USA Softball Photo
It did not take long for Erin Coffel to become Kentucky’s all-time leading home run hitter.
She hit a 1-0 pitch well over the wall in center field at the 2024 Queen City Classic in Charlotte, N.C., Sunday to give her 62 career homers and break the mark set by former UK third baseman Abbey Cheek (2016-19).
Coffel homered in an 8-1 win over UNC Wilmington. Her two-run homer over the center field wall was a “no doubter” that Chris Shoals, UK’s associate director for athletics communication, said “rolled beyond the stadium premises all the way to the surrounding road” — the kind of power that Cheek always had.
Coffel now has 62 career homers in 186 games — 16 in 2021, 20 in 2022, 19 in 2023 and 7 in 2024. She also now has 196 RBI’s — 56 in 2021, 68 in 2022, 55 in 2023 and 17 this year. That’s just five behind the all-time mark of 201 set by Cheek.
She also has a career batting average of .391.
Kentucky first-base coach Molly Johnson-Belcher had 264 career hits, 135 career RBI’s and 35 career homers, and is Kentucky’s SEC Legend this year. She believes Coffel — along with several other former UK players — is destined for the same honor in the future.
“She just works so hard and has made herself an even better player,” Johnson said. “You knew when she came in here she was going to be a good player but she has really become an elite player in so many ways.”
