How Kat Rodriguez grew to become the RBI chief in NCAA softball at UNC

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. — It’s the underside of the primary inning on a cool and sunny spring night, and the 2 batters forward of Kat Rodriguez in North Carolina’s lineup are aiming to only merely get on base. They’re making an attempt drag bunts and making an attempt to get their bats on the ball, trying to give themselves an opportunity to get in scoring place.

As a result of they know that they’ll have an excellent likelihood of crossing house plate after Rodriguez finishes her at-bat. She is making an attempt to ship the ball to the moon — or on the very least, deep into the outfield the place no fielder has an opportunity of assembly it with their glove.

Alex Coleman is profitable, sending a single up the center of the infield after which stealing second base, whereas Lexie Roberts pops out. Rodriguez, to the tune of the long-lasting reggae fusion observe Calabria 2007, walks to the plate, faucets her bat towards her left heel, takes a tough follow swing after which stares at her bat earlier than settling into her stance. She takes two balls after which a strike, then appears to 3rd base coach Corey Lyon who tells her to “simply be affected person” and wait on her pitch.

The following ball is simply that. Rodriguez connects on the fourth providing she sees from Norfolk State’s Emma Zieg and mashes it, sending the ball over the right-center wall of Williams Area at Anderson Stadium, simply out of attain for a hopelessly outstretched proper fielder making an attempt to scale the fence and rob Rodriguez. She jogs across the bases at a gradual and humble tempo, then jumps into the arms of her teammates at house, who throw her into the air in celebration.

Similar to that, North Carolina leads 2-1. The Tar Heels would go on to beat the Spartans handily, 12-1, marking their sixth win in a span of 9 victories in 10 video games to shut out the common season.

Rodriguez’s dinger was her ninth house run of the season, and the 2 runs-batted-in she garnered from it elevated her NCAA-leading whole. Now, with the Tar Heels’ common season within the books, Rodriguez has 83 RBI to her identify on the season — 10 away from the batter rating second within the nation.

Merely put, no different participant in all of Division I school softball is producing runs for her workforce the best way that Rodriguez is for the Tar Heels, and he or she’s an enormous purpose why UNC is eyeing its first NCAA Event look since 2019 this season.

“I feel there’s all the time room for development, however I feel I’m taking part in fairly nicely thus far,” Rodriguez says with amusing. “I’m much more relaxed this 12 months after I step as much as the plate.”

One might simply make the case that the 5-foot-5 native of Pembroke Pines, Florida, is among the many greatest hitters in school softball this season. Along with main the nation in runs-batted-in, she’s ninth in batting common (.464) and seventh in whole hits (77). Within the Atlantic Coast Convention, she ranks within the prime 10 in OPS (1.238), runs scored (56), doubles (15) and whole bases (119). Softball America simply ranked her as the most effective second baseman within the nation too.

“She loves softball and it simply oozes out of her,” second-year UNC coach Megan Smith Lyon tells SB Nation. “She’s tremendous aggressive, and he or she wished to be part of one thing larger, and be part of one thing that we’re constructing. You already know, taking this program to the subsequent stage — she was all about it. And we have been fortunate she picked us. She’s been superb.”

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Softball followers who’ve watched Rodriguez carefully over the previous few seasons could be shocked by the numbers she’s placing up, however they haven’t seen a change on the floor in how she approaches every at-bat. Rodriguez nonetheless has an open stance and nonetheless usually drives the ball to the other facet of the sphere, identical to she did for one season at Quinnipiac and three at Pittsburgh.

The distinction this season for the graduate switch is the place she’s hitting within the lineup and who’s batting forward of her within the order. These two variables have remodeled Rodriguez right into a run-producing machine.

At Pitt, for instance, Rodriguez batted leadoff. And whereas she led the Panthers in 2024 in batting common (.336), runs scored (27) and hits (50), she solely produced 19 RBI. Actually, in her profession earlier than coming to UNC, she solely had 61 RBI in 144 video games — a mark she cleared this season in simply 32 video games.

“I’ve two children in entrance of me that get on 24/7. They begin the sport, they usually’re all the time on. They make my job simple,” Rodriguez tells SB Nation. “Going into my first at-bat, I have already got a runner in scoring place… They’re gritty. I like them. They do their job and I attempt to do mine.”

As a leadoff hitter at Pitt, Rodriguez usually felt the burden of beginning the fireplace. At North Carolina the place she’s batting third, the right-handed hitter usually approaches the batter’s field with at the least one in all both Roberts or Coleman already on a base.

By not having to shoulder the load of being the one accountable for giving her workforce’s offense its first jolt of vitality, she’s been extra comfortable when she grips the bat this season. The onus of making an attempt to be the primary one on-base isn’t weighing on her. She’s extra snug and assured. Whereas carrying these qualities to the plate as a substitute of the anxiousness that comes with being the leadoff hitter, Rodriguez is swinging extra freely and the outcomes have bestowed a serious increase to the Tar Heels’ run-production.

“Should you have a look at my swing from earlier years, mechanically, it’s the identical,” Rodriguez says. “I all the time discuss not having as a lot stress as I did final 12 months. And it’s actually simply due to them. I’m going as much as the plate already figuring out they’ve had success off the pitcher and all I’ve to do is simply drive them in.”

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Within the calm and easygoing tradition of UNC softball, Rodriguez has additionally ditched pregame superstitions and routines she as soon as clutched onto so tightly. She’s now not anxious about which sock she places on first or if she wears a selected ribbon in her hair. She simply fits up, grabs her bat and swings arduous.

Establishing that ambiance round her groups has been a key ingredient to Lyons’ success as a head coach. A former third baseman for UNC and a local of the Tar Heel state, she piled up wins at Western Carolina, Kansas and Marshall earlier than taking the reins of her alma mater following the retirement of longtime coach Donna Papa two years in the past.

“I’m all about — let’s construct relationships, let’s get to know gamers, let’s have them really feel snug and work with them and encourage them to be free and be themselves and play free,” Lyons says. “And we’re doing that right here, and I don’t plan on altering it. That’s how we’re going to method issues right here.”

That breezy and laid-back way-of-life for UNC softball this season has unlocked Rodriguez. Previously a stable ACC-level starter at Pitt, she’s now arguably the convention’s prime hitter, and the engine behind a Tar Heels’ offense that set a program report this season for whole runs scored.

UNC’s offense is fourth nationally in batting common (.353), first in hits (503), sixth in RBI (355), and ninth in whole runs (376).

Lyons’ tradition exhibits itself earlier than, throughout and after video games. The sounds from the Tar Heels’ dugout is stuffed with cheers and chants, grunts and giggles, one-liners and laughs, yells and hell-yeahs. Within the stands, the daddy of one of many gamers imitates the taking part in of a trumpet and dances at every house sport, and all of the gamers cease to observe. Earlier than their remaining contest of the common season in Chapel Hill, Rodriguez did a cartwheel onto the diamond as her workforce took the sphere.

“She lets us be us,” Rodriguez says of Lyons. “Clearly, does she must reel us in? Typically, sure, however it’s by no means in a demeaning approach. I feel she’s an incredible individual.”

Apart from driving in runs and pregame acrobatics, Rodriguez has performed her personal half in nurturing the character and temper in Lyons’ program. For Easter, she made every teammate, coach and workers member a basket full of sweet and hooked up a hand-written observe to all of them.

Certainly one of them to a staffer learn: “Thanks a lot for all your arduous work in serving to this program operate!!! — Kat”

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From afar, Rodriguez and the coaches at North Carolina had all the time admired one another, although neither facet actually knew a lot concerning the different’s curiosity.

Rodriguez graduated from Pitt final spring after learning structure and engineering. However she had a 12 months of eligibility remaining due to the NCAA’s COVID-era guidelines — the place the 2020-21 season didn’t depend towards a participant’s eligibility clock — and Rodriguez wished to make a pivot in her research right into a program that Pitt didn’t supply. Satirically, Rodriguez says it was former Pitt athletic director Heather Lyke who gave her a push to pursue a profession in athletic administration.

When Rodriguez entered the switch portal, she was hopeful that the Tar Heels would attain out as a result of a lot of her Colombian household lives close by and he or she thought this system was heading in the right direction. And after experiencing some tradition shock of the northeast, she was able to get again to a hotter local weather. The Florida native, who initially dedicated to FIU out of highschool however adopted an assistant coach to Quinnipiac after a training change, noticed snow for the primary time throughout her freshman marketing campaign in Connecticut.

Moreover, UNC affords a Ladies In Management focus by its Grasp of Utilized Skilled Research program that can support Rodriguez in her purpose of changing into an athletic director. Ought to she ever succeed UNC’s Bubba Cunningham sometime, her first purpose she says can be buying a brand new video board for the softball stadium.

However Rodriguez waited and waited and by no means obtained a name from the Tar Heels. Fortunately, right-handed UNC pitcher Britton Rogers intervened. She’s a household pal of Rodriguez’s from again house in Florida. Rodriguez had let her know, “I’m sort of keen on UNC.”

Quickly after, a UNC coach was calling Rodriguez: “We texted you the second you bought within the portal.”

The issue resulting in a lapse in communication was quickly recognized. The Tar Heels have been maybe a bit too keen to precise their fondness for Rodriguez when she declared her intent to switch. They have been certainly among the many first groups to try to contact her, besides their messages have been by no means obtained. Unbeknownst to the Tar Heels in that second, the UNC coach tasked with recruiting Rodriguez misspelled her e-mail deal with.

Rodriguez can snigger about it now, however sure, a typo almost prevented her from ever sporting Carolina Blue.

Fairly rapidly after making contact with UNC, Rodriguez was assembly with the teaching workers and had a suggestion in-hand. She entered offseason practices and coaching with the mindset of leaving the whole lot she had out on the sphere, however she didn’t envision having a record-breaking season for the Tar Heels.

“By no means did I feel I’d pull out these stats that I’ve this 12 months, however I feel I credit score it 100% to the coaches and the ladies,” Rodriguez says. “The coaches allow you to be whoever you might be. You’re the driving force, they simply sort of tweak issues right here and there. And the ladies, they work in entrance of me so nicely. I assumed I used to be going to carry out nicely, however to not this stage.”

Lyons knew that Rodriguez might assist the Tar Heels, however even she didn’t notice how a lot untapped potential she had.

“She was tremendous athletic. We knew, talent-wise, that she was superb. She places the work in. She’s purchased in and all in,” Lyons says. “It’s arduous to even put a ceiling on what she will do. I imply, I don’t suppose she’s performed her greatest ball but. I’m hoping she will get alternatives shifting ahead, as a result of she’s superb.”

Rodriguez is hoping to proceed to characteristic for the Colombian nationwide workforce, one thing she’s executed since she was 15-years-old.

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Originally of this season, the place Rodriguez was one in all 14 newcomers to the Tar Heels’ dugout, that they had a purpose that could possibly be summed up in a single singular phrase: Regionals.

North Carolina hasn’t made an NCAA Event in six years, however they’re nicely on-track to be included within the area this postseason. Heading into the ACC Event subsequent week in Boston, the Tar Heels are 39-14, fifth within the ACC standings, and projected by Softball America to make the 64-team bracket as a No. 3 seed.

“They haven’t taken any sport with no consideration. They haven’t fallen into the entice. They’ve actually locked in on our imaginative and prescient and what we’re making an attempt to do,” Lyons says. “We predict it’s a very good resume, and we’re going to maintain working arduous.”

To assist the Tar Heels take issues one sport at a time and to separate the season into digestible chunks, Lyons has referred to totally different parts of this marketing campaign as rounds. The primary was the preseason prep and offseason practices. The second was non-conference play. The third was their weekend video games within the ACC, and the fourth have been these mid-week non-conference clashes. The Tar Heels have completed every stage with profitable marks and confidence.

“I feel our workforce has executed a incredible job of staying on-key,” Rodriguez says. “I don’t suppose vibes have ever been down. We’re full-throttle. We all know what our purpose is.”

A fifth spherical looms, and Rodriguez, Lyons and the Tar Heels consider that remaining bell is way from being rung.