UK Softball locking in ahead of NCAA Tournament on Friday

Wildcats set to face Northwestern at 2 p.m. on May 16

LEXINGTON, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW)- Only one team of Wildcats will remain after the first weekend of the NCAA Softball Tournament in Clemson, South Carolina.

Kentucky and Northwestern are preparing to face-off in a battle of at-large contenders. Hosts Clemson and four-seeded USC Upstate are the others in the quartet of teams.

“When we get into the postseason it’s gloves off, claws out,” said Head Coach Rachel Lawson. “We have to go out there and play great softball whether we’re the one seed, the 16th seed or the 64th seed.”

Losing isn’t something the Wildcats plan on thinking about even though they’ve had a rough season so far. UK’s last win was on April 26 at home versus Mississippi State. The Cats finished 7-17 in the SEC, but have used the losses to develop and improve.

“Nobody has us on their watch list so that kind of gives us some of that freedom as we play,” said senior catcher Hallie Mitchell, who is hoping to extend her college career by winning this weekend. “The past couple days we’ve been practicing it’s been focused on finding our passion and drive.”

Lawson is in her 16th NCAA Tournament in as many years, something only 11 other schools in the country have done in that time span. The skipper has made the postseason in every year of her tenure in Lexington except one. She knows what’s required of her team in the coming days.

“We’ve been through a whole season and we’ll take the lessons we’ve learned and go out there with high energy,” said Lawson, who adds that her team needs to get past feeling down about their poor regular season to be at their best.

Here’s the schedule for this weekend’s action as UK starts the weekend.

Friday, May 16

Game 1 – (2) Kentucky vs. (3) Northwestern [2pm ET, ESPN+]

Game 2 – (1) Clemson vs. (4) USC Upstate [4:30pm ET, ESPN+]

Saturday, May 17

Game 3 – Winner game 1 vs. Winner game 2

Game 4 – Loser game 1 vs. Loser game 2 [elimination game]

Game 5 – Loser game 3 vs. Winner game 4 [elimination game]

Sunday, May 18

Game 6 – Winner game 3 vs. Winner game 5

Game 7 (if necessary) – Loser game 6 vs. Winner game 6 [winner to super regionals]