No. 19 Kentucky Closes 18-Game Road Swing in Carbondale

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Kentucky softball team will travel west over the weekend to compete in the “Coach B Classic” hosted by the Southern Illinois Salukis at Charlotte West Stadium in Carbondale, Illinois. This will be the final week of UK’s four-week road trip spanning 18 games to start the 2017 season.

The Wildcats will play three games over the weekend, starting Friday with a doubleheader against Northern Illinois and Southern Illinois scheduled to begin at 2 p.m. ET before a Saturday finale against Illinois-Chicago at 3 p.m. ET. 

UK’s game against Southern Illinois on Friday at approximately 4 p.m. ET will be streamed online live on WatchESPN, ESPN3 and the WatchESPN app. For all games of the Coach B Classic that Kentucky competes in, live stats will be available on UKathletics.com as well as following @UKSoftball on Twitter and Instagram. 

After a 5-0 weekend in Boca Raton, including UK’s first two run-rule victories of the season, Kentucky moved up three spots in both national polls. In the National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association poll, UK moved up to No. 19, and in the USA Softball/ESPN.com poll, the Wildcats check in at No. 24.

Bailey Vick continues to be the leader at the plate for Kentucky in terms of batting average, hitting .395 four weeks into the season with three doubles, three RBI and 15 hits. Leadoff batter Katie Reed is second with a .377 average and has been in the No. 1 spot in the order each of UK’s 14 games thus far in 2017. 

The difference offensively the past few weeks for the Wildcats has been the emergence of junior Erin Rethlake. The Huntington, Indiana native is hitting .375 on the season, some 200 points better than her career average entering the season. She has 12 hits and has scored five runs, while only striking out five times and has successfully stolen nine bases in nine tries.

In the circle, Rethlake is the ERA leader for the Wildcats with a perfect 3-0 record and a 0.69 ERA. She has appeared in five games this season for Rachel Lawson’s staff and picked up a get-away day win over Memphis in five innings allowing just two hits on Sunday. 

Meagan Prince is 3-2 on the year with a 1.57 ERA and has thrown the most innings on the UK staff thus far at 35.2, while striking out a team-high 35 batters. Also earning three wins on the season has been senior Shannon Smith, who leads the Wildcats with four starts while striking out 25 batters and maintaining a 3.20 ERA.

2017 Coach B Classic

Charlotte West Stadium – Carbondale, Illinois

Friday, March 3

Kentucky vs. Northern Illinois (2 p.m. ET)

Kentucky vs. Southern Illinois (4 p.m. ET)

Saturday, March 4

Kentucky vs. University of Illinois at Chicago (3 p.m. ET)

For the latest on the Kentucky softball team, follow @UKSoftball on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook, as well as on the web at UKathletics.com.