Kentucky Junior Shortstop Erin Coffel Always Wants to be Better

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Erin Coffel (21) is already second on UK's career home run list and fourth on the all-time RBI list. (Vicky Graff Photo)

Kentucky has two of the nation’s best softball players in junior shortstop Erin Coffel and fifth-year senior catcher Kayla Kowalik. The duo has one thing in common — both never quit pushing to be even better.

“People like us do not want to settle,” said Coffel. “We always want something greater. That makes us who we are. If you are good where you are at, you will not get any better and might end up worse off. I always want to be better. I put the work in and just let things fall in place.

“But my goals for this season are not individual but to get my team to the College World Series. To me, that will mean I have had a better season.”

Coffel has been even more productive at the plate this season. She’s currently hitting .416 with 35 runs scored, 39 runs driven in, 12 home runs, eight doubles and 33 walks in 32 games. She had 16 home runs in her 2021 freshman season and 20 last season. She also drove in 56 runs in 2021 and 68 last season.

Her 163 RBI’s are already third all-time at Kentucky behind Abbey Cheek (202) and Alex Martens (181) . Her 48 career homers trail Cheek (61) for No. 1 at UK and tie current UK assistant coach Brittany Cervantes for second all time.

Coffel says she only knows where she ranks if a UK official tells her or she sees it on social media.

“I just don’t worry about that,” Coffel said.

Kentucky, despite a challenging non-conference schedule, is 22-9-1 and 5-4 in Southeastern Conference play. The Cats are ranked 11th nationally going into games this weekend at Mississippi

Coffel says UK’s play has not been a surprise to her despite the loss of several key players off last year’s team to graduation.

“I felt this team had something special, especially after we came back from winter break,” the junior shortstop said. “There was just something different and we have been clicking on all cylinders.”

She has new players in the infield with her as Indiana transfer Grace Lording starts at third base and sophomore Margaret Tobias at second.

“Grace and I played our whole travel ball careers together. It’s nice to have her next to me. We have a great connection,” Coffel said. “Margaret is is new but we have an awesome friendship. At practice we have a unique dynamic and try to keep it high energy.”

Kentucky coach Rachel Lawson noted before the season started how much better defensively Coffel was. Coffel said he put “a lot of pressure on myself” as a freshman and that’s something she understands great athletes cannot do.

“Defense is all about effort and going out and not caring and doing what works,” the Indiana native said. “Don’t think. Just be super athletic and reactive. Getting a bunch of reps has been a huge deal to where I can just go out there and react without thinking.”

Coffel says having a dominant pitcher like Stephanie Schoonover has also made it way easier on the defense. Schoonover is 12-1 with 146 strikeouts in 96 innings despite being sidelined recently by a shoulder injury.

“What she is doing is incredible. I know she won’t strike out 15 every game, but she competes on every pitch. You can tell she cares so much and wants to collect every single out,” Coffel said. “Having the staff we have will take us a long way.”

Coffel and Schoonover worked out a lot together last summer. Coffel could tell she not only had the same speed she had always had but that Schooner’s control and spin were much better.

“She would strike out a lot of batters in our scrimmages and our hitters are good,” Coffel said.

What about Coffel? Did she strike out against Schoonover?

“She has struck me out some but not always,” the junior shortstop admitted.

Coffel actually worried a little about her hitting earlier in the season and felt she was not having as many quality at-bats as she should have.

“I have started making more hard contact every time,” she said.

Coffel admits sometimes she is surprised when teams pitch to her in certain situations.

“I am not going to lie. Sometimes it surprises me when teams do that,” the UK junior said. “At the beginning of the season I was getting walked a lot and I think I let that get to me. I was not as aggressive in some at-bats and was not always swinging at good pitches early in the count. That got me in trouble. Now I am looking to hit the ball when it is in the zone.”

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