1. Character Award
Caitlyn Ciokajlo (Gymnastics)

2. Community Service Award
Ashleigh Gustafson (Softball)
Josh Nadzam (Track and Field/Cross Country)

3. Supporting Role
Megan Moir (Women’s Golf)

4. Female Scholar Athlete of the Year
Kayla Sergesketter (Women’s Swimming and Diving)

5. Male Scholar Athlete of the Year
T.J. Daugherty (Baseball)

6. Female Academic Team of the Year
Cross Country

7. Male Academic Team of the Year
Cross Country

8. Female Rookie of the Year
Caitlin Landis (Soccer)

9. Male Rookie of the Year
Brandon Knight (Men’s Basketball)

10. Female Performance of the Year
Chanda Bell (Softball)

11. Male Performance of the Year
Ethan Settlemires (Rifle)

12. Scratch Award (awarded to the non-scholarship athlete of the year)
Walter Luttrell (Track and Field/Cross Country)

13. One Shining Moment
Men’s Basketball

14. Bill Keightley “Assist” Award (awarded to the trainer or team manager of the year)
Sarah Gerichs (Women’s Basketball team manager)

15. Blue Heart Award (awarded to the best recovery from a serious injury)
Amber Smith (Women’s Basketball)

16. Coach of the Year
John Calipari (Men’s Basketball)
Rachel Lawson (Softball)
Harry Mullins (Rifle)

17. K-Association Female Athlete of the Year
Victoria Dunlap (Women’s Basketball)

18. K-Association Male Athlete of the Year
Randall Cobb (Football)

19. Miss Wildcat
Lauren Rapp (Volleyball)
Megan Yocke (Softball)

20. Mr. Wildcat
Eric Quigley (Men’s Tennis)

21. Teams of the Year
Men’s Basketball
Rifle

The class of five is not one to forget. “First time in school history” seemed to be the phrase surrounding the current seniors through their recent seasons.

Under UK head coach Rachel Lawson’s direction and with the support of the underclassmen, the senior class achieved greater success than any before it.

“I can’t say enough about the senior class,” Lawson said. “They do everything right. They work incredibly hard in the classroom and in the weight room. I have never seen a day when they didn’t come out and give it their all. I think, because of that, our team has been able to take on a great culture. We have been able to come back from some adverse situations, which is something we struggled with in the past. To be the first to do all the things they have is just great. I hope they remember it forever.”

Second baseman Natalie Smith, pitcher Amber Matousek, outfielder Destinee Mordecai, shortstop Molly Johnson and outfielder Jennifer Young make up the group of decorated seniors. Each player appears in UK record books more than once.

Johnson, UK’s first All-American, and Smith not only serve the team as captains this season, but they also lead the team in batting average and hits.

Matousek tossed the first no-hitter of her career in February, notching only the second in school history.

But the group has been able to achieve more than individual success while playing under Lawson. On March 2, the Cats entered the ESPN.com top-25 poll for the first time in program history. Additionally, if the Cats are able to come away with one additional win this season, UK will mark its second consecutive 30-win season. The program has never before accomplished such a task.

The current senior class helped lead UK to its third SEC tournament last season. It was able to post its first postseason victory in school history in the tournament. It also achieved its first NCAA tournament appearance on the season.

“I am so proud of the things we were able to achieve last season under Coach Lawson,” Young said. “The improvements the UK softball program has made are amazing to be a part of. It is always a pleasure to come to practice and play in games with the other four seniors. It’s important for us to set a standard for the team and the upcoming freshmen. Just being able to say that you accomplished so much at Kentucky is a great feeling.”

Following the senior day celebration between games Sunday, the five Cats were left with mere memories of the place they called home for their career.

“For me, it is so exciting to succeed like this,” Matousek said. “Coming in as freshmen, we didn’t win many games and we didn’t get to experience the postseason. After last year, I realize this is what I came here to do. This is what I play softball for. To go to the SEC tournament, to go to regionals — I just want to be able to advance past that now. “

UK (29-21, 11-14 Southeastern Conference) played host to No. 12 Louisiana State (39-10, 17-5 SEC) in a three-game series. Saturday’s early game was called after five innings due to rain. The second game of the supposed doubleheader was pushed to an early Sunday start, forcing two games on the day.

UK’s runs came early, but not often. The Cats had opportunities to score additional runs but they were unable to capitalize on those chances. UK’s failure to produce with runners in scoring position was a trend that carried over to Sunday’s doubleheader, as it lost 9-3 in game one.

LSU built an 8-0 lead through five and a half innings before UK found its first offensive success in the bottom of the sixth inning. Junior catcher Megan Yocke led off with a solo home run before the Cats could mark three more hits and two additional runs. But LSU’s pitcher was able to escape the inning with runners stranded, as she did much of the game.

Despite UK leading off most innings with good production, it left 11 runners stranded on base.
“As a coach, there are better things I could have done to put runners in motion,” UK head coach Rachel Lawson said. “When they got the leads early in the game, it put us on our heels. We had to generate more hits than we wanted to. It just really took us out of our game plan.”

Sophomore Rachel Riley earned the loss in the pitching circle for UK, dropping her to 10-7 on the season.

Following the break in which five UK seniors were honored, the second game of the day kicked off. The five seniors, pitcher Amber Matousek, left fielder Jennifer Young, right fielder Destinee Mordecai, second baseman Natalie Smith and shortstop Molly Johnson, each started for the Cats in their final game at the UK Softball Complex.

The third game proved to be the closest of series, remaining tight all the way to the Cats’ half of the seventhinning. LSU was still able to come away with a 3-1 victory in front of the 760 fans, the second-most crowded game in UKhistory.

Mordecai posted UK’s only run with a home run over the left-field wall in the bottom of the fifth inning. Matousek received the pitching loss in game two, dropping her to 3-3.

“LSU is just a great team,” Lawson said. “They have a great pitching staff and they were able to keep us off balance. That trickled over to the other parts of our game, which allowed them to relax and string some things together. There hasn’t been another team that has been able to do that to us consistently all season.

“We are obviously disappointed with the weekend but we realize post-season play is still our main focus. We’re just going to get back to work on Tuesday and work on the things that we didn’t do well in this series.”

UK (29-18, 11-11 Southeastern Conference) made quick work of Austin Peay (14-30) Wednesday in its final non-conference doubleheader of the season.

The first game was highlighted by a seven-run second inning for the Cats, in which they were able to post ten at-bats before the side was retired. The inning was enough to help lift UK over the Lady Govs 10-1 in the five-inning contest.

UK hit a combined 9-for-22, a .409 performance. Though most of the rotation found success at the plate, junior catcher Megan Yocke went 3-for-3 with two runs and two RBIs to lead the Cats. All-American shortstop Molly Johnson did not record a hit but she was able to score two runs and steal two bases after being walked and hit by a pitch in her plate appearances.

Senior Amber Matousek received the win in the circle for UK, improving her record to 3-2 on the season.

While the second half of the doubleheader proved to be a closer contest early, the Cats prevailed 10-2 following another offensive show late in the game.

Right fielder Destinee Mordecai and catcher Megan Yocke each blasted their fifth home run of the season in the home half of the fourth inning, helping to power UK up 4-0 early. The next inning showed another six runs on seven hits for the Cats, enough to end the second game in a shortened contest.

UK came up with solid hits all afternoon. It finished the late game 12-for-26, a .462 show. Yocke matched her first-game achievements in each category, finishing the evening 6-for-6 with four runs and four RBIs.

Sophomore Chanda Bell moved her pitching record to 16-10 after earning the win for UK.

UK head coach Rachel Lawson has notched seven letters of intent for next season, including two Kentucky natives.

“The recruiting class is going to be very strong and have a lot of potential,” Lawson said. “But we are having to replace such a great senior class from this year. We are hoping they can come in and fill the spots up the middle that we are losing. Any time you lose so many positions in one part of the field, it is going to be a bit of a rebuilding process.”

The 2010 freshman class is going to be required to fill spots held by notable athletes. Shortstop Molly Johnson, second baseman Natalie Smith, pitcher Amber Matousek, and outfielders Destinee Mordecai and Jennifer Young make up the list of graduating seniors.

The incoming group includes two pitchers: Lauren Cumbess, of Normal, Ill., and Ellen Weaver, of Salem, Va. The duo will enter into the rotation with a UK pitching squad that ranks near the top in the Southeastern Conference.

“The pitchers are going to have to fall in line with Chanda (Bell) and Rachel (Riley), who have been equally strong in two different ways for us,” Lawson said. “Lauren Cumbess is probably going to be one of the best athletes we have ever signed into UK. She is very mature for her age and I expect her to be able to contribute right away.”

Lawson also looks forward to the left-handed Weaver providing UK a different look in the circle than it typically shows.

But after bringing in only three freshmen last season, the incoming class of seven presents more of a challenge to the team.

“Ideally, you only want to bring in four to five kids in a class,” Lawson said. “When you bring in this many, you try to make sure the athletes are mature and are able to learn quickly, which I believe this class will be able to do. They will be in a position where they have to make an immediate contribution to the team.”

The seniors-to-be await the task of providing the freshmen with knowledge they have gathered through their experience at UK.

“The biggest change I learned is in the pace of the game,” UK junior centerfielder Meagan Aull said. “Everything here is so much faster than it was in high school. It really is a whole new game.”
Aull played alongside one signee, Emily Jolly, at Owensboro Catholic High School, as did freshman Jessica Adkins. Aull expects the incoming freshmen to experience the same changes she did during the transition from playing at the high school level to playing collegiately.

“In high school, you are typically the best athlete on your team,” Aull said. “But when you come to college, almost everyone you play against was the star of their high school team, too. It is frustrating at first, but I know (the incoming class) will adjust to it. The advantage is that it drives you to work hard so that you can be the best.

“I am excited for the incoming freshmen to be able to be a part of the awesome things UK has been accomplishing over the past couple of years. We have done so much since Coach Lawson has been here and it is great to be a part of.”

Another intrastate rival traveled to  the UK Softball Complex on Wednesday. UK (26-16, 10-9 Southeastern Conference) squared off against Western Kentucky University (25-15), a team sophomore Chanda Bell pitched a no-hitter against in last season’s contest.

But Bell’s hope for a repeat no-hitter vanished early. The Lady Toppers were able to put two runners on base before clean-up hitter Lindsay Antone caught enough of one pitch to send it just over the left-field wall in the top of the first inning.

Though UK loaded the bases in the bottom of the second inning, WKU escaped with no damage and a 3-0 advantage.

The bottom of the third inning showed a different offense for UK. On a pair of singles from first baseman Samantha DeMartine and third baseman Brittany Cervantes, second baseman Natalie Smith and catcher Megan Yocke each scored. Center fielder Meagan Aull then nailed a double to left-center field, scoring DeMartine. Right fielder Destinee Mordecai smashed a home run for the second consecutive game, a shot that notched three additional runs.

“I’m just seeing the ball really well right now,” Mordecai said. “I battled my way though the at-bat until I saw my pitch. Once I did, I was able to make the contact to take it over the fence.”

Holding the 6-3 lead, UK scored another run in the bottom of the fourth inning when shortstop Molly Johnson easily reached home due to WKU’s third fielding error.

Cervantes added to her success on the night in the bottom of the fifth inning when she landed a solo shot behind the outfield wall, her ninth of the season. The Cats continued to pour on the points when Aull successfully stole third but was able to advance home because of a throwing error, putting the game out of reach for WKU at 9-3.

Neither team produced any more offense.

Bell received the win in the circle, pushing her record to 15-8 on the season. Mordecai and Cervantes, who went 2-2 and 2-3, respectively, totaling five RBIs, led UK offensively.

“It’s great to see the team come back from the hole we put ourselves in early,” UK head coach Rachel Lawson said. “We definitely aren’t satisfied with where we are right now. But we are happy that we’ve been able to win a few. We have put ourselves in a pretty good position. As long as we keep taking care of business, our fate is in our own hands.”

Recent national softball statistics have shown a rise in offensive numbers as well as a rise in strikeouts. Whether it be the improvement in technology or the increased strength training, one thing is certain: more pitches are either being sent out of the park or smacking into the catcher’s mitt.

Statistical archives of Division-I softball from 1999 to 2009 show a definite increase in big-hitting ability. The average number of home runs per game has jumped from .31 to .57, though the number was .61 in 2007.
Few modern statistics look similar to their 1999 counterparts. Batting average has hardly increased at all from .263 to .265. Scoring has only moved from 3.76 to 3.98 runs per game.

UK head coach Rachel Lawson, a former University of Massachusetts softball player, has witnessed many of these changes firsthand.

“Many of the fields I played at had no fences, so a home run was around 220 feet,” UK head coach Rachel Lawson said. “After teams began investing more money into their facilities and putting emphasis on softball, they put up 200-foot fences, which are obviously easier to hit over.

“Another big change has been the use of composite bats. That is a new technology we didn’t have when I played. We need to get a better handle on the batting technology and get those home run numbers under control. These girls are already bigger, stronger and faster.”

In sharp contrast to that, strikeouts are up as well. Through a seven-inning game in 1999, a pitcher tossed 4.45 Ks. That number has now jumped to 5.27 per game.

UK proves to be no exception to the increase of power numbers. In fact, some of its statistics are even more staggering. Though the Cats’ softball statistics are only archived since 2002, the trends are still visible.

UK hit only 20 home runs in 2002. That number has been steadily increasing recently and jumped to 39 last season. The Cats are an extreme example of the national number of home runs.

The most notable change for UK has been the number of strikeouts. UK pitchers recorded 103 in 2002, an average of 1.84 per game. Last season UK fanned 315 batters, an average of 5.53 per game. Though the rise can be attributed to UK’s talented pitchers, the number has been climbing since 2002.

“Any time Chanda Bell goes onto the field she can earn anywhere from eight to 13 or 14 strikeouts per game,” Lawson said. “Her and Amber (Matousek) have done a great job for us. But any time a pitcher can provide half of the outs like they can, it is an absolute game-changer.”

UK (25-16, 10-9 Southeastern Conference) triumphed over South Carolina (10-30, 0-19 SEC) on Sunday, completing a series sweep over its conference opponent.

UK came out of the dugout looking for offense. Senior shortstop Molly Johnson, senior second baseman Natalie Smith and junior catcher Megan Yocke each reached base with no outs to begin the bottom of the first inning. Junior first baseman Samantha DeMartine then singled to the left side of the field, scoring Johnson and Smith, pushing the Cats up 2-0 early.

Sophomore pitcher Chanda Bell made quick work of the Gamecocks to begin the second inning, striking out three batters in a row. UK found more offensive production in the home half of the second inning when senior right fielder Destinee Mordecai pounded a ball over the left-centerfield wall. Johnson was also able to score a run later in the inning on a double off the bat of Smith, moving UK up 4-0.

The Cats continued to roll in the bottom of the third inning. Junior center fielder Meagan Aull homered a pitch from South Carolina’s April Borchardt to right field. Junior left fielder Annie Rowlands scored freshman Kara Dill on a lined single. Rowlands also reached home on a double by Smith. The Cats towered 7-0 over the Gamecocks.

After an additional run by Aull in the fourth inning, the game ended based on a scoring rule in the middle of the fifth inning.

Smith, who went 3-for-3 with two RBIs, led UK offensively. Pitching ace, Bell recorded only one hit and ten strikeouts through only five innings on the day.  Her record is now 14-8.

“(Bell) has grown up so much in about two or three weeks,” UK head coach Rachel Lawson said. “She is turning into a big-time pitcher. She was always very good but now she is able to get huge outs in crucial situations.”

The opening two games of the series went much like Sunday’s competition. The Cats won 11-3 in a shortened contest in the first game on Saturday. The most notable play of the day was a grand slam off the bat of Yocke. UK’s 11 runs was a season high. The second game was closer throughout, but the Cats were able to come up with a 4-3 victory following a two-run sixth inning.

Bell struck out nine batters in the 11-3 win to advance her season total to 218, breaking her own school record from last season of 216.

The series sweep over South Carolina was the first sweep over a conference opponent for the Cats.

“This series was especially important for us to prepare for post-season play,” Bell said. “It is great to know that we are able to come out and compete with other teams from around the SEC.”

The Cats and Cards squared off for the second half of their annual two-game series on Wednesday night. The buzz surrounding the match was evident even through the bouts of light rain that hit Ulmer Stadium throughout the evening.

The final inning of the March match between the intrastate rivals seemed to have carried over to the opening portion of Wednesday’s late afternoon game.

UK (22-16, 7-9 Southeastern Conference) found itself down early in the opening inning. Sophomore pitcher Rachel Riley could not find her mark from the circle. Riley allowed Louisville (25-12, 4-2 Big East Conference) to score five runs on seven hits.

Louisville’s five runs were the most allowed by UK in the first inning of a game all season, and the second highest of any single inning. A Louisville record 1,134 fans didn’t make things any easier for Riley.

“They came out swinging the bats right away,” UK head coach Rachel Lawson said. “The motivation they had from the crowd’s energy helped to power their already good hitting. It is always important to get your pitcher out of the first inning unscathed and we were unable to do that.”

After the Cats could not produce any offense in the away half of the first inning, UK saw a pitching change take place in the second inning. Sophomore pitcher Chanda Bell entered to replace Riley.

“After Chanda came in, we were able to settle in behind her,” Lawson said. “We did a better job defensively. Plus, she did a great job of shutting down most of their hitters, which was nice to see.”

The next three innings showed little offense from either team. Bell and Louisville pitcher Tori Collins put on a show for the audience, allowing only four combined hits.

Though the Cats struggled to find their stride at the plate in the top of the fifth inning, UK gave up one additional hit to Louisville, pushing the score to 6-0. This would prevail as the final score following a solid defensive performance from both teams to close the game.

Despite Bell playing the majority of the game, Riley received the pitching loss for the Cats. Her record now stands at 8-6 on the season.

UK’s lackluster offense totaled three hits on the evening, a season low for the Cats. Senior shortstop Molly Johnson, senior second baseman Natalie Smith and sophomore third baseman Brittany Cervantes each went 1-for-3.

“Louisville is such a great team with a lot of quality wins under their belt,” Lawson said. “Anytime players can play in front of a hometown crowd of this size, there is nothing more exciting for them.

Now, we just need to look forward to this weekend and keep working how we have been.”

For Kentuckians, the bitterness between UK and Louisville is learned at a young age, even before one understands sports. It seems everyone has a bias towards one team for one reason or another. UK-Louisville, Cats-Cards, blue-red — the numerous representations of the tradition only confirm its infamy.

Competition between the two largest universities in the commonwealth provides classic bouts of excitement. The most notable annual clashes include the Battle for the Bluegrass between the basketball programs and the fight for the Governor’s Cup trophy on the football field.

But for the vast number of student-athletes who move from other areas to compete for either of the universities, the rivalry is not something of embedded significance.

The UK softball team is no exception.

“Even though (the rivalry) is not something I grew up surrounded by, it is a learned behavior that I am now part of,” sophomore outfielder Macy Allen said. “From the moment we come in we are taught to dislike Louisville. I am part of the Big Blue family now so it is something that is important to me regardless of where I am from.”

Allen, along with 13 of her teammates, was raised somewhere other than Kentucky. In fact, only five of the 19 UK softball players grew up in the Bluegrass State. UK head coach Rachel Lawson can see the distinction in native and non-native players before the game begins.

“The difference is most visible on game day,” Lawson said. “Even though each player has a passion for the sport, you can see the fire burning that much more within the eyes of the players who grew up around the rivalry.”

The timeless battle of blue against red rages on when the UK softball team looks to capture the overall series lead against its in-state rival on Wednesday night. UK (22-15, 7-9 Southeastern Conference) stands deadlocked at 12 victories apiece in the series with No. 23 Louisville (24-12, 4-2 Big East Conference).

The concluding game of the annual home-and-home series between the adversaries begins at 6 p.m. in Ulmer Stadium in Louisville.

Louisville captured the victory on March 10 when the teams played a mid-season match. The game went into an extra inning before Louisville scored on two home runs, enough to power past the Cats. The team has now won the previous six games against UK.

UK is coming off a weekend series win at Mississippi State in which the Cats played their best statistical defense of the season. They now look ahead to a Louisville team that has shown success since the teams’ last meeting.

“The recent games between us and Louisville have all been very close,” Lawson said. “We are so evenly matched now that there is no telling what could happen. Whichever team can come up with the big hits at the right times and string a few good plays together will be the one to win. I am expecting it to be another great game.”