The UK softball team is coming off its first Women’s College World Series appearance. The Wildcats are ranked No. 6 in the preseason poll, the highest in program history, and return much of last year’s record-setting team, not to mention a star-studded freshman class.
The interest in the team has never been greater among the Big Blue Nation. In each of head coach Rachel Lawson’s first seven seasons, UK has surpassed the previous season’s accomplishments.
Needless to say, expectations are high in 2015. The team though, hasn’t let those expectations bring increased pressure.
If anything, the Wildcats have embraced the expectations. It comes with the territory of being one of the nation’s best programs, competing the in the NCAA’s best conference.
At the team’s annual media day before the season, Lawson was confident when looking ahead.
“We have a really strong team coming back,” Lawson said. “We are coming back completely up the middle. We have our catcher back, we have our starting pitcher back along with a few other returning pitchers that are sophomores. We have our shortstop and second baseman required a lot of time last year and then our centerfielder. Anytime that you have the middle of your team coming back you are always looking forward to another great season.”
As Kentucky made its record-setting postseason run last season, it did it with a loose, ‘why not?’ attitude.
The Wildcats upset No. 3-seeded UCLA, college softball’s powerhouse program, and rolled into Oklahoma City with as much confidence and swagger as a team that was making another routine trip to the World Series, not its first. Sure, they were wide-eyed and excited about the opportunity to play on the biggest stage, but that loose attitude played a big part in UK winning its first game in OKC.
Fast forward eight months, and that spirit and fun attitude hasn’t changed. Now, they know how to get to the World Series, and the memories and experience of college softball’s biggest stage only make this team more determined to get there again.
“We set a goal and we actually know what it’s like to accomplish that,” senior catcher Griffin Joiner said. “I think that it has added extra motivation for us this offseason because we have always talked about going to the Women’s College World Series and how great that would be, but now that we have actually made it there it’s actually added a lot of determination to get back this year.”
That’s been the driving force through the fall and preseason practice. The trip to the World Series in 2014 and increased expectations this year have driven the team to work even harder to ensure a return trip in June.
“I think the mindset is determined,” sophomore shortstop Christian Stokes said. “Obviously, we accomplished our goal last year of going to the World Series, but it is always a goal to get to the World Series and it’s another goal for us this year and maybe even try to get a little further. That is what we are getting focused on.”
With success comes higher expectations, increased media exposure and fan support that’s among the nation’s best. Inside the team facilities at John Cropp Stadium, the work ethic has remained from previous seasons.
However, Lawson has noticed some change coming off a WCWS appearance.
“Right now, I would say that we are a lot further along at this point in the season then we had been in past years, mostly because of the experience and focus that our players had in the offseason,” Lawson said. “So when they came back, their swings were a little bit better, they were a little bit stronger and we are doing things right now that we haven’t done at this point in time in the past.”
Those extra cuts in the batting cages, attendance at voluntary summer workouts and increased focus didn’t come at the request of the coaching staff. It came thanks to the determination of the players, which is a credit to Lawson, her staff and their leadership.
While on the surface it’s a light team atmosphere, it’s the blue-collar work ethic that has helped the Wildcats reach unprecedented success both on the field and in the classroom.
Lawson is proud that, World Series appearance or not, having to motivate her team to work hard, be good students and do the right thing isn’t an issue.
“We never have had a motivational problem with our softball team,” Lawson said. “We have a great team culture and we are motivated in everything that we do and incredibly strong pound-for-pound and have always been exceptional students. Last year, our team GPA was a 3.6 and we were the only BCS school in the country that was both in the World Series and top-10 in GPA.”
Despite all the hard work, extra practice, determination and focus, one thing won’t change: For the first time, UK has a target on its back. No longer are the Wildcats the hunters, but the hunted.
But, Kentucky knows that comes with the territory. You don’t make the World Series, earn a No. 6 preseason ranking and play in the SEC and not have a giant target on your back.
For the Wildcats, it’s not added pressure or increased expectations. It’s what should happen.
“I think that just shows the success we had last year and speaks to the great conference we play in,” Joiner said. “There are a lot of teams in the top 25 from the SEC so it’s just exciting for us to be up there with the other teams. We’re going to get to play the other teams that are ranked so we’re really excited about that.”
“We have ventured into uncharted waters and something that this team is going to have to manage is the expectations of being the team that people are going after,” Lawson said. “In the past, we have always been a good team but we always kind of fell under the radar.”
Just like facing powerhouse UCLA on its home turf and pulling off the unprecedented upset, or going to the World Series and winning a game they weren’t supposed to be in, the Wildcats don’t care that they’re going places the program has never been before.
With the season opening this weekend in Tallahassee, Fla., some things will be the same, but some things will be different. The loose, fun team will have a target on its back. The determination and focus remains as it always was while escalating to a new level all at the same time.
When you have a ‘why not?’ mentality and a determination to be your best and shut out the outside distractions, anything is possible.
As for expectations, there’s nothing wrong with embracing them. With a championship the ultimate goal, that’s what the UK softball team has done.
“When you come to the University of Kentucky your goal is to win championships,” Lawson said. “So that carrot is always dangling out there and when you win one championship you want to win another championship. Complacency isn’t something that we worry about.”
High expectations, lofty goals, but no pressure. Just go out and work hard and have fun.
