Top 25,? said Schmidt. ?If we continue to play hard and with the heart and passion we came with in Vegas, there is no doubt we can get there.?

Kentucky is 3-2 this season after a successful weekend at the UNLV Alexis Resort Kickoff Classic last weekend in Las Vegas. The Cats opened the season with a 6-1 drumming of No. 13 Washington and also recorded wins over Long Beach State and Illinois-Chicago.

The Cats led until the top of the seventh over No. 12 Oklahoma, but fell 4-3 when the Sooners scored two runs in the top of the final inning. UK?s only other loss was a 3-2 decision at the hands of host-team UNLV.

?It is nice to get some national recognition,? said Schmidt. ?We had a good weekend, but not a great weekend. It is all about consistency and we need to keep that up.?

The Wildcats will open the home portion of their schedule this week, Feb. 16-17, when it hosts Kent State at the UK Softball Complex. The three-game set begins with a doubleheader on Thursday and wraps up with a single game on Friday. First pitch each day is scheduled for 1 p.m.