Softball

KaylaKowalik

  • position Catcher / Outfield
  • class Senior
  • Hometown New Braunfels, Texas
  • High school St. John Paul II HS

– 2022 First Team All-SEC
– 2022 SEC All-Defensive Team (C)
– 2022 CATSPY Award winner for Miss Wildcat
– 2022 Preseason All-SEC
– 2021 NFCA First-Team All-America (C)
– 2021 NFCA First Team All-Region (C)
– Second Team All-SEC (2021)
– 2019 SEC All-Freshman Team
– SEC Freshman of the Week (3/4/19)
– SEC Freshman of the Week (3/19/19)
– 2015, 2016 and 2017 All-District (TX)
– 2015, 2016 and 2017 District Champions (HS)

2022 (Senior): All-SEC … All-Region … Broke the UK record for most career runs scored with 174 in the game vs. LIU on Feb. 25 … Had a 21-game hit streak snapped vs. Ohio State on March 29. It is the second-longest in program history behind her 2021 23-game hit streak … 21 multi-hit games this season, including five games of 3+ hits … 5-straight multi-hit games … 13 multi-run scoring game … Led all power five hitters in 2021 with a .495 average … Been UK’s lead-off hitter in every game this year but one

2021 (Junior): NFCA First-Team All-American … Second Team All-SEC … Led the NCAA power five and SEC in batting average … Per D1Softball’s Graham Hays: Only nine Power 5 players won the batting title in past 40 seasons. List includes Kaitlin Cochran, Lisa Fernandez, Jessica Mendoza, Stacey Nuveman. … Set the UK single-game record with five runs scored vs. NC Central on Feb. 20 … This season, has set school records for consecutive games with a hit (26) runs scored in a season (79) and hits (100) … 33 multi-hit games, including 3+ hits in April in 10 of UK’s 15 April games. At one point, had nine-straight multi-hit games vs. SEC teams … Reached base safely in 39-straight games, breaking the UK school record (31, Abbey Cheek, 2019) vs. Georgia … Sister, Gabbie, plays for St. Louis University, and was the NFCA D1 Player of the Week on March 17, 2021. … Scored a run in all but nine games this season and 34 games out of the last 37. … UK’s lead-off hitter for all 59 games * Team captain

2020 (Sophomore): Leads the NCAA in triples with eight, as she had five triples alone at The Spring Games tournament … Her eight triples breaks the UK single-season record set by Tiffany Kruse back in 2000 (7) … Had a hit in all four games on opening weekend, including a two-RBI single vs. Minnesota to break open the game … Scored a run in three of the four games at the NFCA Lead-Off Classic … Has been UK’s lead-off batter the last 23 games.

2019 (Freshman): SEC All-Freshman Team … Set the record for OBP of a freshman at UK … SEC Freshman of the Week (3/4/19) … SEC Freshman of the Week (3/19/19) … Had a 27-game reached-base streak, the most since Brittany Cervantes in 2011, snapped vs. LSU … Was UK’s breakout freshman on opening weekend, hitting .500 to lead all Wildcats … Hit .556 to lead all UK players vs. Auburn with five hits in nine official at bats and three RBI … Hit .500 vs. Mississippi State on the weekend, including the game-tying triple in the bottom of the sixth to complete UK’s 6-run comeback in a 9-8 win to clinch the series … A speedy catcher who can both slap and hit – and did both for base hits … Had three hits vs. Sam Houston State and also RBI at Houston and vs. Oklahoma State in the seventh inning … Moved up to lead-off after UK’s sixth game of the season, and went 3-for-3 vs. Hofstra in her first game in that role … Led all UK players by hitting .700 at the Coach B Classic … Against Murray State alone, she set a new career high with three runs scored, four hits, two extra base hits and four runs batted in during Kentucky’s 14-4 win over Murray State … Team-high and career-high 10-game hitting streak was snapped vs. MSU on March 15 … Stole a base in each game vs. LSU and also scored the game-winning run on an RBI single up the middle in the fifth inning.

Pre-College: Dual-sport athlete, having shined in both softball and volleyball – where she has been named All-State in both sports. She also lettered in track and field and was a state finalist in the 4x400m relay back in 2015. Last season, she hit .524 with a .618 OBP, 28 RBI and 34 stolen bases for St. John Paul II Catholic HS where she helped lead them to a District championship. Has been a part of the 2015, 16 and 17 District champion team in softball, State champions in 2015 and 2016, State runner’s-up in 2017 and volleyball State finalists in 2016. Was first team All-District in 2015, 16 and 17; First Team All-State in 2015, 16 and 17 – as well as State All-Tournament Team for three years. Plays catcher, outfield and first base

Bats: left, Throws: right

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