Autumn Humes is an "outstanding" leader for Kentucky. (UK Athletics Photo)
Once Autumn Humes decided to accept the NCAA offer for a do-over of the 2020 season, she easily became the Cats’ most experienced pitcher going into the 2021 season that opens Friday at Samford. Humes was 9-7 with a 3.26 earned run average in 25 appearances, including 16 starts, when she struck out 72 in 103 innings and gave up 98 hits, including 11 homers, in 2018. She was 15-11 with a 3.22 ERA in 2019 and 5-0 with a 3.19 ERA in 2020 in just eight appearances when the season was halted.
Overall in 66 appearances at UK, she is 29-18 with a 3.23 earned-run average but has given up 36 homers in 290 innings.
“She is the (team) elder and knows how to win on the national stage,” UK coach Rachel Lawson said Tuesday. “She has an outstanding personality and is an outstanding leader.”
Humes has struck out 177 in her 290 innings at UK and has given up 293 hits, including 39 in 37 innings last year. Lawson likes the off-season work Humes, a Division II transfer from Harding University in Arkansas has done.
“She has done a good job increasing the effectiveness of her off-speed pitches,” Lawson said. “She put in a lot of time. She is one of our hardest workers and I anticipate she will be a major anchor for us.”
But she might also help the Cats a lot more with her bat this year. She is only a career .232 hitter in 53 games but hit .300 in 30 at-bats last year with four homers, including two grand slams, and knocked in 15 runs.
“She did a tremendous job in the offseason increasing her offensive power numbers,” Lawson said. “When she is not on the mound … she is a good defender but probably won’t be on the field (playing defense) … but I look for her to get significant at-bats in the middle of the order.”
