Kentucky commit Abby Hammond with UK softball coach Rachel Lawson at Kroger Field.
Lexington Catholic junior softball standout Abby Hammond has always been a Kentucky fan who dreamed of playing for the Wildcats but just in case she had any doubts, Hammond had an “inside” source about UK softball.
Former high school teammate Ella Emmert is a junior catcher at Kentucky. Her younger sister, Ava, is a Lexington Catholic senior who is verbally committed to the Cats.
“I could not make a decision about my future on who is there but having Ella at Kentucky and Ava committed to be there help me understand what it will be like to be a Kentucky Wildcat,” Hammond said. “Ella could tell me what practices are really like because you can’t really have a feel for what a day in the life of a Kentucky player is like until you get there. Ella could tell me about early morning practices, weightlifting and conditioning.”
Hammond knows UK coach Rachel Lawson well because she went to her first week-long UK softball camp when she was 8 years old.
“I think coach Lawson is very genuine at camps and practice. I’ve always thought she acts exactly the same all the time,” Hammond said.
Lawson could not reach out to Hammond until Sept. 1 and even when Hammond attended UK’s softball camp Lawson could not talk about recruiting. Hammond had some other Power-Five and in-state college opportunities but knew it was UK for her.
Hammond was the 2022 Gatorade Softball Player of the Year and has hit over .500 the last two seasons. She has 29 home runs and 103 RBI’s the last three seasons. She’s even more dominating on the mound as she’s had 796 strikeouts and 77 wins over the last three seasons.
Hammond is “good” friends with Missouri junior Alexa Riddle who also verbally committed to UK last week.
“We took our official visits together,” Hammond said. “I am super excited she is coming to Kentucky. I have never played against her but I have heard so many great things. She’s an outfielder who is at least 6-feet tall and she is super nice.”
