Kaylee Tow introduced herself as “fearless” at a team meeting last August when she arrived at Alabama’s campus.
The freshman outfielder has backed up her words and won the trust of her coach and teammates right away.
“She’s very competitive, I know that,” said coach Patrick Murphy. “The first thing she said to everybody in the initial team meeting in August was that she’s fearless and it’s true. She won’t back down, which is cool.”
Tow says college softball has been an adjustment for her, though her stats would not indicate she is having trouble adjusting.
“It’s a lot faster,” Tow said. “Just like in between innings and in between at-bats you always have to be paying attention and be ready because someone could steal a base or do something crazy.”
Tow’s .366 batting average and her four home runs leads the 13th ranked Crimson Tide through 17 games. She is also second on the team with 10 walks.
Murphy said that Tow played a lot of high-level travel ball during her high school career, which has prepared her to be ready for what she’s faced in college, including many of the same pitchers she already faced in travel ball.
Her travel team played in major national tournaments and Murphy knew she was ready to play against top-tier competition right away.
“She’s very patient for a young kid,” Murphy said. “I remember telling her against Baylor, ‘Make them remember who you are.’ And she hit the home run, broke up the no-hitter. I think she’s going to be a really good hitter.”
Tow likes to be coachable and takes advice from her coaches, including scouting reports of her the pitchers she faces, but she also tries not to overthink her plate appearances.
“Murph always says don’t have too many socks in the top drawer,” she said. “I just take things as a suggestion. I know what she has, but that’s not necessarily what I’m going to get. I feel like I’m always ready to hit both sides of the plate and whatever (pitches) I’m going to get, and in the back of my mind I know she has a good curveball or she has a good whatever. That’s not necessarily on the front of my mind.”
Alabama lost both games this past weekend to No. 1 Washington, but Tow still made her presence felt going 2-for-5 against the Huskies, collecting a double and an RBI.
Tow presents Murphy with a problem. Because of her versatility, he struggles to figure out the best place to hit her in the lineup.
“She hits the long ball, so she’s going to drive in runs,” he said. “She gets on base. She takes her walks. So it’s a tough situation. She led off in high school and summer ball. She’s six-foot, she’s not the fastest; she’s not slow but she’s not Elissa Brown. She really could hit 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, or anywhere. She’s a big left-handed presence, and I like that.”
While Murphy hasn’t settled Tow into a regular slot in the lineup, Tow has made herself comfortable at Rhoades Stadium, even though she has only played four games at home.
Looking back, she said that her first at-bat was a big moment, but she was not focused on that when she was at the plate.
“It was special for me, that first at bat at Alabama, but then again, it is still a team game and I am trying to produce RBIs or just get on base so the girls behind me can get me in and try to win the ballgame,” she said.
Alabama hosts the Easton Crimson Classic, where Tow will get a chance to play five more home games, starting with a Friday 4 p.m. matchup against Boston College.
Fans already know how important Tow is to the Alabama softball team.
“We played here one weekend and I could hear people saying ‘Kaylee’ and I know it’s not my parents,” she said. “These people know. And somebody called me a Kentucky wildcat. People know who you are. The crowd brings such a great atmosphere here that we don’t get to experience at other places, so it’s really special whenever we play here.”
