• 2013 preseason SEC Player of the Year (Baseball America) • 2013 preseason SEC best defensive outfielder (Baseball America) • 2013 preseason second-best SEC prospect available in 2014 MLB Draft (Baseball America) • 2013 preseason sixth-best NCAA sophomore (Baseball America) • 2013 Baseball America second-team preseason All-America • 2013 NCBWA third-team preseason All-America • 2013 Louisville Slugger second-team preseason All-America • 2013 preseason No. 21 NCAA sophomore (Perfect Game) • 2013 preseason 16th-best NCAA player (College Baseball Daily) • 2012 USA Baseball Collegiate National Team • 2012 No. 12 prospect on USA Collegiate National Team (Baseball America) • 2012 No. 13 prospect on USA Collegiate National Team (Perfect Game) • 2012 SEC Freshman of the Year • 2012 SEC All-Defensive Team (OF) • 2012 All-SEC Freshman Team • 2012 second-team All-SEC (OF) • 2012 Baseball America first-team Freshman All-America • 2012 Louisville Slugger Freshman All-America • 2012 NCBWA second-team Freshman All-America • 2012 Perfect Game USA first-team Freshman All-America • 2012 SEbaseball.com SEC Freshman of the Year • 2012 NCAA Gary Regional All-Tournament Team • 2012 SEC Freshman of the Week (4/2/12) • 2011 Baseball America first-team High School All-America • 2009 USA Baseball National Team 16U • 2009 MVP of the 16U IBAF World Championship
Outlook One of the top players in the nation and one of the top performers in UK history ... Was the first SEC Freshman of the Year in program history and led the USA National Team in hitting during the summer ... Sparked UK to its historic season in 2012 as the centerfielder and leadoff hitter ... An athletic, instinctual player who brings a tremendous amount of energy to the UK club ... Set a school record with 142 putouts in centerfield as a freshman, showcasing his range, also leading the club with eight outfield assists ... Has great instincts and speed on the bases ... Had the second-most multi-hit games in UK season history in 2012 and hit a team-high .363 in games UK won ... Reached base safely in 59 of UK's 62 games in 2012 ... Has earned preseason All-America honors.
Summer Led Team USA in hitting while leading the club to the Bronze medal at the Honkbal Week in the Netherlands ... Hit .351 (13-for-50) with four doubles and five RBI ... Was hit by two pitches and had an 8-8 walk-strikeout ratio ... Finished with a .939 OPS, owing a .479 on-base percentage and a .459 slugging mark ... Stole three bases in four attempts ... 44-percent of his at bats went as quality at bats ... USA played seven total games vs. Cuba, including five in Cuba ... Got red-hot during Honkbal Week, going 3-for-4 in an extra-inning thriller vs. Cuba ... Was coached by Tennessee head coach Dave Serrano.
2012 Had one of the best seasons for a freshman in UK history, becoming the first UK player to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors ... Named a consensus freshman All-America honoree and second-team All-SEC, SEC All-Defensive Team and NCAA Gary Regional All-Tournament Team ... Just the second freshman All-American in program history (In 2012 A.J. Reed was also a freshman All-America) ... Earned a spot on the USA Collegiate National Team, one of the top-22 players in the NCAA, and led the club in hitting ... Played and started 62 games, missing one contest due to minor injury, starting in centerfield and as the leadoff hitter ... Led UK with a .319 average (83-for-260) with team-highs in doubles (20), triples (two) and steals (15) ... Totaled nine homers and 41 RBI, owning a 26-39 walk-strikeout ratio ... Reached base safely in 59 of 62 games ... Stole 15-of-16 bases and was hit by 13 pitches ... Laid down four sacrifice bunts ... Ranked second in the SEC with eight outfield assists, throwing out three runners at the plate and having a three-assist game vs. No. 10 Ole Miss ... In UK single-season history, ranked 12th in hits, 11th in doubles, second in at bats, sixth in starts and ninth in HBP ... Shattered the UK season record with 142 putouts from his CF position, breaking the previous record of 128 by Antone DeJesus in 2005 ... Ranked third in UK freshman history in RBI, second in homers, 12th in average, second in doubles, seventh in walks and third in steals ... Ranked among the SEC leaders in nearly every category, including ninth in slugging, second in runs, seventh in hits, second in doubles, eighth in homers, third in total bases, sixth in HBP, fifth in steals, first in at bats and second in plate appearances ... Led UK in hitting in SEC games, batting .302 (35-for-116) with 10 doubles, six homers and 17 RBI, stealing 6-of-7 bases ... In non-conference games, batting .333 (48-for-144) with 10 doubles, two triples, three homers and 24 RBI, stealing 9-of-9 bases ... Hit .360 (50-for-139) in home games, with 10 doubles, five homers and 24 RBI ... In games UK won, led UK in hitting with a .363 average (69-for-190) with 16 doubles, eight homers and 35 RBI, stealing 13-of-13 bases ... In February, batted .424 (14-for-33) with a homer and eight RBI, batted .329 (27-for-82) with three homers and 13 RBI in March, .333 (24-for-72) with four homers and 16 RBI in April, and .212 (11-for-52) with a homer and an RBI in May ... In 33 games vs. SEC opponents, including the SEC Tournament, batted .281 (36-for-128) with 10 doubles, six homers and 17 RBI ... While leading UK to a 28-2 record in the first 30 games, batted .363 (45-for-124) with 11 doubles, one triple, five homers and 26 RBI ... Led UK with 28 multiple-hit games, 12 multi-RBI games, running up a 14-game hitting streak ... His 28 multi-hit games ranked as the second-most in UK single-season history ... Hit .316 (31-for-98) with runners on base, .321 (52-for-162) with the bases empty and .571 (4-for-7, 2 2Bs, 9 RBI) with the bases loaded ... Reached base safely in 46-percent of his leadoff chances ... Hit .308 (20-for-65) with runners in scoring position, with seven doubles, three homers and 32 RBI ... Hit .302 in the first inning, .375 in the second, .316 in the third, .286 in the fourth, .385 in the fifth, .276 in the sixth, .421 in the seventh ,290 in the eighth, .357 in the ninth and .167 in extra innings ... Opened his career on a 14-game hitting streak, batting .326 (26-for-61) with seven doubles, one triple, one homer and 13 RBI ... Had an extra-base hit in six of his first seven collegiate games ... First career hit came in the season opener at Wofford, a RBI double into the right-centerfield gap in the eighth inning ... Launched first career homer vs. Buffalo on Feb. 24 ... Had a career-high four-hit game vs. UIC on March 4 ... Had a two-double game at USC Upstate ... Hit homers in three consecutive games from March 25-March 31 ... Was named SEC Freshman of the Week after leading UK to a series win at No. 18 Georgia - UK's first since 2000 - batting .375 (6-for-15) with nine RBI during the week ... Hit two homers and had six RBI during the three-game series win over UGA ... Had three-RBI games seven times in 2012 ... After a five-strikeout game against No. 1 LSU and ace Kevin Gausman, responded to homer in his first at bat of the next game vs. the Tigers and finished with five hits, four RBI, two steals. two doubles and one homer over the next two games to lead UK to the first ever series win over a No. 1 ranked team ... Launched homers vs. Alabama, Vanderbilt, No. 1 LSU, Cincinnati, Georgia, Western Kentucky, Tennessee and Buffalo ... Was named to the NCAA Gary Regional All-Tourney team after batting 7-for-21 during the four-game tournament, with three RBI and a double, stealing two bases.
High School One of the most highly decorated high school players in the nation, was the MVP of 16U International Baseball Federation World Championship while starring for the USA National Team in their gold medal quest ... Hit .545 (24-for-44) with 16 extra-base hits during the summer for the USA National Team in 2009 ... A first-team All-America outfield selection by Baseball America in 2011, one of the most prestigious honors a high school baseball player can receive ... Batted .529 as a senior, with 17 doubles, 10 homers, 31 RBI and was a perfect 28-for-28 on the base paths ... Set the school single-season records for runs scored (42) and stolen bases ... Named the Central District and All-Metro Player of the Year in 2011 ... Earned the American Baseball Coaches Association Gold Glove Award in 2011 ... "The first thing that comes to mind with (Austin) is he's the best instinctive baserunner that I've ever seen," Director of the 16U USA National Team Jeff Singer said to Baseball America in a 2010 profile of Cousino. "If an outfielder made one tiny mistake, Austin saw it and he took advantage of it. He's kind of a Jacoby Ellsbury type." ... Had surgery to repair a posterior labrum tear in high school and attempted to return to the field by learning to throw right-handed for the first time in his life, showcasing unyielding competitiveness ... "This kid gets it," Dublin Coffman head coach Tim Saunders said. "He's a competitor, he understands competition and he wants to be a part of the best competition he can be in every day. Most kids aren't like that." ... "He decided he was going to (learn how to throw right-handed) after he was injured," Saunders said. "It wasn't anything he practiced growing up. He decided he was going to play for us (as a junior) opposite-handed." ... Named first-team all-conference and all-district ... Perfect Game USA listed Cousino as a first-team all-region selection ... Also played for the North Coast Vipers in the 16U Championships East ... First-team Ohio as a sophomore and senior ... Sat out his junior season after having shoulder surgery ... Hit .456 with 27 runs, 11 doubles, three homers and 19 RBI as a sophomore ... Batted .410 with four doubles, one homer and four RBI as a freshman ... A 12-time academic honor roll selection ... Also played football at Dublin Coffman.
Personal Full name is Austin Spencer Cousino ... Born, April 17, 1993 ... Son of Tim and Marsha Cousino ... Has five siblings, brother Andrew (23), and sisters Nataleigh (30), Nicole (27), Laura (25) and Jordan (21).
