Softball
UK Softball's Coffel Having Dream Start to Her Career

UK Softball's Coffel Having Dream Start to Her Career

by Tim Letcher

Kentucky softball freshman Erin Coffel says she grew up dreaming of playing softball for the Wildcats. But even in her wildest dreams, she probably could not have imagined her college career getting off to such an amazing start.

“I was actually just talking to my roommates the other day about this summer and I said ‘this is amazing, I can’t believe I’m about to step on Kentucky’s campus and play softball here’,” Coffel said. “So, it’s honestly been just such a surreal feeling. It’s been amazing. It’s been everything I dreamed of. I’ve loved every second here.”

The early-season numbers are, frankly, ridiculous. Coffel and the Cats are off to the best start in school history, a 14-0 mark that includes some impressive numbers. Kentucky has outscored its opponents 156-29 in those 14 contests and the Cats are hitting an amazing .426 as a team.

Coffel is pleased but not surprised with the team’s fast start.

“We worked very, very hard in the fall,” Coffel said of the Cats. “We can’t take anything for granted.”

Coffel has been squarely in the middle of the Cats’ offensive producing. She’s hitting second in the lineup and producing big numbers already, just three weeks into her college career.

The numbers are eye-popping for Coffel. They include:

  • 55 total bases, which leads the SEC and the nation;
  • 25 runs batted in, which leads the SEC and is second in the nation;
  • 24 hits, which is second in the SEC and the nation;
  • eight home runs, which leads the SEC and is tied for third in the nation;
  • and 23 runs scored, which is second in the SEC.


How has she been able to start her college career so quickly?

“Obviously, listening to the coaches and keep working hard. You can’t get upset with yourself, you’ve just got to keep working every day.”

It would seem that everything has been nearly perfect for Coffel at the beginning of her career but she admits that there’s still work to be done, especially on defense.

“Defensively, the game at this level moves a lot faster,” Coffel said. “Having a lot of range at shortstop, moving to my left and right, is a big, big deal because balls are hit a lot harder at you, girls are a lot faster. Just making everything in my game a little bit quicker has been one of the biggest challenges.”

Coffel was a very highly-rated recruit coming out of Bremen (Ind.) High School. She was the two-time Indiana Gatorade High School Player of the Year in both 2019 and 2020. She was the seventh-ranked player in the nation last year, according to FLOsoftball.

The transition from her hometown, which has a population of around 4,000, to Lexington has gone well. And she’s still in touch with the folks back home.

“I’m from a really small town, so they have been so supportive, reaching out and congratulating me,” Coffel said. “That’s what I kind of love about being from a small town. They are so supportive and my biggest fans back home.”

Coffel knows that the toughest part of the UK schedule, the SEC slate, is right around the corner. But she’s ready for the challenge.

“Obviously, it’s the best conference in the nation,” Coffel said. “There are going to have to be a lot of adjustments that have to be made. I am just excited to step on the field with these girls and play the best of the best.”

Coffel continues to live out her dreams of playing college softball at Kentucky. But even in her wildest dreams, it’s hard to think that she could have imagined such an incredible start to her career.
 

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