The Kentucky baseball team took its home opener over Murray State on Tuesday, 11-5. Chandler Shepherd came on in relief in the third inning, turning in 5.2 innings - his longest career outing out of the bullpen - without allowing an earned run. He protected UK's one-run lead from the fourth inning until the eighth when the Wildcats added six insurance runs to salt away the victory. With a home run and four RBI, A.J. Reed was one of six Cats to drive in at least one run as UK moved to 6-1 on the season.
Kentucky returns to action at 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday against Eastern Kentucky. In the meantime, check out highlights and video interviews below. Highlights
Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes. These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, Feb. 24:
Men's basketball: Willie Cauley-Stein
Freshman Willie Cauley-Stein had a breakout week in helping lead UK to a pair of crucial victories this week. Cauley-Stein averaged 13.5 points and 9.5 rebounds per game. His 19 rebounds for the week, .647 field goal percentage, blocks and steals were all team highs. Cauley-Stein began the week by pouring in a career-high 20 points to couple with a team-high seven rebounds and three blocks. He made 8-of-10 field goals in the win over Vanderbilt. In an overtime thriller of a victory over Missouri, Cauley-Stein played in a career-high 35 minutes. The first-year player altered the game defensively with a career-high seven blocked shots. His 12 rebounds was a career-high tying, and it marked only the third game in his career with double-figure rebounding. He added seven points to the winning cause in addition to another steal.
Baseball: Jerad Grundy
Senior southpaw Jerad Grundy continued his dominating start to 2013 with a win over Elon in a pitching duel with 2012 Cape Cod League All-Star Dylan Clark ... Grundy worked seven innings in the win, allowing only three hits and one run, walking two and striking out three ... Elon hit .136 against the Johnsburg, Ill., native with Grundy only facing three hitters over the minimum ... Grundy opened the first 12.1 innings of the year without allowing an earned run, before the Phoenix got a solo homer in the seventh inning ... On the year, Grundy has a 2-0 mark and a 0.69 ERA, tossing 13 innings, allowing seven hits and three walks, striking out 12, with foes hitting .152.
Softball: Griffin Joiner
Griffin Joiner continued her hot bat, earning a hit in every game to move her season-long hitting streak to five games - just one off her career best. Joiner hit .583 (7-for-12) for the weekend, while slugging at a 1.250 clip, and posting two or more RBI in every game. Her three hits against Howard tied a career high, while her three RBI against Howard and USC Upstate also tied a career high. The native of Hopkinsville, Ky., blasted two homers on the weekend, including a go-ahead bomb in UK's thrilling 11-inning win against USC Upstate. Joiner leads the team with three roundtrippers, while sitting tied for first with four doubles and second on the team with 12 RBI.
Baseball: Max Kuhn
Sophomore infielder Max Kuhn continued his blistering pace to open the 2013 season, leading UK in hitting during a challenging three games at the Caravelle Resort Invitational ... Kuhn hit .385 (5-for-13) with a double and two RBI during the week, including a career-best three-hit game vs. Kansas State on Thursday ... On the year, Kuhn is hitting .320 (8-for-25) with two doubles and a triple, adding seven RBI and a 5-3 walk-strikeout ratio.
Women's basketball: A'dia Mathies
Senior guard A'dia Mathies led UK in scoring on the week, averaging 16.5 points per contest, along with 4.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals.
Despite playing just five minutes in the first half due to two early fouls, Mathies scored a team-high 13 points in the second half to help lead the Wildcats over No. 10/13 Texas A&M 70-66.
The win snapped A&M's 12-game home winning streak and gave UK its fourth win over a ranked opponent this season, including second win over a top-10 team on the road.
Scored 17 of 20 points in the second half at LSU, marking her sixth 20-plus point outing and moving her to No. 2 on UK's all-time scoring list.
Also grabbed six rebounds and equaled a team-high with three assists.
Has reached double figures in 25-of-27 games this season, including 18 in a row.
With four 3-pointers on the week, is tied for ninth on UK's single season 3-pointers made list with 55.
Ranks in the top 10 on 13 UK career lists, including No. 2 in scoring (1,863), No. 3 in steals (297) and No. 5 in field goals made (656) and 3-pointers made (159).
Only player in UK history to accumulate over 1,800 points, 500 rebounds, 300 assists and 250 steals in her career.
Overall, leads the team in scoring (15.9 ppg), 3-pointers made (55) and is second in assists per game (2.4) this season.
Averaging a team-high 18.2 points per game in SEC play and is tied for the team-high with 1.6 steals per contest.
Men's basketball: Julius Mays
Senior Julius Mays was sensational in helping lead UK to a pair of critical victories this week. The senior logged 16.5 points for the week to go along with 6.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists. In the opener for the week, Mays logged nine points and a team-high six assists. He added six rebounds and a steal. He was magnificent in the win over Missouri playing in a career-high 44 minutes. He logged a season-high 24 points while going .500 from the field including 4-of-8 from behind the arc. He added six more rebounds and dished out three assists. Furthermore, he was 8-of-9 from the free throw line including a perfect 6-fo-6 in overtime. Mays has connected on a least one 3-pointer in 16-straight games and has made multiple 3s in seven-straight. UK is 5-0 when he pulls down six or more rebounds, which he achieved in both outings this week.
Softball: Maisie Steed
Produced for Kentucky in limited action, hitting .600 (3-for-5) for the weekend with three RBI, including a double, homer and stolen base. Steed's homer was the second of the season, ranking her tied for second on the team. The freshman walked three times against USC Upstate, coming home to score once. Steed played solid defense all weekend, not committing an error even though she played third base, first base and both corner outfield positions.
Men's basketball - Kentucky captured a pair of critical home victories this week including an overtime thriller against Missouri. - Senior Julius Mays poured in a team-high 24 points in the win over Missouri on Saturday. He launched four 3-pointers and has now connected on at least one shot from long range in 16 straight games. - Freshman Willie Cauley-Stein notched a career-high 20 points to push UK past Vanderbilt earlier in the week. He followed that performance with a career-high tying 12 rebounds against Missouri to go along with a career-best seven blocked shots. - Alex Poythress scored 21 points, while Archie Goodwin notched 18 - all coming after the half in the win over Missouri.
Women's basketball - Kentucky split road games last week, defeating No. 10/13 Texas A&M 70-66 in College Station on ESPN2's Big Monday before falling at LSU on Sunday in Baton Rouge 77-72. - Against the Aggies, junior center DeNesha Stallworth flirted with a triple-double as she charted 12 points, 12 rebounds and a school-record seven blocks. . - Mathies netted a team-high 20 points at LSU, passing former Wildcat great Victoria Dunlap as UK's No. 2 all-time leading scorer with 1,863 career points.
Gymnastics - Kentucky recorded its best score of the year at Florida on Friday. The Wildcats finished with a total score of 196.075, dropping the meet to the Gators' score of 196.975. - UK's score was good for the sixth best in program history. - The Wildcats used season-high event scores on vault and beam to reach 196 for the first time this season. - Audrey Harrison also notched her sixth all-around title of the season and fourth in a row, scoring a 39.225.
Rifle - The Kentucky rifle team finished second at the Great America Rifle Conference over the weekend, shooting a 4690 over the course of the weekend. - Freshman Connor Davis won the GARC individual air rifle title, shooting a 596 before winning with a 105 in the Final. - Senior Henri Junghanel placed second overall individually with an aggregate score of 1179.
Softball - The UK softball team continued its winning ways over the weekend with a 3-0 record, taking down Georgetown, Howard and USC Upstate. - Sophomore catcher Griffin Joiner led the Wildcats offensively with a .583 (7-for-12) average with two doubles, two homers, eight RBI and four runs scored. - Pitchers Ellen Weaver, Katie Henderson and Kelsey Nunley all recorded wins, while Weaver going five strong innings, allowing only one hit and no runs against Georgetown and Henderson allowing only one hit over five innings against Howard. Nunley threw the final nine innings against Upstate to get the win.
Baseball - No. 8 Kentucky continued its season-opening six-game road trip with the Caravelle Resort Invitational, hosted by Coastal Carolina in Myrtle Beach. S.C., picking up wins over CCU and Elon and suffering its first loss of the year to Kansas State in the opener on Thursday. - UK finished the weekend with a ninth-inning win at Coastal Carolina, 2-2. - UK has hit .314 as a team through six games, slugging .435 and reaching base at a .311 clip. UK has stolen 12 bases and on the mound, owns a 3.57 ERA, with 16 walks and 42 strikeouts in 53 innings.
Track and field - The women's track and field team finished seventh in the SEC Indoor Championship team standings with 34 points, and the men finished 10th with 30. - Cally Macumber led all Wildcats with 15 points earned throughout the meet. Matt Hillenbrand led the men with 11.25. Macumber won the women's 3,000 meters SEC championship. - Hillenbrand won the SEC mile championship with a time of 4:01.55. Hillenbrand's time was a new personal best, and the seventh-fastest in school history. The junior became the first Kentucky athlete to win the SEC men's mile since David Freeman took home the title in 2004.
Men's tennis - The No. 6 men's tennis team traveled to Birmingham, Ala., this weekend and collected two wins in a doubleheader with Samford University and Jacksonville State, both by a score of 5-1, to move to 12-2 on the season. - No. 90 Anthony Rossi picked up his 93rd and 94th career wins in a UK uniform on Sunday with wins in both matches for the Wildcats. - Also picking up wins in both ends of the doubleheader for the Wildcats were Beck Pennington, Kevin Lai and Juan Pablo Murra.
Women's tennis - The Kentucky women's tennis team defeated the Miami (Ohio) RedHawks 5-2. - Freshman Nadia Ravita improved to 7-1 in the No. 1 singles slot after defeating Christiana Raymond 6-1, 6-2. - Senior Jessica Stiles and sophomore Stephanie Fox won their singles matches in straight sets, with Stiles winning 6-4, 6-3 and Fox taking the No. 6 singles point 6-3, 6-1. - The Wildcats moved into the rankings for the first time this season, landing in the No. 63 spot.
Men's golf - The Kentucky men's golf team opened up its 2013 spring season, placing 10th out of 16 teams in the Mobile Bay Intercollegiate. UK finished 37-over-par with a final score of 901. - Senior Chase Parker was the low golfer of the week for the Wildcats, finishing tied for 16th overall at 4-over-par. - Junior transfer Ben Stow made his Kentucky debut, placing tied for 27th at 6-over-par.
Swimming and diving - The UK men's and women's swimming and diving teams competed in the 2013 Southeastern Conference Swimming and Diving Championships last week with both the men (368.5) and the women (452.5) finishing in ninth place. - Junior diver Greg Ferrucci earned two second place finishes on the 1-meter and 3-meter springboard events and earned an eighth place on the platform. He broke the program record on the platform in the preliminaries with a 435.5. - Junior swimmer Lucas Gerotto broke multiple program records at the Championships including the 200-IM (1:47.20) and the 100-backstroke (47.29).
Thursday, Feb. 28 Women's basketball at Ole Miss - 8:00 p.m.
Friday, March 1 Softball vs. Illinois - 11:30 a.m. (Tampa, Fla.) Women's tennis at Arkansas - 1:00 p.m. Men's tennis hosts Arkansas - 1:00 p.m. Softball vs. USF - 2:00 p.m. (Tampa, Fla.) Baseball hosts Akron - 4:00 p.m. Track and field at NCAA Qualifying (South Bend, Ind./Fayetteville, Ark.)
Saturday, March 2 Baseball hosts Akron - Noon Softball vs. Loyola Marymount - 12:15 p.m. (Tampa, Fla.) Softball vs. Central Michigan - 2:45 p.m. (Tampa, Fla.) Baseball hosts Akron - 3:00 p.m. Men's basketball at Arkansas - 4:00 p.m. Swimming and diving at Last Chance Meet (Knoxville, Tenn./Athens, Ga.) Track and field at Last Chance Qualifier (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Sunday, March 3 Softball vs. Western Michigan - 9:00 a.m. (Tampa, Fla.) Men's tennis hosts LSU - 1:00 p.m. Women's tennis at LSU - 1:00 p.m. Gymnastics at Ball State - 1:00 p.m. Baseball hosts Akron - 1:00 p.m. Women's basketball hosts Tennessee - 3:30 p.m. Men's golf at USF Invitational (Tampa, Fla.) Swimming and diving at Last Chance Meet (Knoxville, Tenn./ Athens, Ga.)
Lucas Witt starred as UK baseball completed a 2-1 weekend with a win over Coastal Carolina to move to 5-1 two weeks into the season. The Wildcats were locked in a tie game in the top of the ninth inning when Lucas Witt stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and delivered a double and three RBIs. The Cats would score three more runs en route to an 8-2 victory.
And if not for Witt's defense, the game very well may not have been tied at all heading to the ninth. Take a look at the two plays he made in left field.
Witt and the Cats begin a stretch of 12 consecutive games at Cliff Hagan Stadium by hosting Murray State at 4 p.m. ET on Tuesday.
Upcoming Schedule (times Eastern) Tuesday, Feb. 26 - vs. Murray State - 4 p.m. (HOME OPENER) Wednesday, Feb. 27 - vs. Eastern Kentucky - 4 p.m. Friday, March 1 - vs. Akron - 4 p.m. Saturday, March 2 - vs. Akron (DH) - 12 p.m. Sunday, March 3 * vs. Akron * 1 p.m. ET PITCHER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE Jerad Grundy 6-1 - Sr. - LHP - Johnsburg, Ill. (Heartland/Miami, Fla.) Week Stats: 1-0, 1 GS, 1.29 ERA, 7 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 3 SO, .136 opp. avg. Notes: Senior southpaw Jerad Grundy continued his dominating start to 2013 with a win over Elon in a pitching duel with 2012 Cape Cod League All-Star Dylan Clark ... Grundy worked seven innings in the win, allowing only three hits and one run, walking two and striking out three ... Elon hit .136 against the Johnsburg, Ill., native with Grundy only facing three hitters over the minimum ... Grundy opened the first 12.1 innings of the year without allowing an earned run, before the Phoenix got a solo homer in the seventh inning ... On the year, Grundy has a 2-0 mark and a 0.69 ERA, tossing 13 innings, allowing seven hits and three walks, striking out 12, with foes hitting .152.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE Max Kuhn 6-1 - So. - 3B/1B - Zionsville, Ind. (Zionsville) Week Stats: .385 (5-for-13), 2B, 2 RBI, 1-2 SB
Notes: Sophomore infielder Max Kuhn continued his blistering pace to open the 2013 season, leading UK in hitting during a challenging three games at the Caravelle Resort Invitational ... Kuhn hit .385 (5-for-13) with a double and two RBI during the week, including a career-best three-hit game vs. Kansas State on Thursday ... On the year, Kuhn is hitting .320 (8-for-25) with two doubles and a triple, adding seven RBI and a 5-3 walk-strikeout ratio.
TEAM NOTES Eighth-ranked Kentucky continued its season-opening six-game road trip with the Caravelle Resort Invitational, hosted by Coastal Carolina in Myrtle Beach. S.C., picking up wins over CCU and Elon and suffering its first loss of the year to Kansas State in the opener on Thursday.
Kentucky (5-1) - which has spent 11 of the last 12 days on the road - will return to action with its 2013 home opener on Tuesday, hosting Murray State at 4 p.m. ET at Cliff Hagan Stadium. UK will then host Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET, before welcoming Akron for a four-game weekend series.
The Wildcats posted a pair of challenging wins during the tournament, beating Elon, 6-1, in a pitching duel with 2012 Cape Cod League All-Star Dylan Clark and the Phoenix. UK's Jerad Grundy outdueled Clark for the win, tossing seven strong innings and allowing only three hits and one run, snapping a steak of 12.1 consecutive innings without allowing an earned run to open 2013. UK finished the weekend with a ninth-inning win at Coastal Carolina, getting a base-clearing double from Lucas Witt to break open a 2-2 game, with Trevor Gott closing the door for his second win. UK suffered its first loss of the year on Thursday, as the Wildcats traveled to Myrtle Beach a day early to beat the rain and play Kansas State. The Cats beat UK, 7-5, getting a two-out two-run homer in the ninth inning for the final margin.
UK has hit .314 as a team through six games, slugging .435 and reaching base at a .311 clip. UK has stolen 12 bases and on the mound, owns a 3.57 ERA, with 16 walks and 42 strikeouts in 53 innings. Individually, J.T. Riddle has led the team with a .556 average (15-for-27) with three doubles, one triple, one homer and seven RBI, stealing two bags. Thomas Bernal has added a .364 average (4-for-11) with a pair of doubles and RBI, with sophomore Max Kuhn adding a .320 average (8-for-25) with a double and seven RBI. All-America centerfielder Austin Cousino is hitting .320 (8-for-25) with two doubles, a homer and four RBI, stealing five bases and scoring a club-best nine runs. A.J. Reed has hit .320 (9-for-25) with a triple, homer and seven RBI, while shortstop Matt Reida owns a .273 average (6-for-22).
On the mound, UK has used the weekend rotation of Reed (1-1, 5.79 ERA), Grundy (2-0, 0.69 ERA) and Corey Littrell (0-0, 6.52 ERA). In the bullpen, Gott (2-0, 0.00 ERA) has both wins with 3.2 shutout innings, with Walter Wijas, Dylan Dwyer, Zach Strecker and Tyler Cox each owning perfect ERAs in the bullpen.
Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes. These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, Feb. 17:
Baseball: Jerad Grundy
Senior southpaw Jerad Grundy had a great season debut, pitching UK to a win over Niagara on Sunday ... Grundy worked six innings without allowing an earned run, walking one and tying his career high with nine strikeouts ... Grundy allowed only four hits and held NU to a .167 batting average ... In the middle innings, Grundy struck out five consecutive hitters, not allowing a hit the second time through the order ... Grundy retired In his two-year UK career, Grundy has started 17 games with a 7-3 record and a 3.53 ERA.
Softball: Lauren Cumbess
Led the team in hitting against some of the best teams in the nation, helping the Wildcats defeat No. 16 Washington and San Diego State, who was receiving votes in one poll. Cumbess hit .500 over the weekend, going 8-for-16 with two homers, one double and five RBI.
Cumbess leads the team overall in batting average (.429), hits (15), homers (two), RBI (10) and slugging percentage (.657). She had a hit in every game throughout the tournament, including two against Keilani Ricketts, who pitched two no-hitters the opening weekend of the season to earn National Player of the Week honors. She is currently on a five-game hitting streak, the longest of the season by any Wildcat
The native of Normal, Ill., also pitched well over the weekend, going 1-0 with a 1.40 ERA. She threw a complete game shutout against Cal Poly, going seven innings, allowing only four hits while striking out seven. Cumbess paces the team in ERA with a 2.04 mark and is second in strikeouts with 22.
Softball: Kelsey Nunley
Pitched beautifully for the Wildcats in the second tournament of the season, posting a 2.21 ERA with wins against San Diego State, who was receiving votes in one major poll, No. 16 Washington and UC Riverside. She threw a complete game shutout against San Diego State, allowing only three hits while striking out seven and only walking two. Also went six innings the next day against highly ranked Washington, allowing six hits and one run - none earned - striking out three with no walks.
Nunley came on in relief against UC Riverside after UK just captured a 4-3 lead and shut the door, allowing the highlanders only one hit over her three innings in the circle while striking out two batters.
In her two starts over the weekend, Nunley went 13 innings, allowing nine hits and no earned runs with 10 strikeouts. In her four starts this season, Nunley is 4-0 and 6-0 overall. In those four starts Nunley has thrown 25 innings, allowing only three runs - two earned - while striking out 27 and walking seven.
Women's basketball: Jennifer O'Neill
Redshirt sophomore point guard Jennifer O'Neill led Kentucky to a 78-74 come-from-behind victory over No. 16/14 South Carolina.
Scored 19 points, including 10 in the decisive second half as Kentucky came back from a 16-point deficit to record its largest comeback in the Matthew Mitchell era and tie the fourth-largest comeback in school history.
Pulled down a season-high six rebounds and hit 6-of-7 from the charity stripe in a season-high 36 minutes.
With the game knotted at 72 with 25 seconds remaining, O'Neill found open teammate Kastine Evans under the basket for a layup to give UK a two-point lead. She later iced the game by sinking two free throws with 16 seconds to go, giving the Wildcats a four-point advantage.
Ranks third on the team in scoring at 10.2 points per contest, including 12.5 points in league play.
Has reached double figures in 12 games this season, including nine of 12 SEC contests.
Ranks tied for second on the team in 3-point field goals made (43) and 3-point percentage (.387). Her 3-point percentage also ties for fourth on UK's single season list.
Baseball: J.T. Riddle
Junior J.T. Riddle had one of the most prolific weekends in Kentucky baseball history, batting .786 (11-for-14) to open the year, with three doubles, one triple, one homer and six RBI ... Riddle collected 19 total bases, charted a 1.357 slugging and a .824 on-base percentage ... In a win on Sunday, Riddle set a new program record with a 6-for-6, three runs, three RBI game at the plate, including ripping a triple off the centerfield fence, finishing a homer shy of hitting for the cycle ... In the season opener, he pelted doubles off the left and rightfield walls in a 3-for-5 game ... In the finale of the weekend, Riddle went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs ... He had a walk and two hit by pitches, belting his first homer of the year as a no-doubt blast to spark a dramatic UK comeback win on Monday at USC Upstate.
Upcoming Schedule (times eastern) Friday, Feb. 22 - vs. Elon - 12 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 23 - at No. 35 Coastal Carolina - 3 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 24 - vs. Kansas State - 11 a.m.
PLAYER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE J.T. Riddle 6-3 - Jr. * 2B - Frankfort, Ky. (Western Hills) Week Stats: .786 (11-for-14), 3 2B, 3B, HR, 6 RBI, 19 TB, 1.357 SLG%, .824 OB%
Notes: Junior J.T. Riddle had one of the most prolific weekends in Kentucky baseball history, batting .786 (11-for-14) to open the year, with three doubles, one triple, one homer and six RBI ... Riddle collected 19 total bases, charted a 1.357 slugging and a .824 on-base percentage ... In a win on Sunday, Riddle set a new program record with a 6-for-6, three runs, three RBI game at the plate, including ripping a triple off the centerfield fence, finishing a homer shy of hitting for the cycle ... In the season opener, he pelted doubles off the left and rightfield walls in a 3-for-5 game ... In the finale of the weekend, Riddle went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs ... He had a walk and two hit by pitches, belting his first homer of the year as a no-doubt blast to spark a dramatic UK comeback win on Monday at USC Upstate.
PITCHER OF THE WEEK NOMINEE Jerad Grundy 6-1 * Sr. * LHP * Johnsburg, Ill. (Heartland/Miami, Fla.) Week Stats: 1-0, 1 GS, 6 IP, 0.00 ERA, 4 H, 2 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 SO Notes: Senior southpaw Jerad Grundy had a great season debut, pitching UK to a win over Niagara on Sunday ... Grundy worked six innings without allowing an earned run, walking one and tying his career high with nine strikeouts ... Grundy allowed only four hits and held NU to a .167 batting average ... In the middle innings, Grundy struck out five consecutive hitters, not allowing a hit the second time through the order ... Grundy retired In his two-year UK career, Grundy has started 17 games with a 7-3 record and a 3.53 ERA. TEAM NOTES Eighth-ranked Kentucky completed a three-game weekend trip to Spartanburg, S.C., on Monday with a dramatic comeback win at USC Upstate, 11-10, also picking up wins over UNC Asheville and Niagara on opening weekend. UK returns to action on Friday, traveling to Coastal Carolina to take on Elon, Kansas State and the Chanticleers.
Kentucky (3-0) opened up the year with a 9-2 win over UNC Asheville at Wofford, getting five strong innings on the mound and a four-hit game from A.J. Reed. UK then plated 20 runs in a 20-3 rout of Niagara on Sunday, with junior second baseman J.T. Riddle making history with a 6-for-6 game at the plate, finishing a homer shy of hitting for the cycle.
After its game with USC Upstate was snowed out on Saturday, the contest was scheduled for a Monday matchup, with the Wildcats staying over a night in Spartanburg. UK opened up to a 6-2 lead before the Spartans rallied with eight unanswered runs to take a 10-6 lead into the eighth inning. UK started rallying with a Riddle solo homer, then plated three more runs to even the game in the eighth. With a runner at second base, UK turned to Thomas Bernal to pinch hit, with Bernal lacing a game-winning RBI single up the middle to score the go-ahead run. UK junior Trevor Gott closed out the game with the final six outs for the win.
A native of Frankfort, Ky. Riddle paced UK's offensive attack with a historic weekend, batting .786 (11-for-14) with three doubles, one triple, one homer and six RBI, drawing a walk and getting hit by two pitches. Bernal finished opening weekend with a .500 average (4-for-8) with two doubles, while All-America centerfielder Austin Cousino batting .385 (5-for-13) with a homer, four RBI and four steals.
On the mound, Reed, Gott and Jerad Grundy picked up the wins for the Wildcats, with UK starter Corey Littrell getting the nod in the USC Upstate contest. UK also used Walter Wijas, Chandler Shepherd and Jeff Boehm as veterans out of the bullpen, with freshmen Dylan Dwyer, Kyle Cody, Zach Strecker, Tyler Cox and Ryne Combs each seeing their collegiate debuts on the bump.
Kentucky will face Elon on Friday at 12 p.m. ET at Pelicans Park in Myrtle Beach, with the event hosted by Coastal Carolina. UK will face Coastal Carolina on Saturday, before finishing the weekend with an 11 a.m. ET matchup with Kansas State on Sunday.
Men's basketball - The Kentucky men's basketball team dropped an 88-58 loss to Tennessee on Saturday. Sophomore Kyle Wiltjer led the Cats with 18 points and six rebounds. - Senior Julius Mays scored 12 points and has logged 10 or more points in five straight games. - Junior Jarrod Polson contributed a career-high 11 points.
Women's basketball - Kentucky has won its last three games and looks to keep its winning streak alive when it faces No. 11/13 Texas A&M on ESPN2's Big Monday in the second meeting of the season between the teams. - The Wildcats charted their 10th SEC win last week with an impressive come-from-behind victory over No. 16/14 South Carolina. Trailing by 16 points early in the second half, the Wildcats used a four-guard set to chip away at the Gamecocks' lead and win 78-74 - the largest comeback in the Matthew Mitchell era. - Four players scored in double digits led by redshirt sophomore point guard Jennifer O'Neill with 19.
Gymnastics - Then-No. 17 Kentucky defeated Missouri 194.250-194.125 on Friday night in Memorial Coliseum. - Audrey Harrison was the lone all-around competitor posting a 39.3, which tied her career-high set last week. - The junior also won balance beam, and shared the honors on uneven bars and floor exercise. - The Knoxville, Tenn., native now has 12 individual event honors this season and 19 in her career. - Her five all-around wins in 2013 have all come against Southeastern Conference competition. - Shannon Mitchell tied Harrison for the floor title, her second of the season and the third of her career.
Rifle - The Kentucky rifle team shot a 4697 on Saturday at the NCAA Qualifiers. - Sophomore Elijah Ellis and senior Stacy Wheatley delivered personal bests in smallbore, with Ellis posting a 583 and Wheatley shooting a 586. - Senior Henri Junghänel led the team in smallbore and air rifle, shooting a 588 in smallbore and a 594 in air rifle.
Softball - The No. 22/24 UK softball team continued where it left off last weekend by defeating another ranked team en route to a 4-1 record in the 23rd Campbell/Cartier Classic in San Diego. The Wildcats posted wins over No. 16 Washington, San Diego State - who is receiving votes in one poll - Cal Poly and UC Riverside. - Junior pitcher/infielder Lauren Cumbess paced the Wildcats throughout the weekend at the plate, blasting two homers for a .500 average (8-for-16) at the event with five RBI. Cumbess also went 1-0 in the circle, while freshman hurler Kelsey Nunley went 3-0 with a 2.21 ERA over the weekend. Nunley defeated San Diego State and Washington, throwing a complete game shutout against the Aztecs allowing only three hits. - UK has now defeated three ranked teams this season in then-No. 3 Cal, No. 16 Washington and No. 20 Stanford. Coach Rachel Lawson and Co. have also taken down Oregon State and SDSU, who both were receiving votes when UK posted wins against them. After two weekends of play, UK is 8-3 with its only losses coming to No. 1 Oklahoma, No. 3 Arizona State and unranked Portland State.
Baseball - Kentucky began the season 2-0 with wins over UNC Asheville and Niagara in Spartanburg, S.C. UK wraps up play at Wofford on Monday against USC Upstate. - Junior second baseman J.T. Riddle set a new program record with a 6-for-6 game at the plate and starter Jerad Grundy tied a career-best with nine strikeouts in six innings in the win over Niagara. - Sophomore All-America southpaw A.J. Reed worked five innings on the mound and went a career-best 4-for-5 at the plate with three RBI, leading No. 8 Kentucky to a 9-2 season-opening win over UNC Asheville.
Men's tennis - Kentucky advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2013 ITA National Team Indoor Championships this weekend in Seattle, recording wins over No. 10 Mississippi State (4-0), and No. 6 Georgia (4-2). - UK's No. 90 Anthony Rossi went 2-0 in singles action, defeating No. 12 Raymond Sarmiento of Southern Cal and knocking off No. 21 Nathan Pasha of Georgia 6-4, 7-6 (7) on Sunday. - With the wins this weekend, UK recorded their seventh win of the season over teams in the top 25 of the ITA rankings, as the Wildcats are now 3-1 versus teams in the top 10. - Tom Jomby also went 2-0 in singles play this weekend, collecting two straight-set wins. On Friday, Jomby ran past No. 43 Malte Stroppe of Mississippi State 6-2, 6-0 before giving UK a crucial point in its match with UGA, collecting a 6- 4, 6-4 win over No. 92 over No. 92 Ben Wagland at the two slot.
Women's tennis - The Kentucky women's tennis team knocked off No. 55 Ohio State and No. 54 Indiana throughout the course of the week, taking both matches 4-3. - Freshman Nadia Ravita recorded two singles win in the No. 1 slot to go along with two doubles wins in the No. 1 slot, paired with junior Caitlin McGraw. - Senior Jessica Stiles went 2-0 on the week in the No. 2 singles spot, taking both matches in straight sets.
Women's golf - The UK women's golf team began their 2013 spring season with an eighth place finish in the 15-team field at the Lady Puerto Rico Classic Feb. 10-12. - Senior Ashleigh Albrecht was the low finisher for the Wildcats, tying for 14th at 7-over-par. - Junior Liz Breed and freshman Sarah Harris were tied for 28th at 12-over, while freshman Cylia Damerau placed tied for 34th at 13-over.
Upcoming schedule Tuesday, Feb. 19 Women's tennis hosts Miami (OH) - 4:00 p.m. Swimming and diving at SEC Championships (College, Station, Texas) Men's golf at Mobile Bay Intercollegiate (Mobile, Ala.)
Wednesday, Feb. 20 Men's basketball hosts Vanderbilt - 8:00 p.m. Swimming and diving at SEC Championships (College, Station, Texas)
Thursday, Feb. 21 Swimming and diving at SEC Championships (College, Station, Texas)
Friday, Feb. 22 Baseball vs. Elon - Noon (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) Softball vs. Presbyterian - 2:00 p.m. (Spartanburg, S.C.) Gymnastics at Florida - 7:00 p.m. Swimming and diving at SEC Championships (College, Station, Texas) Track and field at SEC Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.)
Saturday, Feb. 23 Softball vs. Georgetown - Noon (Spartanburg, S.C.) Women's tennis at Kansas - 1:00 p.m. Softball vs. USC Upstate - 2:00 p.m. (Spartanburg, S.C.) Baseball vs. Coastal Carolina - 3:00 p.m. (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) Men's basketball hosts Missouri - 9:00 p.m. Swimming and diving at SEC Championships (College Station, Texas) Track and field at SEC Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.) Rifle at GARC Championships (Oxford, Miss.)
Sunday, Feb. 24 Softball vs. Howard - 10:00 a.m. (Spartanburg, S.C.) Men's tennis at Samford - 10:00 a.m. Baseball vs. Kansas State - 11:00 a.m. (Myrtle Beach, S.C.) Men's tennis vs. Jacksonville State - 2:00 p.m. (Birmingham, Ala.) Women's basketball at LSU - 3:00 p.m. Track and field at SEC Championships (Fayetteville, Ark.) Rifle at GARC Championships (Oxford, Miss.)
With the No. 8 Kentucky baseball season just days away from opening in Spartanburg, S.C., here is a nifty recap of all the preseason coverage leading up to the lidlifter.
Senior catcher Micheal Thomas could see much of the time behind the plate early on in 2013. (Robert Burge, UK Athletics)
The "tools of ignorance" is a baseball term and a nickname given to the protective equipment a catcher wears on defense. It's an ironic term because catchers, due to their indispensable role on the baseball diamond, are often some of the sharpest, most intelligent players on the field.
Last year's primary catchers for the University of Kentucky baseball team were largely considered the heart and soul of the 2012 squad that came one win away an Southeastern Conference regular season crown. They also embodied most, if not all of the important qualities of a well-rounded catcher.
Luke Maile (eighth round) and Michael Williams (30th round) were each selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the 2012 Major League Baseball Amateur Draft. Maile and Williams accounted for 62 of the 63 starts made by UK catchers last season.
The tandem packed a potent punch in the middle of the Kentucky lineup as both Maile and Williams rotated between catcher, first base and designated hitter. In Maile's 33 games behind the dish last season he batted .357, clubbed eight home runs and 10 doubles, driving in 31 runs with an astronomical OPS of 1.101. Williams, though not as powerful, was very effective with the bat in games he caught. He played in just one less game at the catcher position than Maile (32) and batted .273 with six doubles and 17 RBI.
While they played a major role in UK's offensive production from last season, they were perhaps even more valuable as leaders in the clubhouse and working with the pitching staff on a daily basis.
One of Kentucky's biggest challenges and questions heading into the 2013 season will be how to replace those two key figures.
It sounds as if one player may already have an early leg up on the competition.
"We've got Micheal Thomas who is in front right now," said head coach Gary Henderson at Monday's media day. "We've got three other guys. Greg Fettes is a redshirt freshman. Zach Arnold and Casey Schroeder are freshmen. All three of the kids have been drafted so we have some talented kids back there."
It's been tough to break into the lineup with guys like Maile and Williams sitting in front of Thomas his whole career as a Wildcat. Thomas has battled physical issues and the challenges of a walk-on, but his head coach is proud of the improvements he's made over the years to get to this point.
"(I'm) Really happy with Micheal Thomas' progression and development, maturity and growth and all those things that you look for, he's done a great job," said Henderson.
While Thomas might be the catcher Henderson plans to run out there early and often in the season, with so many games to be played, it's likely another catcher will get an opportunity to be the second half of Kentucky's catching tandem.
"If anybody has followed the program at all during my time here, even before the time of being the head coach, you know that I'm a big advocate of two catchers," said Henderson. "It doesn't mean you have to do it that way, just means I like to do it that way for a couple of reasons and that's exactly what we'll shoot for this year."
Fettes logically seems to be the guy who might best fit that role to play Williams to Thomas's Maile. He's been around the program for a full season now and has already had a chance to work with each pitcher. While neither has played in huge games for Kentucky, that doesn't mean they haven't gained valuable experience..
"They were around us last year," said closer Trevor Gott. "They've been around big games, they just haven't played. They know the electricity of SEC games. Micheal Thomas has been here four years, so I think them not playing last year and gaining all that knowledge is going to help them a lot."
Thomas's four years of experience and Fettes's one season already give them the upper hand over the two true freshmen catchers on the roster. Even if both prove to be more viable offensive contributors, the relationships Thomas and Fetter have built with pitchers during their time as Wildcats may play a bigger role than anything they can give at the plate.
It will also make the transition to working with new catchers in a game atmosphere that much easier.
"I had a strong relationship with Luke and Michael last year," said Gott. "But being out of the bullpen, I threw to Greg, I threw to Micheal Thomas all the time, so our chemistry's great. I love throwing to them."
Junior starting pitcher Corey Littrell has decided to approach his relationship with Thomas and Fettes much like he did with Maile in his first two seasons.
Chemistry between pitchers and catchers is as important as any relationship between two positions in all of sports. A catcher has the responsibility of knowing what all of his pitchers strengths and weaknesses are, what each pitcher likes to throw in what count, how to address mechanical flaws and be a secondary pitching coach when problems arise.
In order to strengthen that bond, sometimes the relationship has to carry over off the field.
"As the fall has gone on and earlier this year, our relationship has built," said Littrell. "Just hanging out with Micheal and Greg all the time off the field is another huge thing because I did that with Luke a lot last year. Just having that relationship and trust with another is a big thing for a pitcher and catcher."
While those two mashers will be missed, neither Gott nor Littrell is worried about the catching situation. Each has his strengths as receivers. Gott described Thomas as a "very vocal guy" that gets after it on the field, is hard-nosed and can block everything. He said Fettes is a bit shy, but serves as a big target and can be very intimidating. All are strong qualities of defensive catchers. After all, the main responsibilities of a catcher are being solid defensively and working effectively with the pitching staff. UK pitchers feel confident in their new battery mates to do that job at a high level.
"Their main job is to catch," said Littrell. "We want them to, and they're going to hit and do just fine at the plate, but they have a job of maintaining and controlling our pitching staff. Whether it's me, Trevor, the younger guys, or whoever, that's their one job is to control the pitching staff."
Even if both players happen to struggle at the plate, with their main focus on the pitching staff, that can only be good news for each individual pitcher. While Maile and Williams were counted on to be offensive leaders in last year's lineup, a catching duo that works solely with the pitchers could be a big plus for Kentucky hurlers this season.
"If I'm on the mound, like in the bullpens and everything, if I make a mistake, Micheal Thomas and Greg know exactly what I've done," said Gott. "They'll come out and talk to me, 'Stay strong on the backside.'
"They're like another pitching coach. If Henderson's not there, he won't be out with me when I'm in the game, so their knowledge of pitching is huge whenever we're in game situations."
For Kentucky's sake, the catching combination can't plead ignorance or lack of experience. They don't have any other choice. But if nothing else, they must bring the primary intangibles to and behind the plate every day.
While other players will be expected to shoulder their fair share of the offensive burden, the responsibility to maintain a staff that combined for a top-six earned-run average in the Southeastern Conference (3.41) trumps all. If Kentucky's catching unit can hold up its end of the bargain and keep pitching close to that number, another SEC championship run could be in order for 2013.
Guy Ramsey: We're not going to update it daily, but @KentuckyMBB is tweeting out regular updates from that account. read more
Wayne: can you put this on daily update schedule at least until UK takes it over. thx read more
Kyle: I'm very excited I'm. Huge uk fan and really loved Larry. He's a class act. The best part of the read more
Guy Ramsey: He did play well, but this story was not intended as a general recap of the spring game. (Note that read more
trueblujr: Why was Reese Phillips accomplisments in the game completely overlooked. You mentioned Whitlow, Towles and Smith split the reps evenly. read more
