Erin Coffel (UK Athletics Photo)
Before her team opened the season Kentucky softball coach Rachel Lawson made it clear how impressed she was with freshman shortstop Erin Coffel.
“She is outstanding. Physically, she is not your typical offensive player. She is also an outstanding infielder,” Lawson said. “She has been preparing her whole life to play SEC softball.
“She gets in the (batter’s) box and makes adjustments like a veteran. I have not seen a hitter this good, this young in a long time. She will make a big immediate impact.”
Lawson certainly was right. In UK’s opening doubleheader last week at Samford, Coffel homered in the first game and went 6-for-8 in the two games and drove in four runs, and scored three runs in UK’s sweep. She came back in game three to go 2-for-4 at the plate, scored a run, and drove in another run.
That meant in her first three collegiate games she went 8-for-12, drove in five runs, and scored four runs. She was named National Freshman of the Week — and I don’t think that will be the last honor she earns this year. Kentucky plays again Friday at UNC-Greensboro.
“She checks all the boxes when it comes to character and talent and work ethic,” Lawson said before the season opened. “I’ve never had a freshman come in in better shape than her. She had the self-discipline to prepare and came here in great physical and softball shape.”
Coffel led Bremen (Ind.) to the 2019 Class 2A state title and was a two-time Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year. FLOsoftball ranked her as the seventh-best player in her recruiting class nationally.
Despite losing a senior season to COVID-19, she still had a state record 50 home runs in three years, including a state record 22 in 2018 as a sophomore when her team was state runner-up. She drove in 164 runs and scored 191 runs in high school while hitting .627. She struck out just 12 times in 339 at-bats.
“Erin can also play any infield position and the thing I loved watching her playing travel ball was that she is an outstanding shortstop but played at third base and some second base to prepare for either position here,” Lawson said. “She could easily start at third or short, especially with the way she hits.”
