Sept. 17, 2009
LEXINGTON, Ky. – After enjoying the most successful season in school history, and returning all nine starters and the entire pitching rotation from 2009, the Kentucky softball team begins fall practice Thursday.
Head Coach Rachel Lawson and the 2010 version of the Kentucky Wildcats open off-season workouts and a fall schedule that features seven games against different opponents to add to the conditioning, training, player development and team strategies developed during fall practices. All of the team’s games this fall will be played at the UK Softball Complex.
In addition to UK’s 17 returning players from last year’s roster, Kentucky welcomes three freshmen to the lineup this fall. Freshmen Kara Dill (LaGrange, Ohio), Alice O’Brien (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and Jessica Rose (Van Nuys, Calif.) will begin their first workouts as collegiate athletes this week.
Dill is an infield/outfield former high school state champion with LaGrange and was a 2009 High School All-American. As a senior she held a batting average of .545 while breaking the school record for hits all-time in a career with 218.
O’Brien was a two-time All-State performer for the 2009 State Champions Riverdale High School squad. As a senior she batted .377 at the lead off slot. O’Brien will compete in the outfield for the Wildcats.
Rose is an infielder who broke every softball record at Birmingham High School during an illustrious four-year career. As a senior she batted .415 with 28 runs batted in and 16 extra base hits. She was named to the first-teams of the All-Area, All-League and All-City selections.
Kentucky will first take the field in the fall slate on Sept. 20 when they play host to Georgetown College. First pitch is set for 10:100 a.m. and the two squads will play a doubleheader.
From there UK will host Eastern Kentucky and Western Kentucky on Sept. 25. UK and the Colonels will meet at 4:00 p.m. ET with the game against Western beginning at 8:00 p.m.
On Sept. 27 Marshall and Ohio State will visit the Wildcats. The game against the Thundering Herd begins at 12:30 p.m. UK will face the Buckeyes at 4:30 p.m.
Kentucky will once again host a Breast Cancer Awareness Tournament to wrap up fall action. Georgetown College and EKU will return to campus to partake in that event. UK and Georgetown play at 11:00 a.m. and the game vs. EKU has a first pitch set for 1:00 p.m.
Concluding the fall slate is the second annual Alumni Game. Kentucky’s current and former players will hit the field on Oct. 31 at 10:00 a.m. before enjoying Halloween festivities and a tailgate at the UK-Mississippi State football game.
Follow along with the UK softball program all season long at UKathletics.com.
