Softball
Rachael Metzger - Softball - University of Kentucky Athletics 44

RachaelMetzger

  • position Catcher/inf
  • class Senior
  • Hometown Bakersfield, Calif.
  • High school Garces Memorial HS
Senior (2018): Her first hit of the year was a home run after going 0-for in her first 16 plate appearances of the season … Was the story of the NCAA Lexington Regional going 2-for-2 with a pinch-hit grand slam in the 1-0 vs. 1-0 game and then the next day, a pinch-hit bases-clearing double to CF in the regional final … Had 7 RBI on the weekend and an OBP of 1.000 after taking a walk in the first game vs. UIC … Is currently on a career-high three-game hitting streak … Had a game-winning, two-run, pinch-hit double vs. South Carolina in game one of the series. 

Junior (2017): Two games this season where she has hit two HR’s (Drexel and at Georgia in game 2) … Hit her first-career grand slam vs. Memphis at the FAU Invite in Boca Raton for her second HR of the season … Hit her first homer of the season against Central Florida at the Knights Invitational in Orlando … Will play a solid first base for the Wildcats when Erin Rethlake is either pitching or listed on the lineup as the DP … Is UK’s back-up catcher to Jenny Schaper, and will mostly catch outings from Larissa Spellman or Shannon Smith … Leads Kentucky in slugging percentage (.602) and is second in home runs with Abbey Cheek having 10 to her eight … Hit two HR’s vs. Drexel, both two-run home runs … That was the first time in her career she hit two HR’s in a game and then the next weekend hit two HR’s at Georgia in the second game of the series … Was also a career-high tying four RBI performance vs. Drexel … Led off the top of the 7th in a 1-1 game at Northern Kentucky with a double, to score the game-winning run … Went 3-for-4 with a double, two singles and two two-out RBI’s vs. Indiana … Was her first-career three-hit game on Wednesday vs. IU … Hit the go-ahead HR in UK’s 10-8 win when UK rallied from down five runs in the sixth inning to sweep Mizzou on Sunday … Hit a home run at UT-Martin in the sixth inning for her eighth HR of the season.

Sophomore (2016): Started 13 games for UK as a catcher with two different pitchers … Drove in three runs this year on six hits … Drew two walks and four HBP … 50 putouts on the season. 

Freshman (2015): Started 19 games with two home runs and six RBI … First home run came in her first career start against Long Beach State, while her second came against Tennessee Tech … Finished the doubleheader at Tennessee Tech going 3-for-5 with a run scored and two RBI … Had an RBI single against Murray State to help Kentucky win the game 1-0 … Had a pinch-hit single against Louisville … Had two hits in the South Carolina series … Walked and scored a run in game two vs. Georgia and just missed a walk-of home run by a foot in the seventh inning … Huge hit against Northwestern, coming off the pinch to deliver a pinch-hit RBI single in the sixth inning.

High School: The lone West Coast product in the recruiting class, she brings countless credentials to the Commonwealth after a impressive career for Garces Memorial High School in Bakersfield, Calif … For her career, she hit .545 with 186 hits, 163 runs, 170 RBI, 38 doubles, 37 homers and only struck out 18 times … Her 37 homers and 170 RBI are new CIF Central Section career records … Great senior season with a .554 average, including 11 doubles, 16 homers, 55 RBI and a .664 on-base percentage … Her 16 homers last year tied the CIF Central Section Record … Hit over .500 at the plate all four years of high school, including a .512 batting average her junior season with 12 home runs, 45 RBI and a .615 on-base percentage. The slugger hit .552 her sophomore season with seven homers and 43 RBI, while totaling a .565 batting average her freshman year with 27 RBI … Helped lead her team to a runner-up showing at the 2013 California Central Section Division II CIF Championship, while the team has won the California Central Section Division II SEYL League Championship each of the last four seasons … A four-year first-team all-league honoree on top of being named all-area first team the last three seasons and all-area second team in 2011 … Was the league’s offensive player of the year in 2012, was the league’s co-most valuable player her junior year and league MVP last season … A four-year member of her school’s honor roll, she was named the 2014 Bakersfield Jockey Club Outstanding Scholar-Athlete, GMHS Academic Excellence Top Art Student, GMHS Dante Alighieri Scholar-Athlete Award and Carolina Scholastic Federation (CIF) Scholar-Athlete Nominee … Metzger volunteers at youth softball leagues and has worked with special needs children and the homeless … She is the daughter of Randy and Leah Metzger and has one sister, Audrey.

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