Kayla Kowalik has hit 10 homers already this season. (Vicky Graff Photo)
Remember before the season started and Kentucky softball coach Rachel Lawson said she thought junior catcher-outfielder Kayla Kowalik could be the best leadoff hitter she’s ever had. I do because I thought that was an unusually bold statement for Lawson, especially considering some of the talented players Lawson has had play for at Kentucky.
However, Lawson now looks like a genius. Kowalik hit her 10th homer of the season Wednesday night in a win over Eastern Kentucky and extended her career-high hitting streak to 16 straight. She had two singles and scored three runs to go along with her homer and if she gets a hit tonight at Auburn would tie Katie Reed’s school-record 17-game hit streak.
She has already scored 56 runs to tie current UK assistant coach Brittany Cervantes for most runs scored in a single season — a record she likely will have to herself after this weekend’s series at Auburn.
Kowalik admits what she has done this season has been a “big surprise” to her, too. She is hitting an incredible .515 in 37 games with 67 hits, six doubles, six triples, 32 RBIs, 15 walks and 14 steals in 15 tries. She has struck out only 12 times in 130 at-bats. Over the last eight games, Kowalik is batting \ .692 (18-for-26).
“I don’t think anybody expects halfway through the season to be hitting .500,” Kowalik said. “I am really blessed I am seeing the ball so well. I don’t know what happened, but I am happy with it.”
So is Lawson because Kowalik’s play is a big reason UK is 29-8 going into this weekend series at Auburn and hoping to bounce back from series losses to Tennessee and Georgia.
“Kayla is outstanding,” Lawson said. ” I hate to talk about it because I don’t want to jinx it.”
Hitting is what Kowalik has always done and it will be hard for anything to jinx her at the plate.
The Kentucky coach says Lawson prepares the right way and “her softball IQ is off the chart.”
There is one other quality Lawson really likes.
“She is always trying to do things for the team,” Lawson said. “She is just an outstanding player.”
But where did the Texas native suddenly get her home run power? She did not hit a homer at UK her first two years and now has 10 this season. Only superstar freshman Erin Coffel has more with her 15 this season for UK.
“I have always known she was incredibly strong,” Lawson said. “The only player I have recruited I have compared to (current UK assistant coach) Molly Johnson (Belcher), who in my opinion is still the best to have ever played at Kentucky.
“Kayla is the first player I thought physically matched up with her. I thought she had the strength but maybe not the confidence (to hit homers). She is so used to bunting and slapping, it’s easy to fall back on that as opposed to swinging away.”
Kowalik said she never had gone into the batter’s box with the home run mindset until this season.
“I guess it took one home run for me to realize it could happen,” Kowalik said. “I am not taking big hacks to hit it over the fence. It has just happened.”
And has kept happening.
