Erin Coffel is only the sixth UK softball player to earn All-American honors. (UK Athletics Photo)
The first time I interviewed Erin Coffel was after she made her commitment to Kentucky while she was still in high school but even then she impressed me with her maturity and passion for softball. Now did I ever think she would be the dominant player she has been her first two years at Kentucky? No, but I thought she would be good.
However, she’s been better than good and now she is a National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association Second Team All-American. That puts her in elite company as the only other UK players to earn All-American honors have been Molly Johnson Belcher (2009), Kelsey Nunley Moore (2016), Katie Reed (2017), Abby Cheek (2019), and Kayla Kowalik (2021).
The sophomore shortstop hit .423 last season with 20 home runs — only the third time a UK player had 20 or more homers in one season — and drove in 68 runs, a new single-season UK record. She had 32 extra-base hits. She also scored 44 runs, including at least one run in 21 of the final 30 games, and stole six bases.
Coffel drove in seven runs in an NCAA Tournament win over Miami.
Kentucky coach Rachel Lawson won’t call Coffel an overachiever and limit her future expectations.
“She’s already one of the best players in the country,” Lawson said. “She wants to be an all-American multiple times.
“She has always worked hard in the (batting) cage and is very intentional about her hard work and knows what she is doing. She is always taking extra reps. She wears people out
“Where she really improved her game this year was her mindset. She can anticipate what is going on.”
What we can anticipate if she stays healthy is Coffel becoming UK’s all-time leader in home runs and RBIs. The current leader is Abby Cheek with 202 RBIs and 61 home runs.
Coffel, a first-team all-SEC pick this year, now has 36 home runs and 124 RBI’s with two seasons remaining.
