@fullname - Baseball - University of North Carolina Athletics

Kendra Lynch

Position:
P/OF
Height:
5-7
Class:
Freshman
Hometown:
Indianapolis, Ind.
High School:
Roncalli

Career Honors:
2017:
» NFCA All-America Second Team
» USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Finalist (top 34)
» Fastpitch News All-America First Team
» NFCA All-Southeast Region First Team
» All-ACC Second Team
» ACC All-Tournament Team
» Two-time ACC Player of the Week (2/28, 3/14)
» College Sports Madness ACC Player of the Week (2/27)
» Carolina Classic MVP
» All-ACC Academic Team
» ACC Academic Honor Roll
» NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete
» UNC Athletic Director's Scholar-Athlete Award
» bCLA Leader of Distinction
» UNC Strength & Conditioning Iron Ram Award

2016:
» All-ACC First Team
» Three-time ACC Pitcher of the Week (2/15, 4/11, 5/9)
» All-ACC Academic Team
» ACC Academic Honor Roll
» NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete

2015:
» ACC Academic Honor Roll

2014:
» 2014 ACC All-Tournament Team

Career Notes: Made her mark on the Carolina program as a both hitter and a pitcher • A left-handed power hitter, she improved every season and was named NFCA Second-Team All-America as a senior after setting UNC season records for RBIs and total bases • Was called upon to become UNC’s primary pitcher during her junior season, where she would go on to break five single-season pitching records • Appeared in a total of 208 career games, starting 206 • Saw action as an outfielder early in her career, before transitioning to a full-time pitcher as a junior and finally the Tar Heels’ primary DP in 2017 • Batted .320 with a .644 slugging percentage and .409 on-base percentage • Totaled 188 hits, 32 doubles, a triple, 52 home runs, 168 RBIs, 378 total bases, 81 walks, seven sacrifice bunts, four sac flies and just 52 strikeouts over 587 at-bats • Finished second all time at UNC in career slugging percentage, home runs and RBIs, third in total bases and eighth in walks • Just the second Tar Heel ever to have at least as many home runs as strikeouts, with 52 of each • Ranked ninth in ACC history in career home runs and 11th in slugging percentage and RBIs, while sitting in 13th in the nation among active players in career dingers • Made 114 pitching appearances, going 45-29 with a 4.42 ERA and 280 strikeouts over 496.0 innings • Made 84 starts, tossed 39 complete games, including six shutouts, allowing 313 earned runs and just 163 walks, as batters hit .298 against her • Finished sixth all time at UNC in career appearances and batters faced (2,283), eighth in starts and tied for 10th in strikeouts.

2017 (Senior): Put together one of the best offensive campaigns in school history, earning NFCA All-America Second Team honors and being selected as a candidate for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year • Started 60 of 61 games, leading the Tar Heels with a .374 average and a .791 slugging percentage to go with a .458 on-base percentage • Totaled 68 hits, 13 doubles, 21 home runs, 68 RBIs, 144 total bases and 27 walks over 182 at-bats • Set UNC records for RBIs and total bases, finishing second all time in home runs and fourth in slugging • Ranked fourth in the nation in total bases, sixth in homers and 10th in RBIs, while ranking 23rd in slugging and 84th in hits • Led the ACC in RBIs, second in homers and TB, third in slugging and doubles, seventh in OBP and eighth in average • Hit .419 (31-74) with runners in scoring position with a team-high 28 two-out RBIs • The clutch hitter hit a walk-off home run against Longwood, doubled and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh against Ohio State, scored the game-winning run in the ninth against Towson, and broke a tie with a homer in the seventh then led off the ninth with a walk at Syracuse • Did not shy away from tough pitching, going a triple shy of the cycle against Megan Good of No. 14 JMU, reaching base all four times against the top-3 finalist for USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year • Posted at 14-game hitting streak from Feb. 19-March 10, the second-longest streak since at least 2005 • The second Tar Heel ever to record more home runs than strikeouts in a season, with 21 homers and just 14 Ks • While she focused on her hitting as a senior, Lynch also went 11-4 with a 5.23 ERA over 26 pitching appearances, allowing 70 earned runs on 126 hits and just 20 walks with 50 strikeouts over 93.2 innings pitched • One of just nine pitchers in the nation to toss at least 90 innings and hit just a single batter • Allowed the fewest walks of any ACC pitcher, including just eight during league play, ranking third in walks per game (1.49) and ninth in hits and runs allowed • Tossed a total of 7.2 shutout innings and scored the game-winning run in the ninth against Towson to earn the extra-innings victory as both the starter and re-entering as a reliever.

Click for expanded season details

Batting:
• Hit back-to-back two-run home runs along with a walk against Georgia Tech
• Went 2-for-4 and doubled and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the seventh against Ohio State (2/17)
• Singled and hit a three-run home run in the nine-run fourth inning against Purdue (2/19)
• 2-for-3 with a walk, a run and an RBI double in UNC’s win over South Carolina
• Reached base all five times against Towson, going 3-for-3 with a three-run double, then walked and scored the game-winning run in the bottom of the ninth to back 7.2 shutout innings pitched
• Went 2-for-4 with a two-RBI double and a run scored in the bottom of the seventh to spark UNC’s six-run comeback against Miami (OH)
• Homered twice on Feb. 26, with a two-run shot against Marshall and a solo blast against Hampton
• Named ACC Player of the Week (Feb. 28) and Carolina Classic MVP after hitting .588 with a 1.118 slugging percentage while going 2-0 in the circle
• 2-for-3 with a sac fly at East Carolina
• Doubled twice and scored in game two vs. #21 Pitt
• Went 2-for-2 with an RBI double, a walk and a home run against Charlotte
• Homered in back-to-back at-bats for four RBIs against Chattanooga
• Went the distance vs. Northern Kentucky, allowing a single run on four hits and a walk over seven innings
• Named ACC Player of the Week for the second time on March 14 against slugging 1.182 with five home runs and 11 RBIs over a 6-1 week for Carolina
• Came through with the game-tying, two-out RBI single in the top of the seventh in game two at VT.
• Walked, scored and hit a two-run home run in the NC State finale
• Reached safely in all four plate appearances against UVA (4/1), with two singles, two walks and a run scored
• Singled in three straight innings in the UVA finale, driving in the final two runs in the 8-7 victory
• Hit a walk-off three-run home run against Longwood in the bottom of the seventh to give UNC the 5-3 comeback victory
• Went 3-for-4 with a two-run home run in the Notre Dame finale
• Reached base three times in the BC finale, with a walk, a single and the go-ahead two-run home run to jumpstart a six-run fifth inning
• Went 2-for-3 with a walk, an RBI single and a three-run home run in the bottom of the seventh vs. Winthrop
• Homered to give UNC the lead in the top of the seventh vs. Syracuse (4/23), then led off the ninth with a walk to help UNC to the extra-innings victory
• A triple shy of the cycle against #14 JMU, with a single, a double, a home run and an HBP
• Doubled for UNC’s only hit in the series opener against #2 Florida State
• Hit a three-run home run to open the scoring against NC State in the ACC Semifinals

Pitching:
• Earned her first win of the season, allowing a single run on four hits over four innings against Georgia Tech
• Threw two perfect innings against Elon in UNC’s home opener
• Allowed a single run on two hits over four innings in her start against Purdue (2/19)
• Tossed 7.2 shutout innings against Towson, allowing four hits and a walk over the first five, then retiring all-but-one batter (an error) in relief to pick up an extra-innings victory
• Limited Northern Kentucky to a single run on four hits and a walk in the complete-game victory
• Earned the win after retiring six of the final seven batters in UNC’s five-pitcher combined shutout of UNCG (3/29)

2016 (Junior): Pitched 80% of UNC's innings as a junior, setting single-season records for appearances (53), starts (47), innings (301.1), complete games (33) and batters faced (1,373) • Went 28-19 with a save and five shutouts • Posted a 3.88 ERA with 170 strikeouts and just 97 walks (2.25 BB/7 IP) • Led the ACC in innings, wins, appearances and starts, ranking seventh in the nation and third all time at UNC in victories • Ranked fourth in the ACC in strikeouts, including third in called Ks (52) • Ranked 68th in the NCAA in Ks • Provided power in the offensive lineup as well, batting .321 with 12 home runs, 38 RBIs and a .595 slugging percentage • Ranked in the top 10 during conference games in doubles, home runs and total bases • Tied for 10th at UNC with her second straight 12-homer season • A three-time ACC Pitcher of the Week and All-ACC First Team selection, she was also named to both the All-ACC Academic Team and an NFCA All-America Scholar Athlete.

Click for expanded season details

Pitching:
• Hurled a 1-hit shutout with two walks and a career-high seven strikeouts in the season opener against North Dakota State (2/12)
• Tossed her second complete-game shutout just two days later against Arkansas (2/14), allowing five hits and two walks with three strikeouts
• Threw 3.1 shutout innings of relief to capture the win over Fairfield
• Hurled her third shutout of the season against Georgetown, allowing five hits and no walks over five innings to begin her streak of 18 consecutive starts in the circle
• Allowed a total of two runs, four hits and one walk over the final two games of the Syracuse series to collect a pair of ACC victories
• Topped her then-career high with eight strikeouts at Coastal Carolina (3/23), allowing just two hits and no runs over the first six innings and claiming her 13th win of the year
• Captured consecutive complete-game victories without issuing a walk against USC Upstate (3/29) and UNCG (3/30)
• Held the nation's best offense, No. 10 Georgia, to just one run over eight full innings, while opening the scoring with a solo home run to lead UNC to a 2-1 upset in Athens
• Named ACC Pitcher of the Week for a second time on April 11 after going 2-0 with a 0.98 ERA and a save in four appearances against No. 10 Georgia and Boston College
• Limited Boston College to one earned run over a complete game while going 2-for-3 with a two-run home run in game one, then picked up her first career save in game two with 2.2 shutout innings, retiring the final eight straight batters
• Struck out a career-high 12 batters while issuing just one walk against Campbell
• Hurled a three-hit shutout in the Georgia Tech opener (5/7) facing just two batters over the minimum, and sealed it by going back-to-back with Brown for seventh inning home runs
• Closed the regular season with her third ACC Pitcher of the Week award (5/9) after allowing just two earned runs over 21 innings (0.67 ERA) while slugging 1.300 at the plate against Georgia Tech
• Hurled a four-hit shutout against Boston College in the ACC Quarterfinals, and drew a leadoff walk and scored the first of UNC's six runs in the sixth to defeat the Eagles.

Batting:
• Went 2-for-3 with a walk and a run on opening day against North Dakota State (2/12), to back her 1-hit shutout in the circle
• Reached base all four times against Fairfield (2/28), going 3-for-3 with a walk, an RBI double and the game-winning home run
• Followed that performance by going 2-for-3 with a three-run home run against Georgetown (2/28)
• Went 2-for-3 with a double, a walk and a sac fly at Elon (3/9)
• Hit a three-run home run in the first inning at Longwood (3/15) for all the offense UNC would need, allowing just one earned run in the circle
• Reached base safely in eight straight plate appearances from Mar. 19-23, following a sixth-inning home run at Pitt with a pair of 3-for-3 outings against the Panthers and the Chanticleers (3/23), reaching base four times at Coastal including a walk and an RBI single.
• Laid down a key sacrifice bunt against USC Upstate then singled and her pinch runner scored the go-ahead run in the sixth
• Went 3-for-4 with two doubles and two RBIs to lead UNC to victory in the Louisville finale (4/3)
• Drove in as many runs as she allowed in the opener against No. 18 Notre Dame (4/24), going 2-for-4 with a home run and four RBIs
• Hit an RBI single, then walked, stole her first base of the season and scored against Campbell
• Went 2-for-3 with an RBI double in GT game two (5/8)
• Went 2-for-4 with an RBI double and a home run in the Georgia Tech finale (5/8) and did not allow an earned run in a complete game in the circle
• Went 2-for-3 with the game-tying RBI single while not allowing an earned run from the circle against Longwood at NCAA Regionals (5/20).

2015 (Sophomore): Appeared in 51 games, starting 43 contests in the outfield while making eight starts in the pitcher's circle • Had another fantastic season at the plate, batting .302 while finishing fourth on the team with 12 home runs and 35 RBIs • Recorded an ERA of 4.86 in 16 appearances, tallying a record of 5-0 with 32 strikeouts • ACC Academic Honor Roll.

2014 (Freshman): Made 42 appearances with 40 starts, seeing time in the outfield and at pitcher • Hit a solo home run against Texas (2/7) in her first career at-bat • Batted .245 with 24 hits and seven home runs, including two grand slams • Tallied 27 RBIs and 13 runs scored • Made 19 appearances in the circle with 11 starts • Struck out 27 batters in 52 innings pitched with an ERA of 5.65 and a record of 1-6 • Went 3-for-4 with a first-inning grand slam against NC State to earn a place on the ACC All-Tournament Team.

Prep: Named all-county and first team all-state in 2013 • Holds six school and two state records for hits and doubles • Named 2013 Indiana Miss Softball • Led her team to victory in the 3A state championships in 2011 • Was a two-time 3A sectional and regional champion as a pitcher and hitter • Totaled 164 hits and 96 RBIs in her first three years • Was a member of the National Honor Society and was named a Junior Outstanding Honors English Student.

Personal: Born Kendra Nicole Lynch on March 22 • Daughter of Rob and Kerry Lynch • Participates in the Richard A. Baddour Leadership Academy as a member of the Veteran Leaders program and was awarded the title of Leader of Distinction, the highest honor bestowed by the program • Majoring in Exercise and Sport Science.