Prince’s Competitiveness Giving UK an Edge

If you’re a UK student and you’ve ever seen a brown-haired classmate breeze by at an alarming speed over the last four years, there’s a good chance it was Kentucky softball senior Meagan Prince.

Prince, you see, is a tad bit competitive. She doesn’t like to lose, not even on her walk to class. Against complete strangers.

“That’s not always a good thing,” Prince said of her competitive streak, “but it does show up.”

Her competitiveness is always a good thing in the circle, where Prince is the ace whose left arm has played a major role in carrying No. 14 UK to its fifth trip to super regionals in seven seasons. Starting on Friday at 7 p.m. ET, Prince and the Wildcats will play for a spot in the Women’s College World Series at No. 3 Oregon.

“They’re ranked No. 3, so they’re way on up there,” Prince said. “They’re a good program. They have been a good program. They’ve made it to the Women’s College World Series multiple times, so they’ll be great competition for all of us. It’ll be great competition between pitchers and hitters and it’ll be great competition on defense.”

Though nothing is ever guaranteed with scouting and game-planning wizard Rachel Lawson as head coach, it’s likely Prince – 21-7 on the season with a 1.82 earned-run average and five saves – will get the call to step into the circle to face a potent Duck offense on Friday.

After all, she did just pick up two wins and a save as UK set a school record for fewest runs allowed in a regional (two) last weekend. And besides, Prince’s competitiveness makes her perfect for a stage such as this.

“She’s always into it, but there’s an extra gear that she has that just happens to her when she’s playing a formidable opponent on the big stage,” Lawson said. “She’s always been that way. That’s actually why Meagan was recruited. You don’t normally see people of her stature on this stage. And the reason she is is because she’s not only good, but she has an awesome attitude. She’s by far one of the most competitive people I’ve met.” 

That gene also happens to be the reason why Prince wears a blue “C” on her jersey this season.

“In the fall when we vote for team captains, people have to write down why they believe someone’s a team captain,” Lawson said. “Every single person who voted for Meagan, who was pretty much a unanimous pick, was that she is the most competitive player on our team.”

It’s no surprise then that Prince is UK’s go-to player in the circle. Pitching, when you boil it down, is really just a series of opportunities for Prince to go head to head with a fellow competitor. With that in mind, you can rest assured Prince will be ready after she took the loss pitching in relief against this same Oregon team back in February.

“I personally think I thrive on competition,” Prince said. “I love—that’s why I like to pitch, is because I love the one-on-one competition between me and the batter. And when you’re in that big moment, the competition gets hyped up a lot more and just the want to win.”

Some of Prince’s edge is innate, but some of it has also been built over her softball career. That comes from the fact that she has never been anointed as the ace of a staff. She’s always had to work for it, most notably in playing second fiddle behind UK all-time great Kelsey Nunley for her first three seasons.

“I’ve always come in as the second pitcher,” Prince said. “I’ve never been the ace right off the bat and I’ve always had to fight to prove that I can compete with the ace and I could potentially be the ace. And I think having that constant fight my entire life ever since I started, which was (at age) eight, I’ve had to fight for that ace position and prove myself.”

The interesting thing about Prince, however, is that her competitiveness is tempered by a healthy dose of perspective. As bad as she wants to win, Prince never lets an outcome become bigger than it is. 

“A win or a loss doesn’t define who you are,” Prince said. “It gives weight to your character, but it doesn’t define you as a person. So if I do come out on the losing end, it’s a game. It’s a game in the end. If I come out on the winning end, of course I’m happy.”

Prince is happy more times than not, but she’s not yet reached her ultimate goal of returning to the Women’s College World Series and this is her last shot at it. To add to the urgency, Prince has already decided on attending veterinary school rather than pursuing any professional softball aspirations, so her opportunities to go one on one against a batter are running out.

Prince doesn’t intend to let all that get to her though, not while there are still batters for her to try to best.

“Right now you just gotta focus on the supers,” Prince said. “I’d love to make it back to the World Series. I’d love to actually pitch in it this time, but right now you gotta take it moment by moment and game by game.”