Picture by: Steve Harp

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UK MEDIA RELATIONS
May 14, 2012

NO. 2 KENTUCKY KICKS OFF FINAL ROAD SWING WITH MURRAY
Wildcats Travel to Paducah to Face Murray State in Final Regular Season Non-Conference Game

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Owning a 23-2 record against non-conference opponents in 2012 and embarking on a season-long road trip to end the regular-season, No. 2 Kentucky travels to Paducah, Ky., to face off with Murray State at 7 p.m. ET on Tuesday at Brooks Stadium.

Kentucky (41-11, 18-9 Southeastern Conference) will conclude its regular-season with the trip, starting at Murray State on Tuesday, before traveling to face Mississippi State in a Thursday-Friday-Saturday series to conclude the regular-season. UK enters the final weekend of the year owning a half-game lead over South Carolina and a full-game lead over Western Division leader LSU, with the Tigers ending the year at USC’s Carolina Stadium. The Wildcats will be seeking their second SEC Championship in program history.

With the sweep last week over Alabama and the 4-0 week, UK extended its winning streak to five games, became the first team in the nation to ascend to 40 wins and regained the NCAA lead in wins. The Wildcats have the second-most wins in program history and its 18 SEC wins ranks second-best in UK annals, behind only the 44-win seasons in 2006 and 2008 and the 20-win SEC Championship season in 2006.

UK owns a 16-4 record in one-run games and a 12-8 record in games against top-25 teams. The Wildcats have opened up the year with series wins over No. 2 South Carolina, at Tennessee, at No. 18 Georgia, No. 10 Ole Miss, at No. 9 Arkansas, No. 1 LSU and Alabama. The Wildcats have the ability to win the conference for the second time in program history entering the final weekend, which would also secure a bye for the SEC Tournament, which UK will travel directly to in Hoover, Ala., following the series in Starkville.

The Wildcats’ offense sits in the top three in the conference in nearly every category, hitting .304 as a team, with a .457 slugging and a .392 on-base percentage, knocking 504 hits, 298 RBI, 99 doubles and 50 homers in 52 games.

Freshman centerfielder Austin Cousino leads UK with a .343 batting average, 18 doubles, nine homers and 38 RBI, stealing 11 bases. Catcher Luke Maile leads the club with 46 RBI, batting .319 with 10 doubles and 11 homers. Outfielder Cameron Flynn has belted nine homers while senior Thomas McCarthy is batting .306 with 16 doubles, five home runs and 29 RBI.

In the bullpen, UK has been guided by Tim Peterson (3-0, 2.66 ERA), who leads the club with 25 relief outings, adding one save. Trevor Gott (3-0, 2.79 ERA) has a school single-season record nine saves in 10 opportunities, owning 29 strikeouts in 19.1 innings. Senior Alex Phillips (5-2, 2.83 ERA) has appeared in 24 games with six saves, tossing 47.2 innings. Reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, southpaw Sam Mahar (3-3, 2.75 ERA) has appeared in 20 games with two saves, tossing 36 innings with 32 strikeouts. As a club, UK owns a school-record 18 saves in 2012, with the Wildcat bullpen blowing only one lead held after the fourth inning in its 52 total games in 2012.

Murray State (22-30, 8-16 Ohio Valley) is coming off a series loss on the road at Southeast Missouri over the weekend. The Breds has hit .288 as a team with 23 homers and 13 steals in 52 games. On the mound, Murray State has a 6.01 ERA in 52 games with eight saves, walking 227 and striking out 282 in 467.1 innings.

Offensively, Murray State has been led by Ty Stetson, who has a .313 average with 14 doubles, five homers and 29 RBI. Mike Kozlowski has hit .311 with 13 doubles, two homers and 38 RBI, while Travis Issak leads the team with 20 dobules, six homers and 39 RBI.

In the bullpen, Will Handlin (4-3, 3.81 ERA) has four saves in a team-high 24 relief outings, tossing 52 innings with 34 strikeouts and 11 walks. Luke Shuemaker (0-1, 4.76 ERA) has appeared in 17 games with two saves.

Records
Kentucky – 41-11
Murray State – 22-30

Rankings
Kentucky: No. 2 (Collegiate Baseball), No. 4 (Baseball America), No. 5 (USA Today/ESPN Coaches)
Murray State: not ranked

Schedule (times Eastern and subject to change) — Paducah, Ky.
Tuesday, May 15 * at Murray State * 7 p.m.

Radio (UK IMG Radio Network with Neil Price)
Tuesday: WLAP 630-AM in Lexington; WKJK 1080-AM in Louisville

Internet Coverage
Live audio and stats on UKathletics.com

Tentative Pitching Matchups
Tuesday at Murray State
TBA vs. TBA

- GO CATS -

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UK MEDIA RELATIONS
May 11, 2012

ROGERS PITCHES NO. 7 UK TO SERIES-OPENING WIN
UK Lefty Tosses Season-Best Seven; UK-Bama to Play DH Saturday at 2 p.m. ET

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Junior southpaw Taylor Rogers fired a season-high seven innings and senior Thomas McCarthy delivered a clutch two-out, two-run double to lead No. 7 Kentucky to a 4-2 series-opening win over Alabama, on a gorgeous Friday night in front of 2,456 fans at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Kentucky (39-11, 16-9 Southeastern Conference) will now play a doubleheader on Saturday due to the threat of inclement weather on Sunday in the Central Kentucky area. The twinbill will start at 2 p.m. ET and the first game of the day will be televised on Fox Sports South and C-WKYT by the UK IMG Network. Both games will also be on the UK IMG Radio Network, available in Lexington on WLAP 630-AM, in Louisville on WKJK 1080-AM and online at UKathletics.com. Former UK star Alex Meyer will throw out the ceremonial first pitch before the first game of the doubleheader.

The win for the Wildcats gives UK its third series-opening win through its first nine SEC weekends. The Wildcats will be searching for its seventh series win of the year on Saturday in the doubleheader, as UK owns series wins over No. 2 South Carolina, No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 1 LSU and at No. 18 Georgia, at Tennessee and at No. 9 Arkansas.

Rogers (6-3) worked a season-long seven innings, allowing seven hits and two runs, walking one and striking out four. Rogers’ quality start was the sixth of the year for the junior and the 17th of his career, and the outing was the longest for Rogers since May 19, 2011 at No. 4 Florida. UK turned to senior Alex Phillips for the six-out save, with Phillips striking out three in two perfect innings for his sixth save of the year.

With the win, UK has now equaled the second-most wins in conference play in program history, matching the 16 wins the 2008 team posted en route to a school-record 44 wins. Phillips’ save gave UK its 17th on the year, tying the school mark set in 1993 with 17 team saves. UK has also won 39 games in 2012, just shy of equaling the 40 wins from the 1987 club.

The Wildcats got out to an early 2-0 lead with two runs in the bottom of the second behind McCarthy’s two-out, two-RBI double off the wall in rightfield. Alabama answered in the third, taking advantage of a UK throwing error and three hits to even the game at 2-2. UK immediately answered with two runs in the bottom of the third for the lead and the final margin.

UK was led offensively by a two-hit game from Cameron Flynn, who launched his ninth double of the year and McCarthy’s 16th double of 2012. Austin Cousino, Luke Maile, Michael Williams and A.J. Reed also added hits, with Zac Zellers drawing a walk and J.T. Riddle delivering an RBI. Cousino tied the UK freshman school record with his 71st hit in 2012, equaling Chris Gonzalez’s record in 1993.

Alabama (18-31, 7-18 SEC) starter Spencer Turnbull (2-5) worked 2.2 innings, allowing three hits and four runs, walking four and striking out two. Justin Kamplain took over for Turnbull, working a strong four innings, allowing four hits and no runs, walking two and striking out two. Jay Shaw got the final 1.1 innings, not allowing a runner with one strikeout.

The series will resume on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET at Cliff Hagan Stadium in the first of a series-concluding twinbill, the final home games of the 2012 regular-season. Ticket holders can use tickets for Saturday or Sunday to gain admission to either game. Fans not attending either game with tickets for Sunday are eligible for a refund by calling the UK Ticket Office on Monday.

The opening game will be televised live on the UK IMG Network, available on Fox Sports South and locally on C-WKYT, with Dick Gabriel, Doug Flynn and Ryan Lemond calling the action. Fans in Central Kentucky can hear the radio broadcast with Neil Price live on WLAP 630-AM, in Louisville on WKJK 1080-AM and online at UKathletics.com. UK will send junior lefty Jerad Grundy (4-2, 4.08 ERA) to the mound on Saturday to face off with Alabama freshman lefty Jon Keller (1-5, 4.14 ERA).

Alabama threatened in the top of first inning, as Taylor Dugas led off with a 2-1 single smashed up the middle, clipping the glove of Rogers. Jared Reaves then blooped a single down the rightfield line, with Dugas motoring to third base on the play. Rogers then got Ben Moore to pop out softly to Riddle at second base, before turning a 1-6-3 double play to get out of the inning unscathed.

The Wildcats got on the board first in the bottom of the second, as Maile drew a walk in his third consecutive plate appearance to lead off, getting erased on a double play from Riddle. Williams then singled through the right side and Reed drew a full-count walk, with both taking an extra base on a wild pitch. McCarthy then smashed his 16th double of the year off the rightfield wall to score the duo and give UK a 2-0 lead, snapping his 0-for-17 stretch entering the at bat.

Alabama immediately responded in the top of the third inning, as James Tullidge led off with a single to centerfield. After a fly out from Kenny Roberts, Dugas chopped a grounder into the hole on the right side. Riddle ranged deep into the hole but his spinning throw to first sailed wide, allowing Dugas to take second and Tullidge third. Reaves then singled up the middle to score Tullidge and Moore drew a walk to load the bases. Austen Smith then hung a sacrifice fly to right field to score Dugas and even the game at 2-2.

UK regained the lead in the bottom of the third inning, as Cousino was hit by a pitch to lead off and Zellers drew a walk. Flynn then smacked a single to shallow rightfield to load the bases for Maile. Maile worked the count full before chopping a grounder up the middle for an RBI fielder’s choice, allowing Cousino to score with Flynn out at second. Riddle then grounded out to second base to score Zellers and give UK a 4-2 lead.

GAME NOTES: UK turned its 41st double play of the year to get out of a first and third, no-out jam in the first inning … Luke Maile drew a walk in his third consecutive plate appearance, dating back to a career-high three walks at Indiana on Wednesday, drawing a free pass in four of his last five plate appearances … Thomas McCarthy snapped a 0-for-17 stretch with a two-out, two-RBI double in the second inning, his 16th double of the year … McCarthy leads the team with 20 two-out hits, adding 12 two-out RBI … Austin Cousino was hit by his fifth pitch of the year and has now reached base safely in 46 of his 49 career games … Cousino tied the UK single-season school record for hits in a season by a freshman, equaling Chris Gonzalez’s 71 hits in 1993 … UK turned a 6-3 double play to get out of the inning in the fifth, its 42nd twin-killing of the year … A.J. Reed recorded his fourth two-walk game of the year and his second consecutive … Cameron Flynn doubled for the ninth time in 2012 … Taylor Rogers worked his sixth quality start of the year and the 17th of his three-year career … His seven innings pitched is a season high and his longest outing since tossing seven innings at No. 4 Florida on May 19, 2011 … Alex Phillips saved his sixth game of the year, with UK equaling the school record set in 1993 with its 17 saves … Phillips now has the seventh-most saves in UK single-season history … UK has tied the second-most wins in SEC play in program history … UK is now 16-5 in one or two-run games in 2012 and 2-1 in two-run games.

- GO CATS -

SEASON TICKET PRICES
$35 General Admission
$55 Reserved Seating

UK MEDIA RELATIONS

May 7, 2012

REED NAMED TO OLERUD TWO-WAY PLAYER WATCH LIST

College Baseball Hall of Fame Tabs A.J. Reed on Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky freshman southpaw and first baseman A.J. Reed has been named one of 20 of the top two-way players in the nation on the annual College Baseball Hall of Fame John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award Watch List, it was announced.

A native of Terre Haute, Ind., Reed is one of 20 players named to the initial watch list for the Olerud Award. A 6-foot-4, 230-pounder, Reed has shined for the Wildcats as a vital left-handed pitcher and as a run-producing presence in the UK lineup.

Reed has hit .297 (49-for-165) in 45 games and 44 starts for UK during the historic Wildcats 2012 season. Reed has slugged nine doubles, three homers and 39 RBI at the plate for UK and pitched in 12 games with four starts, posting a 4-1 record and a 3.52 ERA. Reed has tossed 30.2 innings, allowing 35 hits and 12 earned runs, walking six and striking out 32. Reed has made four midweek starts for UK, owning two quality starts. His RBI total entered the weekend among the SEC’s top eight RBI producers.

A 25th round draft pick out of Terre Haute South High School by the New York Mets, Reed came to UK as the 2011 Indiana High School Player of the Year, batting .425 in his career with a 26-10 record and a 1.88 ERA.

Reed is one of five SEC stars to be tabbed to the watch list, joining Auburn’s Justin Bryant, Florida’s Brian Johnson and Austin Maddox and Tennessee’s Drew Steckenrider.

Reed is one of several UK standouts on midseason watch lists, including Trevor Gott and Luke Maile on the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Watch List. Corey Littrell is on the College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year Watch List, Gott is on the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Stopper of the Year Watch List and freshman centerfielder Austin Cousino has been named to the 2012 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team.

The award, named for the Washington State star who achieved success as both a first baseman and a right-handed pitcher, will be presented as part of the annual College Baseball Night of Champions on June 30 in Lubbock, Texas. The event features the presentation of numerous awards and the induction ceremony for this year’s Hall of Fame class.

“The numbers these players are putting up this season are all the more impressive when you consider they’re doing double-duty as both position players and pitchers,” said co-chair Randy Norman. “Each of these guys has numbers that live up to the legacy of John Olerud.”

Kentucky (37-11, 15-9 SEC) returns to action on Wednesday with a midweek game at Indiana, before hosting Alabama in the final home SEC weekend of the year at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

NAME                         SCHOOL                      CONFERENCE            

Zane Evans                  Georgia Tech              ACC

Jake Davies                 Georgia Tech              ACC

Reid Roper                  Illinois                          Big 10

Josh Dezse                   Ohio State                   Big 10

Cole Sturgeon             Louisville                     Big East

Michael Lorenzen       Cal State Fullerton      Big West

Greg Mahle                 UC Santa Barbara       Big West

Drew Reynolds            East Carolina               Conference USA

Ryan Gorton                Oregon State               Pac-12

Kevin McKague           Army                           Patriot

Justin Bryant               Auburn                        SEC

Brian Johnson Florida                         SEC

Austin Maddox            Florida                         SEC

A.J. Reed                     Kentucky                    SEC

Drew Steckenrider      Tennessee                   SEC

C.K. Irby                       Samford                      Southern

Jeff McVaney              Texas State                  Southland

Casey Selsor                UTSA                            Southland

Marco Gonzales          Gonzaga                     West Coast

Aaron Brown               Pepperdine                  West Coast

Picture by: Steve Harp

The UK baseball team is gearing up for a huge series this weekend against Florida.  As it currently sits the Bat Cats are in a 3-way tie with South Carolina and LSU for first place in the SEC.  You can catch the first game of the series on ESPNU at 7:30, as Kentucky and Florida will be the SEC Game of the Week.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UK MEDIA RELATIONS
May 2, 2012

NO. 3 UK HOSTS TWO-TIME DEFENDING SEC CHAMP NO. 5 FLORIDA
Wildcats Begin Three-Game Series with ESPNU Night SEC Game of the Week

LEXINGTON, Ky. — The third-ranked Kentucky Wildcats will return to action in a crucial three-game series with conference-title implications, hosting No. 5 Florida, with the opener set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. ET at Cliff Hagan Stadium as the ESPNU SEC Game of the Week. The series will resume at 7 p.m. ET on Friday and conclude on Saturday at 2 p.m. ET at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

All three games will be televised, with the Thursday opener the weekly ESPNU SEC Game of the Week, with ESPN’s standout team of Dave Neal (play-by-play), former Stanford star pitcher Kyle Peterson (color) and former Florida softball star Jen Brown (sideline). The Saturday game will be televised on CSS, with Matt Stewart and Joe Beckwith calling the game. On Sunday, Florida’s team of Mick Hubert and former Gary Henderson pitcher while at Florida Jeff Cardozo, will call the game for Fox Sports Florida and Sun Sports.

All three games will be broadcast on the UK IMG Radio Network, with fans in Central Kentucky able to hear the game live on WLAP 630-AM, in Louisville on WKJK 1080-AM and online at UKathletics.com.

Kentucky (36-9, 14-7 Southeastern Conference) enters the series leading the SEC for the seventh consecutive week to enter conference play. The Wildcats are off to the best start to a season and in league play in program history, with its 14-7 mark tied with South Carolina and LSU for the league lead.

The Wildcats are coming off its first poor week of the year, suffering their first SEC series loss of 2012 at defending SEC Champion Vanderbilt. UK owns series wins over No. 2 South Carolina, No. 10 Ole Miss, No. 1 LSU and at Tennessee, No. 18 Georgia and No. 9 Arkansas. UK boasts an 11-6 record against top-25 opponents in 2012 and a 13-4 record in one or two-run games.

UK enters the series ranked No. 3 by Baseball America and Collegiate Baseball, No. 6 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll, No. 7 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association top-30. Florida was the preseason consensus No. 1 team in the nation, the two-time defending SEC Champions and College World Series participants, and the first team in Baseball America history to place seven members on the MLB Scouting Directors preseason All-America team. Florida is currently ranked No. 5 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll, No. 8 (Collegiate Baseball), No. 7 (NCBWA) and No. 7 (Baseball America).

UK has paced by an offensive unit that leads the league in nearly every category, batting .308, with 94 doubles, 48 homers and 39 steals. UK owns a 3.65 team ERA with 14 saves, tossing 397 innings, walking 116 and striking out 355. UK has posted a .974 fielding percentage, turning 38 double plays.

The Wildcats have several star players on award watch lists, including junior catcher Luke Maile and sophomore right-hander Trevor Gott on the USA Baseball Golden Spikes Award Watch List. Senior third baseman Thomas McCarthy is one of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, sophomore southpaw Corey Littrell is on the College Baseball Hall of Fame NCAA Pitcher of the Year Award Watch List and Gott is a member of the NCBWA Stopper of the Year watch list. In addition, freshman centerfielder Austin Cousino has been named to the 22-man Team USA Collegiate National Team.

Individually, UK has been led by Cousino, who owns a .348 average with 18 doubles, one triple, eight homers and 37 RBI, stealing 10-of-10 bases and totaling eight outfield assists. Maile has hit .329 with 10 doubles, 11 homers and 43 RBI, stealing nine bases, with McCarthy batting .323 with 15 doubles, five homers and 26 RBI. Outfielder Zac Zellers has hit .310 with eight doubles, five homers and 18 RBI, while A.J. Reed owns a .302 average with nine doubles, three homers and 39 RBI. Cameron Flynn has hit .286 with seven doubles, nine homers and 30 RBI, while second baseman J.T. Riddle has hit .284 with nine doubles, four homers and 30 RBI. Catcher Michael Williams has hit .271 with four doubles, one homer and 25 RBI, while shortstop Matt Reida has a .258 average with eight doubles, one homer and 16 RBI.

In the bullpen, Gott (1-0, 3.07 ERA) paces the team with eight saves in nine chances, tossing 14.2 innings with only nine hits and five walks surrendered, striking out 22. Alex Phillips (5-2, 2.57 ERA) has appeared in 20 games with five saves, tossing 42 innings, allowing 27 hits and walking nine, striking out 33. Tim Peterson (3-0, 2.35 ERA) has appeared in 21 games with one saves in 23 innings, walking four and allowing only 15 hits with 27 strikeouts. Walter Wijas (2-0, 5.75 ERA), Reed (4-1, 3.60 ERA), Chandler Shepherd (3-0, 4.17 ERA) and Sam Mahar (3-3, 3.03 ERA) have all each appeared in at least 10 games.

UK will send its regular weekend pitching rotation of junior southpaw Taylor Rogers (5-2, 4.84 ERA) on Thursday, junior lefty Jerad Grundy (4-1, 4.29 ERA) on Friday and sophomore lefthander Corey Littrell (6-0, 2.44 ERA) on Saturday. Florida will counter with junior All-American right-hander Hudson Randall (4-1, 3.46 ERA) on Thursday, former first-round draft pick sophomore righty Karsten Whitson (3-0, 3.86 ERA) on Friday and Team USA star junior southpaw Brian Johnson (5-3, 4.50 ERA) on Saturday.

A native of Littleton, Colo., Rogers has made 11 series-opening starts for the Wildcats in 2012. The 2011 Cape Cod League All-Star Game winning pitcher has tossed 61. Innings, allowing 13 walks and 62 strikeouts. Rogers tossed a strong outing in his last Friday-night start at Vanderbilt, hurling 5.2 innings, allowing seven hits and two runs, not allowing and walk and striking out four. Rogers’ two runs allowed came in VU’s bottom of the third inning, with Rogers settling in to toss shutout frames, exiting one out shy of a quality start. In Rogers last start at Florida in 2011, he worked seven innings, allowing 10 hits and nine runs – five earned – walking three and striking out two. Rogers also turned in a strong start vs. Florida in 2010 at Cliff Hagan, tossing 6.2 innings, allowing eight hits and four runs, striking out four in 90 pitches, suffering the loss in a 6-3 game. Randall has been one of the winningest pitchers in college baseball the last three years. He will be making his 10th start of the year on Thursday, owning 52 innings pitched, allowing 53 hits, walking five and striking out 42. In his last start vs. Arkansas in Gainesville, Randall worked six innings, allowing six hits and two runs, walking one and striking out three.

Grundy, a transfer from Heartland CC and Miami (Fla.), has made 11 starts in the middle game of the weekend for the Wildcats in 2012. Grundy has tossed 56.2 innings, allowing 52 hits, 24 walks and 39 strikeouts. In his last start at Vanderbilt on Saturday, Grundy turned in his second consecutive strong outing, allowing three runs in 5.2 innings, with VU notching five hits and one walk. Grundy allowed two VU runs in the second and a single run in the fourth, finishing an out shy of a quality start. Whitson, a former first-round draft pick will be returning to the weekend rotation after battling injuries. He has appeared in eight games with six starts this year, tossing 16.1 innings, allowing 21 hits and four walks, striking out eight. In his last appearance, Whitson returned to the starting mound on April 25 vs. Bethune-Cookman, tossing four shutout innings, allowing only four hits and no walks, striking out one.

The 2010 Louisville Slugger Kentucky High School Player of the Year out of Louisville’s Trinity High School, Littrell will be making his 12th series-finale start of the year on Saturday. On the year, Littrell has made 11 starts in series finales, tossing 66.1 innings, allowing only 69 hits and 18 walks, striking out 56. Littrell has started six consecutive rubber match games in series finales, with UK winning five of his rubber-match starts. In his last start, Littrell put UK in position to win the finale at Vanderbilt, tossing 5.1 innings, allowing six hits and one run, walking two and striking out four. In his last start at Florida in the season finale in 2011, Littrell was forced into the start as UK’s scheduled starter, Jordan Cooper, had to stay at the hotel due to illness as the team battled food poisoning. Littrell worked 3.1 innings, allowing 10 hits and eight runs – seven earned – walking two and striking out two in the start at UF, suffering the loss. Johnson has made 12 starts for UF this year in the rotation, tossing a team-high 60 innings, allowing 65 hits and 12 walks, striking out 50. In his last start vs. No. 17 Arkansas on Saturday, Johnson worked 4.1 innings, allowing eight hits and five runs, walking one and striking out six.

Florida (33-12, 12-9 SEC) entered the season in the debate as the most talented team in the history of college baseball, the preseason consensus No. 1 team and setting a Baseball America record with seven members on the MLB Scouting Director’s preseason All-America team. The two-time defending SEC Champion Gators have lost three of their last five SEC series, entering the weekend just two games behind UK and South Carolina atop the SEC Eastern Division.

UF leads the nation with 56 homers, batting .284 as a team, with 78 doubles, 39 steals and a league-best .980 fielding mark. On the mound, UF owns a sparkling 3.00 team ERA with 13 saves, walking a staggeringly small 83 in 405 innings, striking out 359.

The Gators have been led by reigning SEC Player of the Year, junior catcher Mike Zunino. Zunino owns a .335 average with 18 doubles, an SEC-high 12 homers and 43 RBI. Outfielder Daniel Pigott has hit .335 with 11 doubles, two triples, five homers and 28 RBI. Two-way start Brian Johnson has hit .320 with eight doubles, five homers and 30 RBI, while senior slugger Preston Tucker has hit .309 with 11 doubles, 11 homers and 34 RBI. Shortstop Nolan Fontana returns as arguably the top shortstop in college baseball, batting .300 with six doubles, eight homers and 26 RBI, stealing nine bags. Casey Turgeon owns a .269 average with seven doubles, three homers, 18 RBI and seven steals. Freshman sensation Taylor Gushue has cooled off after a stellar start as an early graduate to enter UF, batting .215 with seven doubles, five homers and 20 RBI.

In the bullpen for UF, two-way slugger Austin Maddox (2-2, 1.58 ERA) has saved a league-best 12 games in 25 outings, tossing 45.2 innings, allowing 30 hits and eight walks, striking out 51. Righty Greg Larson (5-0, 1.62 ERA) has been a workhorse for UF, appearing in 23 games, tossing 39 innings with 31 strikeouts.

Florida leads the all-time series with Kentucky, 129-56-1, including a 53-28-1 mark in games played in Lexington. Florida has won four of the last five series, with UK’s last series wins coming in Lexington in 2006 and 2008. UK last won a series vs. UF in 2008, with UK riding Collin Cowgill’s bat in the series, with Cowgill batting .625 on the weekend and Sawyer Carroll batting .545 (6-for-11) with six RBI during the series.

In the last meeting, Florida claimed the series in Gainesville with a decisive rubber-match win. UK was led during the three-game series by the blistering bat of McCarthy, who hit .533 (8-for-15) during the week with five RBI. In the opener, Florida posted a 9-6 win over UK, getting three runs in the bottom of the second to opener the scoring. UK rallied with four runs in the next half inning to take a lead, before UF evened it in the bottom of the third, plating three runs in the sixth and two in the eighth for the win, with UK getting single runs in the sixth and seventh. UK starter Taylor Rogers, who put worked seven innings, allowing 10 hits and nine runs – five earned – walking three and striking out two in 113 pitches. Rogers exited with two runners on base in the eighth inning, with UK’s bullpen allowing the runners to score. Brian Johnson started against UK, working six innings, allowing seven hits and five runs – four earned – walking one and striking out six. UK got three hits from McCarthy and a three-RBI game from Chad Wright. Florida got a two-homer game from Zunino, who went 3-for-5 with five RBI. UK evened the series with a win at Florida in the second game, using a strong start from Alex Meyer, who went seven innings, allowing only five hits and one run, striking out nine in UK’s 14-1 win. UK collected 18 hits on Florida, roughing up starter Hudson Randall. Randall worked four innings, allowing seven hits and five runs – four earned – walking one and striking out three. UK used Alex Phillips out of the pen, with two shutout innings to close out the win. UK got four hits from McCarthy and three-hit games from Wright, Taylor Black and Neiko Johnson, with Johnson charting a career-high four RBI. Florida rebounded to post a 19-3 win over UK in the finale to win the series and conclude the regular season. Corey Littrell started for UK, as scheduled starter Jordan Cooper had to stay at the hotel due to illness. Littrell went 3.1 innings, allowing 10 hits and eight runs, walking two and striking out two. UF plated one in the second, two in the third, seven in the fourth, four in the fifth, two in the sixth and three in the eighth for the resounding win. Karsten Whitson worked five innings in a start, allowing seven hits and one run, striking out four. UK got three hits from Black and Wright.

UK ranks throughout the SEC stats (as of April 30), checking in second in average (.308), first in slugging (.469), second in on-base percentage (.398), first in runs (312), second in hits (470), first in RBI (287), first in doubles (94), second in homers (48), first in total bases (716) and third in hit batters (70). Individually, Cousino ranks 11th in average (.348), seventh in slugging (.583), second in runs (46), third in hits (65), 10th in RBI (37), first in doubles (18), seventh in homers (eight), second in total bases (109) and seventh in steals (10). Maile ranks fifth in slugging (.587), third in runs (40), third in RBI (43), second in homers (11) and sixth in total bases (98). Zellers ranks fourth in on-base percentage (.464) and first in hit by pitches (18). Flynn ranks sixth in homers (nine), while Reed ranks seventh in RBI (39), with McCarthy checking in fifth in doubles (15). On the mound, Littrell ranks sixth in ERA (2.44), sixth in innings pitched (66.1), third in wins (six) and first in pickoffs (five). Rogers ranks seventh in strikeouts (62) and second in looking strikeouts (27). Gott ranks third in saves (eight) and games finished (17).

Records
Kentucky – 36-9, 14-7 SEC
Florida – 33-12, 12-9 SEC

Rankings
Kentucky: No. 3 (Collegiate Baseball/Baseball America), No. 6 (USA Today/ESPN coaches), No. 7 (NCBWA)
Florida: No. 5 (NCBWA), No. 6 (USA Today/ESPN coaches), No. 7 (Baseball America), No. 8 (Collegiate Baseball)

Schedule (times Eastern and subject to change) — Lexington, Ky.
Thursday, May 3 * vs. No. 5 Florida * 7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)
Friday, May 4 * vs. No. 5 Florida * 7 p.m. (CSS)
Saturday, May 5 * vs. No. 5 Florida * 2 p.m. (Fox Sports Florida/Sun Sports)

Radio (UK IMG Radio Network with Neil Price)
Thursday: WLAP 630-AM in Lexington; WKJK 1080-AM in Louisville
Friday: WLAP 630-AM in Lexington; WKJK 1080-AM in Louisville
Saturday: WLAP 630-AM in Lexington; WKJK 1080-AM in Louisville

Television
Thursday: ESPNU nationally with Dave Neal, Kyle Peterson and Jen Brown
Friday: CSS with Matt Stewart and Joe Beckwith
Saturday: Fox Sports Florida/Sun Sports with Mick Hubert and Jeff Cardozo

Internet Coverage
Live audio and stats on UKathletics.com

Tentative Pitching Matchups
Thursday vs. Florida
Jr., LHP Taylor Rogers (5-2, 4.84 ERA) vs. Jr., RHP Hudson Randall (4-1, 3.46 ERA)
Friday vs. Florida
Jr., LHP Jerad Grundy (4-1, 4.29 ERA) vs. So., RHP Karsten Whitson (3-0, 3.86 ERA)
Saturday vs. Florida
So., LHP Corey Littrell (6-0, 2.44 ERA) vs. Jr., LHP Brian Johnson (5-3, 4.50 ERA)

Promotions
Special Edition Baseball Trading Cards: Season ticket holders can begin picking up the second of three sets of the special edition UK baseball trading cards.
Cliff Dwellers: Be sure to register at the gazebo to earn your way towards an official Cliff Dweller T-Shirt. Attend any four SEC home games and get a white version, eight games for the blue version and 12 games for the black version.
Ice Cream Sundaes on Saturday: Fans can enjoy Ice Cream Sundaes at the ballpark on Saturday.
Autograph Saturday: Fans can take part in SEC Autograph Saturday following the series finale.

Stadium
Cliff Hagan Stadium (3,400)

Parking
Parking at Cliff Hagan Stadium is FREE.

UK will utilize three lots: the C8 lot behind Shively Sports Center, the R lot on the first base side and brand-new Parking Structure 7 on the corner of Complex Drive and Jerry Claiborne Way. All three parking lots are only steps away from Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Fans who park in the PS7 lot will be given a parking value card to exit the structure free of charge. Value cards should be picked up at the baseball ticket booth prior to the fifth inning.

Tickets
SINGLE GAME TICKET PRICES
$5 – General Admission Seating – Adults
$2 – General Admission Seating – Kids/Seniors

SEASON TICKET PRICES
$35 General Admission
$55 Reserved Seating

- GO CATS -

The UK Baseball team is coming off of its first series loss of the year after losing the rubber match yesterday at Vanderbilt.  The Bat Cats lost the series this weekend at Vandy as well as  a mid-week game to Little Brother Louisville.  They return to the field later this week beginning Thursday when they host #1 Florida.  The games are as follows…..

Thursday, May 3  vs. No. 1 Florida  7:30 p.m. (ESPNU)

Friday, May 4  vs. No. 1 Florida  7 p.m. (CSS)

Saturday, May 5  vs. No. 1 Florida  2 p.m.

Currently UK (36-9, 14-7 SEC)  is in a 3-way tie at the top of the SEC along with LSU(#3) and South Carolina(#4).  The Cats only have three series left starting with #1 Florida this weekend, Alabama at home and then traveling to Mississippi State.  This weekend will be a huge one for the Bat Cats as they need to get back to their winning ways to continue their march to an SEC championship.

GAME NOTES: Thomas McCarthy has now reached base safely in 95 of his 99 career games … J.T. Riddle laid down his fifth sacrifice bunt of the year … Matt Reida recorded his eighth double of the year … Freshman Austin Cousino has now reached base safely in 41 of his 44 career games … Trevor Gott allowed his first hit in SEC play all year in the eighth, a grand slam … UK suffered its first series loss of the year, snapping a streak of seven straight weekend wins in SEC play in 2012.

Be sure to vote, Big Blue Nation.  I even highlighted that path for you. 

Get it done.  Carry on. 

UK Third Baseman One of 10 Finalists for Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky’s Thomas McCarthy – a 2011 All-Southeastern Conference third baseman – has been named one of 10 finalists for the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award, it was announced on Wednesday afternoon. 

A native of Corvallis, Ore., McCarthy is one of the top 10 seniors in college baseball, who excel both on and off the field, to be named finalists for the prestigious honor. The award honors four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition. An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages student-athletes to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities. 

McCarthy, a 6-foot-2, 200-pound right-handed hitter, owns a 3.4 cumulative GPA as a psychology major. A high-character individual who has been a vocal and physical team leader for the Wildcats, McCarthy has been praised throughout his career for his leadership, work ethic and infectious personality. A co-captain on the 2012 team, McCarthy is a member of UK’s Student Athletic Advisory Council. 

In the community, McCarthy has been extremely active during his two years in Lexington, including volunteering to mentor and coach children at the Bluegrass Miracle League, a little league geared for allowing handicapped children the ability to play baseball. He worked as a buddy at the Miracle League, helping provide amazing opportunities for handicapped children, who otherwise would not be given an opportunity to play the game. McCarthy has volunteered to work with the God’s Pantry program, packing backpacks for under-privileged elementary children and distributing them at local schools. He has also volunteered to speak at various elementary schools, participated in a bake sale for the Salvation Army and helped raise money for a young girl who was desperately in need of finances for a blood transfusion. 

On the field, McCarthy has been a consistent hitting machine since beginning his college career. After hitting over .400 at a pair of junior college stops, McCarthy became the first UK third baseman to be named first-team All-SEC since Jim Let in 1972. During his junior season, McCarthy led the team with a .371 average, boasting a staggering .411 mark in conference action. As a senior, McCarthy hasn’t slowed up, batting .329 with 15 doubles, five homers and 26 RBI, stealing three bases. After reaching base safely in 53 of his 54 starts in 2011, McCarthy has now reached base safely in 92 of his 96 career games.  

Overall in his two-year UK career, McCarthy owns a .353 average (130-for-368) with 34 doubles, two triples, 12 homers and 65 RBI, stealing 11 bases. McCarthy currently ranks sixth in UK career history in batting average. 

The finalists were selected by a media committee from the list of the 30 candidates announced in the preseason. Fans can begin the nationwide fan voting immediately to determine the winner. Fans are encouraged to vote on the Lowe’s Senior CLASS Award website through June 11. Fan voting, combined with media and head coaches’ votes will determine the winner. The award winner will be announced during the College World Series, held June 15-26 in Omaha.

 Kentucky (35-7, 13-5 SEC) returns to action on Friday traveling to the defending SEC Champion Vanderbilt Commodores for a three-game series, beginning at 7:30 p.m. ET at Hawkins Field.

In case you haven’t heard–and I’m SURE you have–the Bat Cats are putting a whoopin’ on the SEC.  By the way, they’re also #1 in the country.  One of the big reasons for the Kentucky baseball resurgence has been their starting rotation, led by Corey Littrell. 

How well has Littrell played so far this season?  Well enough to be named to the College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year Award.  Yeah, he’s pretty good. 

See below  for the entire story.  Enjoy. 

(courtesy of UK Athletics)

UK Sophomore Southpaw Named to College Baseball Hall of Fame Watch List

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky sophomore southpaw Corey Littrell has been named to the initial watch list for the College Baseball Hall of Fame National Pitcher of the Year Award, it was announced. 

A native of Louisville, Ky., Littrell is one of 51 of the nation’s most dominating pitchers to be named to the initial watch list. The Pitcher of the Year Award will be announced on June 30 in Lubbock, Texas, as part of the College Baseball Night of Champions. 

The 2010 Louisville Slugger Kentucky High School Player of the Year out of Trinity High School, Littrell has been one of the most effective pitchers in college baseball through his first 10 starts of 2012. Littrell has hurled six quality starts on the year, owning a 6-0 record and a 2.51 ERA. In his staff-best 61 innings, Littrell has allowed 16 walks and struck out 52. Before a no-decision on Sunday vs. No. 1 LSU, Littrell had won four consecutive Sunday rubber-match games, helping UK open up with series victories in the first six weekends. In addition, the lefty leads the Southeastern Conference with five pickoffs.

 “The pitchers featured on this top 50 list have been dominant all season,” said Justin Knowles, Pitcher of the Year Award co-chair. “They have impressive individual game statistics as well as season-long numbers that justify their inclusion on the list. I look forward to seeing how they finish the last month of the season.” 

Top-ranked Kentucky (35-7, 13-5 SEC) returns to action on Friday at 7:30 p.m. ET, traveling to the defending SEC Champion Vanderbilt Commodores for a three-game series at Hawkins Field.

Picture by: Steve Harp

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
UK MEDIA RELATIONS
April 24, 2012

NO. 20 LOUISVILLE POSTS MIDWEEK WIN OVER NO. 1 UK
Wildcats Return to Action Friday, Face Defending SEC Champion Vandy Friday

LEXINGTON, Ky. — No. 20 Louisville took advantage of a pair of unearned runs in the top of the first inning, opening the game up with a six-run third inning for a 10-2 win over No. 1 Kentucky to sweep the two-game season series, on an overcast Tuesday night in front of a UL season-high 3,862 at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Kentucky (35-7) suffered just its second non-conference loss of the year, with both coming at the hands of the Cardinals. The Wildcats sport a sparkling 22-2 record vs. non-SEC foes this year. UL posted a resounding 12-0 win earlier in the year in Lexington. The series sweep avenges UK’s sweep over the Cards last year, when the Wildcats claimed both meetings.

UK starter Sam Mahar (3-2) worked into the third inning in his second career start, tossing two innings, before loading the bases and walking in a run to end his game. He allowed five hits and six runs – four earned – in his two innings, walking two without a strikeout. Freshman Chandler Shepherd replaced Mahar with the bases loaded and no outs in the bottom of the third inning, struggling to get out of the inning, allowing the first four hitters he faced to reach base before recording an out. Shepherd worked 2.2 innings, allowing four hits and three runs, walking three and striking out one. Freshman A.J. Reed worked 1.1 shutout innings with a strikeout, with junior righty Walter Wijas also tossing a shutout frame. Tim Peterson worked the eighth inning for the Wildcats

The Wildcats collected five hits in the loss, with UK getting singles from Jeff Boehm, Thomas McCarthy, Zac Zellers and Cameron Flynn. Michael Williams also collected a hit and drew a walk, with Austin Cousino recording an RBI groundout and drew a walk.

Louisville (29-12) starter Chad Green (3-0) worked three innings, allowing two hits and one run, walking one and striking out one. Travis Tingle took over to start the fourth inning, tossing two shutout innings, allowing only one UK hit and one walk, striking out two. Cody Ege, Dace Kime, Cole Sturgeon and Derek Self also pitched in relief for UL.

UK returns to action on Friday, traveling to defending SEC Champion Vanderbilt for a three-game series. The series will begin on Friday at 7 p.m. ET in Nashville, with the games broadcast live on the UK IMG Radio Network, available live in Central Kentucky on WLAP 630-AM, in Louisville on WKJK 1080-AM and online at UKathletics.com.

After a scoreless top half of the first for the Wildcats, Louisville was the first on the scoreboard. Nick Ratajczak got the Cardinals started by reaching on an error. With two outs, Ty Young singled to right field, putting runners on first and second with two outs. Mahar walked Stewart Ijames to load the bases before Alex Chittenden hit a single up the middle to score Ratajczak and Young. Cousino threw out Ijames trying to advance to third on the single but not before the Cardinals had two runners cross and take a 2-0 lead.

The Wildcats got on the scoreboard in the top of the third as Williams led off with a base on balls. Williams advanced to second with one out on a well-executed sacrifice bunt from Reida. Williams advanced to third on a passed ball before scoring on a ground out from Cousino. Kentucky entered the bottom half of the third trailing by just one at 2-1.

Ratajczak got Louisville started in the bottom of the third with a leadoff double to left center. Lucas followed with a single through the left side to put runners on first and third with no outs. Young was hit by a pitch to load the bases with no outs. Mahar walked Ijames to score Ratajczak, the Cardinals third run of the evening with the bases still loaded and no outs. Shepherd entered the game in the top of the third and hits the first batter he faced, bringing home the Cardinals’ second run of the inning. Jeff Gardner followed up with a ground-rule double down the right field line, scoring Ijames and Young and leaving Gardner and Wasserman on second and third. Kyle Gibson walked for Louisville to load the bases once again, still no outs. On a high, chopping groundball, Matt Helms reached safely on an infield single, scoring Wasserman and leaving the bases still loaded. Shepherd recorded Kentucky’s first out of the inning with a fly ball to center, the sacrifice fly extended Louisville’s lead to 8-1 with Gardner crossing the plate. Shepherd got the Wildcats out of the bottom of the third with a pop up in foul territory and a fly out to left but the damage was already done as Louisville took an 8-1 lead.

Louisville added it on in the bottom of the fifth as Shepherd surrendered a one-out walk to Helms, the fifth walk of the night by the Kentucky pitching staff. Cole Sturgeon reached on an inside single to shortstop and Ratajczak walked to load the bases with one out. Lucas plated the Cardinals’ ninth run of the night with an RBI fly out to center, scoring Helms. Reed took the mound for the Wildcats with two outs and runners on first and second and used just one pitch to get Kentucky out of the inning. Louisville claimed a 9-1 lead.

Kentucky made some noise in the top of the seventh. Boehm led off the Wildcats with an infield single to second base. Williams followed Boehm with a single through the right side. Reida reached on a fielder’s choice to leave runners on first and third with one out. Kentucky loaded the bases with one out after a Cousino walk. McCarthy knocked in the Wildcats’ second run of the night with a sacrifice fly to right field that scored Boehm. With runners on second and third Maile flew out to deep right center to end the inning for the Wildcats. Kentucky got one run back in the top of the seventh, but still trailed 9-2.

Louisville added a run in the bottom of the eighth, as Young doubled with one out, scoring after Mike White blooped a single down the leftfield line with two outs.

GAME NOTES: Freshmen Jeff Boehm (DH) and Sam Mahar (SP) made their first career road starts … Freshman centerfielder Austin Cousino recorded his team-leading eighth outfield assist in the first inning … Matt Reida laid down his team-best seventh sacrifice bunt … Thomas McCarthy extended his hitting streak to a season-long and team-leading nine games with a two-out hit – his team-high 19th in the third … Zac Zellers has now reached base safely in a team-high 13 games … Jeff Boehm drew his first career walk in the fourth inning … UK’s bullpen stretch of not allowing an earned run in 22.1 innings was snapped in the third inning … The six runs allowed by UK in the third inning are the most for an opponent in a single inning in 2012.

- GO CATS -