With spring football wrapping up this past weekend with the Blue/White Game, head coach Joker Phillips joined the Southeastern Conference Coaches Media Teleconference to talk about his team. Here is the complete transcript of his comments:

On UK's team coming off of spring practice ...
"We think we made some tremendous progress. We got a lot of our goals accomplished that we set out for spring ball, which is, one, just make sure we got all of our players in the right position. We've had some position changes early in spring that we want to give our kids an opportunity to compete and give ourselves a chance to get the best players on the field. We feel good about the position changes. You don't want to go start making position changes this time of year after spring ball and waste the opportunity to get people in the best position during those 15 practices. A lot of young kids that got a chance to continue their development on both sides of the ball, on offense, defense and also the special teams. We're looking forward to getting back with these young men in August."

On which specific position changes have been executed ...
"We moved a young running back, Marcus Caffey, from running back to one of our corners. He's made the transition really smooth. We think he has a chance to be a big-time player. He was recruited by a lot of teams to be a corner, but we offered him an opportunity to be a tailback and we did give him that opportunity his first year. Then he came into us after this season and wanted to be given an opportunity to play at the corner position so that's worked out really well for us. He finishes the spring as our starting boundary corner and he's a big, strong physical guy that's very athletic and looks like the corners you play against in this league. We were able to move Josh Forrest, who came in as a wide receiver, to an outside linebacker. The thing that we have to do is project and we projected Josh Forrest to be a wide receiver/tight end or an outside backer someday. He has settled in at the outside linebacker position and doing it very well. Now we have a 6-foot-3-and-a-half, 230-pound backer that came here after two years of playing high school football at 190 pounds, so we feel good about that change also. We moved Daryl Collins from an outside receiver to a slot receiver and we will not work him at both positions and just getting him settled in at the slot receiver, I think that's been a real helpful move for us also. We moved Teven Eatmon(-Nared), who is our backup left guard, he was playing some tackle last year to guard. We moved (Kevin) Mitchell from inside guard to a right tackle and he's actually starting at the right tackle now."

On what impressed him about Mikie Benton enough to offer a walk-on spot and what he's done to become a starter at safety ...
"First of all, he was a smart kid. He came here as an engineering student on an academic scholarship and he had won and competed in the state championship here in Kentucky in track. It was a guy that was smart and could run and was blessed with a pretty good body. Once we got into this thing, and he's been a guy that we've used as an example in terms of when we bring walk-ons into our program. Mikie Benton was invited back for the 105 after the first year. He was not invited back with the 105, which is to start training camp, after his second year. Not until his third year was he invited back for training camp even. (He was) a guy that was real persistent and worked his tail off and got a chance to get on the field as a special teams player and then moved from a special teams player to a guy that, when we changed defenses, he was one of the guys that picked up and grasped it quicker than anyone, which gave him an opportunity to get on the field and compete. We've used Mikie Benton a lot in homes when we're tying to talk guys into walking on."

On John L. Smith taking over as head coach at Arkansas ...
"I know John L. a little, have spent a little time with him in my time at Cincinnati when we competed against him at Utah and at Louisville. In terms of him taking over this time of the year, I don't really know the situation but the teams that I have competed against him, they are always very competitive. We know that Arkansas has a lot of good athletes returning, good football players returning. John L. will have those guys competing at a high level."

As usual, the marketing and Sports Video departments put together a great show on Monday night at the 10th annual CATSPY Awards. Over the next couple days, we'll be sharing some of the videos shown during the event. Appropriately first is the introduction.

During Kentucky's Final Four win over archrival Louisville, Terrence Jones chased a loose ball past the baseline at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome and bowled into a Cardinal cheerleader. The young woman hit her head on the play and received four stitches before returning to cheer the rest of the game.

Afterward, Jones found out that she had gotten hurt on the play and said that he needed to buy her flowers. At the time, most who heard him say it - me included - thought it was a funny comment that wouldn't be followed up on. We were wrong.

On Monday, Jones brought a bouquet to U of L cheer practice to apologize for the collision. Louisville television station WHAS11 was on hand and captured the moment. Here is the video:

Baseball
- With No. 1 LSU coming to Cliff Hagan Stadium, No. 2 Kentucky won the series over top-ranked LSU with wins in the second and third game of the series. Kentucky's series win is the first over a No. 1 ranked team in the modern era of the program, with the Wildcats producing record crowds during the three-game set.
- UK leads the nation in wins, sits atop the SEC standings and owns a 12-3 record in one-run games and an 11-5 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 and No. 1 LSU. The Wildcats are off to the best start to a season in the over 100-year history of the program, with its SEC start the best in program annals.
- The Wildcats have been paced by a team offense that leads the conference in nearly every category, hitting .316 as a team, with a .488 slugging and a .403 on-base percentage, belting 47 homers in 41 games and stealing 36 bases. Individually, freshman centerfielder Austin Cousino leads UK with a .351 average, with a league-leading 17 doubles, seven homers and 34 RBI, stealing nine bases.

Football
- The Kentucky football team held its annual Blue/White Game Saturday evening at Commonwealth Stadium. The first teamers, who went by Kentucky on the scoreboard, won 35-28 over the second team (Wildcats). The first team outscored the second team 35-14 overall, as the Wildcats were spotted 14 points as part of the spring game format.
- Quarterback Maxwell Smith led Kentucky to victory, totaling 353 yards on 29-of-45 passing and two touchdowns.
- Wide receiver Demarco Robinson led Kentucky's receiving corps with nine catches for 146 yards and two touchdowns. The Wildcats' leading receiver was tight end Anthony Kendrick with three catches for 40 yards and one touchdown.
- On defense, linebacker Tyler Brause was the Wildcats' leading tackler with seven, while linebacker Avery Williamson charted a team-high eight tackles, including two for loss and one sack for the Kentucky squad.

Men's tennis
- The sixth-ranked Kentucky men's tennis team made its second consecutive appearance in the Southeastern Conference Tournament finals over the weekend before falling to fourth-ranked Georgia in the title match. This was Kentucky's third all-time appearance in the final match.
- Kentucky defeated No. 43 Vanderbilt and No. 13 Ole Miss to advance to the finals. The win over VU was Kentucky's 25th of the season, helping UK surpass the 25-win mark for three consecutive seasons for the first time in school history.
- Senior No. 3 Eric Quigley led Kentucky with a 2-0 record in singles action, helping him break the school record for most wins in a single season with a 47-6 record this year. Kentucky junior Anthony Rossi and sophomore Tom Jomby were named to the SEC All-Tournament team after the final match.

Softball
- The Kentucky softball team traveled to the state of Mississippi for a five-game road swing. UK began the week well with a sweep of Ole Miss, which marked the fifth consecutive time the Wildcats had earned a series from the Rebels.
- Both senior pitchers in Chanda Bell and Rachel Riley earned victories, while freshman Griffin Joiner led the bats with an .800 average against the Rebels.
- Mississippi State took all three against UK during the weekend series, winning all three outings by just one run each game. The final two wins came in walk-off fashion.

Track and field
- Junior Luis Orta finished ninth in the 3,000-meter run at the Mt. SAC Relays in Walnut, Calif., running the third-fastest 3,000m run (8:49.45) in school history.
- Sophomore Brandon Bagley ran a career-best time in the 400m hurdles Saturday, clocking in with a 53.93 to finish third.
- The women's 4x100m relay team finished first with a time of 45.62, Andrew Evans won the men's discus with a 176-02 and Terri-Ann Grant won the women's high jump at 5-10.50.
- Jennifer Svoboda threw a season-best mark in the women's shot put with a mark of 50-08.75.

Women's tennis
- The women's tennis team traveled to Oxford, Miss., for the SEC Championship. The 11th-seeded Wildcats faced 6th-seeded South Carolina in the first round of the tournament.
- In doubles play, the 82nd-ranked team of Jessica Stiles and Caitlin McGraw took on No. 37 Dijana Stojic and Jaklin Alawi in a highly-competitive match. UK mounted a late comeback to hold off Stojic and Alawi from taking match-point on multiple occasions, holding the score at 7-6. Ultimately, Stojic and Alawi were able to barely edge out Stiles and McGraw to take the 8-6 win and the doubles point.
- In singles play, multiple Wildcats found strength in their second set. Unfortunately, the late surges were not enough to grab the singles wins. South Carolina secured its win as the No. 4 and No. 5 matches ended simultaneously to give the Gamecocks a 5-0 victory.

Women's golf
- The University of Kentucky women's golf team placed ninth at the 2012 SEC Championship.
- Senior Ashlee Rose led the Wildcats, finishing in a tie for 12th at 14-over-par 230. Rose led Kentucky with 35 pars, the second most by an individual on the weekend.
- Junior Betsie Johnson finished in a tie for 29th at 21-over-par 237.

Men's golf
- Kentucky finished seventh at the SEC Championship, going 6-under-par in the final three holes to finish at 26-over-par total.
- Joseph Barr and Stephen Powers led UK, tying for 19th at 4-over-par.
- Kentucky's final team score of 868 was its second-best score at the conference tournament since 2006.

Upcoming schedule

Tuesday, April 23
Softball hosts Morehead State - 4:00 p.m.
Baseball at Louisville - 6:00 p.m.

Thursday, April 25
Track and field at Penn Relays (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Friday, April 26
Softball at Florida - 6:00 p.m.
Baseball at Vanderbilt - 7:30 p.m.
Track and field at Penn Relays (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Saturday, April 27
Softball at Florida - 1:00 p.m.
Baseball at Vanderbilt - 3:00 p.m.
Track and field at Penn Relays (Philadelphia, Pa.)

Sunday, April 28
Softball at Florida - Noon
Baseball at Vanderbilt - 2:00 p.m.
Track and field at Payton Jordan Invitational (Palo Alto, Calif.)

Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes. These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, Apr. 22:

Baseball: Austin Cousino

Freshman centerfielder Austin Cousino was key for UK during a four-game week at the plate, leading UK from the leadoff spot to its first series win over a No. 1 team in program history, taking two of three from No. 1 LSU … Cousino hit .368 (7-for-19) during the week with two home runs, two doubles, five RBI, 15 total bases, a .789 slugging percentage and swiping two bases on two steal attempts … In the midweek blowout of Cincinnati, Cousino went 2-for-4 with a home run and one RBI … Cousino batted .333 (5-for-15) during the weekend series win of LSU, with one home run, two doubles and four RBI … Cousino  went 2-for-5 in game two of the weekend series, hitting his seventh home run of the year and 16th double of the year to go along with three RBI … In the rubber-match win over LSU, Cousino led Kentucky at the plate, going 3-for-5 with his league-leading 17th double of the year … On the year, Cousino has hit a team-high .351 (60-for-171) with seven home runs, a league-leading 17 doubles, .585 slugging pct. and 34 RBI.

Baseball: Luke Maile

Junior infielder/first basemen Luke Maile led UK during a four-game week at the plate, leading UK to its first series win over a No. 1 team in program history, taking two of three from No. 1 LSU … Maile hit .462 (6-for-13) during the week with two home runs, one double, five RBI, 13 total bases and a 1.000 slugging percentage … In the midweek blowout of Cincinnati, Maile went 2-for-3 with a home run and one RBI … Maile batted .400 (4-for-10) during the weekend series vs. LSU, with one home run, one double and four RBI … Maile  went 2-for-3 in game two of the weekend series, drilling his 11th home run of the year to go along with three RBI … In the rubber-match win over LSU, Maile went 1-for-3 with his fourth RBI of the weekend … On the year, Maile has hit .331 (50-for-151) with 10 doubles, an SEC-leading 11 home runs and 41 RBI.

Baseball: Alex Phillips

Alex Phillips shut down LSU in two appearances out of the Kentucky bullpen, including earning a three-inning save in Kentucky’s 8-1 win on Saturday over No. 1 LSU and a 2-inning save in the rubber match on Sunday, winning the series for Kentucky … Phillips faced just 10 batters in his nine-out save on Saturday, allowing just two hits and forcing one strikeout … Phillips notched his fourth save of the year in the rubber match vs. No. 1 LSU, allowing just one run on two hits … Phillips has become a go-to reliever in the UK bullpen, posting a 5-1 record with a 2.33 ERA, four saves, 30 strikeouts and just seven walks in 38.2 innings pitched.

2012 CATSPY Award winners

Nearly a decade ago, the Kentucky Athletics Department gathered in Memorial Coliseum, student-athletes, coaches and staff. They came together to celebrate the 2002-03 athletic year, Mitch Barnhart's first at UK. They came together to celebrate the first-ever CATSPY Awards.

On Monday night, the same personnel, though comprised of many different people, united for the same purpose. The feel this time around was unmistakably unlike that inaugural event.

"This is 10 times," Barnhart said in his comments that closed the 2012 CATSPYs. "We started this in (2003) and the first time we had some folks that showed up in blue jeans and t-shirts and it has escalated to quite a different event."

And it wasn't just for the wardrobe choices that were different.

The 2012 CATSPYs were celebrated under the auspices of the best year in recent UK Athletics history. Kentucky's 22 varsity sports have attained an unprecedented level of success this season. From women's soccer to volleyball to men's basketball to women's basketball to rifle to baseball to men's tennis, the department as a whole is approaching the ambitious vision for on-field success that Barnhart laid out upon his arrival and later with his 15 by 15 by 15 plan.

"What you've accomplished athletically this year, unbelievable," Barnhart said. "Really, really good stuff. Never in this history of this program have we had this many champions in one year."

UK's championship pedigree was on full display from the outset of the CATSPY Awards. Members of the men's and women's basketball, men's tennis and rifle teams, the four squads who have already claimed conference championships - and in the case of men's basketball, a national championship - were called to the stage in recognition of their achievements. With their successes, Kentucky has 10 conference or national championships since 2008, just five short of the goal put forth by Barnhart. Moreover, UK ranks 21st in the latest Director's Cup standings, just six spots shy of his objective with men's tennis and baseball still in the midst of strong seasons.

"Unbelievable that we'd get this far this quickly," Barnhart said to student-athletes and coaches. "That's hats off to you all who have been a part of those championships. To you all that have not, there's still time to put your name on that list."

The work is not over as UK reaches new heights on the field of competition, but Barnhart believes firmly in the ability of the people involved with the program to take it there. With that bright future in mind, he is calling on players, coaches and staff to aspire for greatness in all aspects.

"My greatest concern is not our ability or desire to compete," Barnhart said. "We've clearly established that. You've done that amazingly well. It's how we get there and what we'll do once that moment arrives."

Closing out the 10th annual CATSPYs, Barnhart unveiled a new plan with a familiar format but a different message: "60 by one by 60." He is asking those at UK to improve themselves and the world around them by taking three simple steps in their daily lives.

First, Barnhart is calling for the Wildcats to spend 60 minutes a week communicating on a person-to-person level with a friend, colleague, family member or classmate. He is asking student-athletes, coaches and staff to speak face-to-face or via written note, eschewing Twitter, Facebook and other means of communication that dominate the modern world.

"We've got to get back to the relationships that help drive locker rooms, that drive people, that drive jobs and helps you go where you want to go," Barnhart said. "We've got to be able to communicate."

Next, Barnhart wants to inject the department with a sense of gratitude. To that end, he is calling on everyone involved with it to, once a day, say a genuine word of thanks to someone who has provided for them in some way.

"You cannot be grateful for what you think you're entitled to," Barnhart said. "You can't. We are not entitled to things; they are given to us. We got to be thankful."

Last, he wants student-athletes, coaches and staff to give others a reason to be thankful. He is calling on them to spend 60 minutes a week committing to help another, incorporating the example from the service trip he and members of the football program took to Ethiopia last summer.

 "Who do you go to help?" Barnhart said. "Who do we have that we provide joy to in spite of circumstances? I'm asking you to find somebody like that. I'm asking you to pour 60 minutes into somebody else every week."

Just as with the 15 by 15 by 15 plan, Barnhart knows he is asking a great deal. At the same time, the way UK attacked that first gauntlet he laid down leads him to believe the group he leads can handle this next one too.

"Are we perfect in what we do?" Barnhart said. "Absolutely not. You're not perfect and we're not perfect. But at the end of the day, this is a heck of a good place and there's an awful lot of people in this room I am so proud of because you have represented Kentucky well and in doing so, you've done an awful lot for a lot of people. But I'm saying don't stop."

Consistency and resilience have been the name of the game for Kentucky baseball from the season's opening pitch. There have been inevitable losses along the way in the punishing Southeastern Conference, but even the majority of those have been tight affairs.

The Wildcats aren't accustomed to laying eggs this season, which is what made a 12-0 drubbing two weeks ago at the hands of rival Louisville so surprising. Close to nothing went right as the Cats established tied season worsts in runs scored, hits, errors and runs allowed.

UK will have a chance to redeem itself in another game with the Cardinals on Tuesday at 6 p.m. in Louisville, the finale of the annual two-game set between the in-state foes. Head coach Gary Henderson can't pinpoint exactly what happened in that April 10 defeat, but he does know he expects his squad to play better the second time around.

"I guess if I really knew, we wouldn't have done it the way that we did," Henderson said. "But we were probably a little excited and we have a chance to get that out of our system and show up and play a whole lot better tomorrow night and I think we will."

Henderson is spending little time addressing that earlier loss with his team and even less on the theme of retribution for that night at Cliff Hagan Stadium they'd all rather forget.

"We won't talk about that," Henderson said. "It'll be game number 42 and we just need to show up. It's an important game. They're all important but we need to show up, we need to do a much better job on the mound and we need to have much better at-bats than we did last time. I think we will."

The evidence is on his side.

The U of L defeat was the first of the only two-game losing streak of the season for UK (35-6, 13-5 SEC), and since then, the Cats have played arguably their best baseball of the season. Following a series-opening loss at No. 9 Arkansas, Kentucky has won five of six games, two coming against Arkansas and two more against LSU, then ranked No. 1 in the nation.

The Tigers boast one of the nation's top pitching staffs, and they proved why in striking out 29 batters in three games. However, the Wildcats were able to pound out 32 total hits in the series and 15 runs over the final two games in reclaiming sole possession of first place in the SEC. UK also moved back into the No. 1 ranking according to Collegiate Baseball, tied with Baylor.

"You're never happy about (the strikeouts), but I think you got to give credit to those guys on the other team," Henderson said. "We're not going to do that every game and we've kind of proven that, but sometimes you've got to be able to win when you get up against a talented arm. I thought all three of their arms were outstanding and I thought it was a tribute to our guys on Sunday to punch out that many times and still we had 10, 11 hits and a bunch of doubles."

During the LSU series more than perhaps any other this season, it was a balanced offensive attack that carried UK to its sixth-straight win in an SEC series. The Wildcats five through nine hitters (Cameron Flynn, Zac Zellers, J.T. Riddle, Michael Williams and Matt Reida) combined for 17 of the team's 32 hits, 10 of 19 runs and nine of 19 RBI.

"You see guys whose swing is getting better throughout the course of the year, whether you're talking about Zac Zellers or Matt Reida, they're obviously swinging the bat at a much higher level than they did early on in the year," Henderson said. "I think our sense of offense and putting together some things has gotten better through the course of the year."

As evidenced by a 21-0 start, Kentucky has been good from the outset, but steady improvement is what has allowed the team to thrive in conference play. The offensive evolution has been accompanied by the development of the pitching staff, especially UK's crop of six freshman pitchers.

One of those newcomers will get the start against No. 23 Louisville (28-12, 10-5 Big East). Lefthander Sam Mahar (3-1, 1.71 ERA) made the first 13 appearances of his collegiate career before getting his first career start last Tuesday against Cincinnati. He turned in a superb outing, tossing six scoreless innings while allowing just two base runners and striking out five batters.

"I just thought that he was much more aggressive and much more confident than he had been," Henderson said. "I don't think that's any real surprise for a freshman. I think as the season goes along, they got a chance to continue to develop and get confidence as they go along and they pitch better. He pitched really well."

With another solid outing, Mahar has a chance to put a stranglehold on the midweek starter role that has been in somewhat of a state of flux for much of the season. Incredibly, just two such games remain in a dream 2012 season that has flown by.

UK will continue to prioritize those SEC weekend series as it chases a conference title, but the importance of these final non-conference games isn't lost on the Cats. They recognize the preciousness of wins in their charge toward hosting a potential Regional and Super Regional in the NCAA Tournament, as well as the opportunity to develop pitchers who could play crucial roles in those games.

"The emphasis on the midweeks has been the same all year and will continue to be the same," Henderson said. "That emphasis is that they're important and we need to really play well. It gives you a chance to do some things potentially that you don't do on the weekends in terms of the pitching depth."

It can be hard to keep up with everything going on in the University of Kentucky's 22 varsity sports. With that in mind, we will highlight the best from around Kentucky sports each week. We'll recognize the best performances from Wildcat teams and players, we'll show you the coolest videos and photos that you may have missed and we'll mix in some new stuff along the way. Here are your award winners for this week:

Team of the Week: Baseball wins three of four, takes series from No. 1 LSU

In what could be considered one of the biggest weeks in UK baseball history, the No. 2 Wildcats came through in a big way. After taking down UC earlier in the week 7-0, Kentucky fell to No. 1 LSU in Friday's opener of the three-game series. 

Per usual, Kentucky bounced back and took the final two games of the weekend as it has in every SEC series since sweeping defending national champions South Carolina in the opening weekend of SEC play. The Wildcats dominated the top-ranked Tigers 8-1 on Saturday to even the series, and won a nail-biter in the finale, 7-6.  

Kentucky (35-6, 13-5 SEC) has yet to lose an SEC series this season, and with the two wins over LSU, holds a one game lead in the conference. The big weekend, despite less than ideal weather conditions, broke a weekend series record for attendance with 9,496.

Players of the Week - Rossi, Jomby named to SEC All-Tournament team

Kentucky junior Anthony Rossi and sophomore Tom Jomby were named to the All-Tournament team this weekend. The Wildcats fell to Georgia in the final of the SEC Tournament, losing their first match in conference play.

Rossi recorded big wins this weekend in the tournament, defeating Jeff Offerdahl 6-4 to take the set and clinch the match against Vanderbilt in the quarterfinals. He was also in position to win his match against Mississippi's Jonas Lutjen, leading 5-1, when play was suspended and Kentucky had clinched a birth into the tournament championship. 

Jomby was key in doubles play all weekend, getting wins along side Alejandro Gomez against Vandy and Ole Miss. The sophomore also won singles matches Vanderbilt's Blake Bazarnik (6-3, 7-6) and Mississippi's William Kallberg (6-3, 6-3) before falling in the championship to Georgia's Ignacio Taboada.

Game of the Week - Baseball takes series over LSU with 7-6 win in rubber match

The top two teams in the country and SEC split the first two games of their weekend series in Lexington, Ky. this weekend, forcing a decisive game three for conference superiority. Both Kentucky and LSU entered the series with an 11-4 mark in the SEC, and the winner of Sunday's game would hold a one-game lead in the conference.

In a see-saw battle, the Tigers and Wildcats exchanged jabs with some of the best talent in the country, but despite LSU's best effort, Kentucky came out on top. It was a total team effort for the Cats, as a balanced offensive attack along with a huge bullpen effort staved off the Tigers while earning a 7-6 win. 

After Kentucky had fallen behind 5-4 in top of the sixth inning, they answered with three runs on four doubles in the bottom of the frame. Zac Zellers, Matt Reida, J.T. Riddle, and Austin Cousino each recorded doubles that inning. Meanwhile, the bullpen duo of Tim Peterson and Alex Phillips combined for 3.1 innings of one-run baseball to close the game out and finish of the Tigers. 

Photo of the Week - Cousino elevates

Photo by Britney McIntosh, UK Athletics)

Video of the Week - Highlights from baseball's series clincher

Alumnae of the Week - Brandon Knight scores career-high 28 in win over Cleveland

Brandon Knight, one of a long line of successful point guards to play for John Calipari, put up a career-high 28 points in a win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Tuesday night.

In Detroit's 116-77 blowout of the Cavs, Knight shot 11-of-12 from the field while adding 7 assists. In an up and down season for the first-year point guard, Knight is ending the season on a high note. Knight is averaging 18.3 points and 5.5 assists in the last six games and 15.1 ppg and 3.8 apg in his rookie campaign.

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