No. 8 Kentucky Squares Off With No. 1 Oklahoma on Tuesday Night
LEXINGTON, Ky. – One of the most anticipated non-conference match-ups of the 2022 NCAA Softball season focuses on the Bluegrass Tuesday night as the undefeated and No. 1 Oklahoma Sooners will travel to Lexington and John Cropp Stadium to face off against the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats at 7 p.m. ET.
The game has extremely limited tickets remaining and is expected to sellout by first pitch Tuesday night. Free UK blankets will be given out to the first 250 fans in the doors, which open at 6 p.m. ET, one hour prior to first pitch.
The game will be televised live on the SEC Network with Kevin Brown and Michele Smith on the call, in addition to the game being available on the ESPN app and ESPN3.
Kentucky enters the midweek contest with a 20-5 overall record after a 1-2 weekend at No. 3 Alabama, securing a game from the series Sunday afternoon in a 9-4 win over the Tide. UK handed Alabama’s Montana Fouts her first loss of the 2022 season, putting up five earned runs and six hits on the All-American.
Kayla Kowalik leads the offensive charge for UK hitting .476 and among the nation’s leaders with 40 hits, 26 runs scored and 10 solen bases on the year. Kowalik is one of three UK players currently hitting .400 or higher on the season, as she is joined by Erin Coffel (.448) and Lauren Johnson (.425) in the club. Coffel had a terrific weekend in Tuscaloosa, as she scored three runs on two RBI hits Sunday afternoon in Kentucky’s 9-4 win over Alabama to close the series. Johnson, a fifth-year senior, hit a solo home run in the top of the first inning Saturday afternoon to put the Wildcats on top early off of Lexi Kilfoyl.
In the circle, it was a team effort for UK this weekend. Sloan Gayan pitched the best outing of her Kentucky career Sunday, throwing a career-high tying 5.0 innings to earn the win over the Tide with only three hits allowed and one run crossing. The Wildcats staff had a strong weekend with Miranda Stoddard throwing a complete game Saturday, only allowing three runs and Alexia Lacatena getting her first-career Southeastern Conference start and keeping UK in the game for the entirety of the night.
Oklahoma enters the contest with an unblemished 25-0 record on the season, and 21 of those 25 wins coming in run-rule fashion. The Sooners just completed a perfect weekend in Oklahoma City at ASA Hall of Fame Stadium and are led offensively by Jocelyn Alo, who broke the NCAA record for home runs last weekend against Hawai’i.
Due to the large crowds, Kentucky Softball will be operating van shuttles to take Big Blue Nation fans from parking lots to John Cropp Stadium. Parking is available beginning 2-hours prior to first pitch. A limited number of accessible parking spaces will be available near the entrance to John Cropp Stadium.
Parking in all areas surrounding John Cropp Stadium is available on a first-come, first-served basis, so fans are encouraged to arrive as early as possible. The following areas will be open for parking:
- College Way West lot, immediately adjacent to Kentucky Proud Park
- Purple Lots by The Bell Complex/John Cropp Stadium
- Kroger Field Blue Lot
- Kroger Field Green Lot
- The Greg Page Lot, between the Arboretum and Commonwealth Drive
Additionally, UK Athletics does have a clear bag policy that is in place at John Cropp Stadium. Each fan will be permitted to carry one large clear bag – either a one-gallon Ziploc-style bag or a 12″ x 6″ x 12″ clear bag – plus a small clutch that does not exceed 4.5″ x 6.5″. A clear bag shall be clear from top-to-bottom and up to a 2″ trim/border on the bag is generally acceptable. The small clutch allows privacy for small personal items and is also easily searched. Non-compliant bags — empty or not — may not be carried inside compliant clear bags. Backpacks and drawstring/cinch bags are not permitted.
For the latest on UK Softball, follow the Wildcats on Twitter and Instagram at @UKSoftball.
