UK Baseball: Week Two in Review

 
OVERALL RECORD: 3-1
WEEK RECORD: 3-1
 
LAST WEEK
Feb. 20 – Loss, vs. Xavier, 2-3 (10 inn.)
Feb. 23 – Win, vs. Oakland, 10-1
Feb. 24 – Win, vs. Oakland, 17-6
Feb. 25 – Win, vs. Oakland, 15-6

THIS WEEK (1 home game, 3 neutral games)
Feb. 27 – vs. Western Kentucky (4 p.m., Cliff Hagan Stadium, Lexington, Ky., SECN+)
 
Shriners Hospitals for Children College Classic (Houston, Texas; Minute Maid Park)
Mar. 2 – vs. Houston (4:30 p.m.)
Mar. 3 – vs. Sam Houston State (1 p.m.)
Mar. 4 – vs. Louisiana (Noon)
 
PLAYER OF WEEK NOMINEE

• Sophomore C/1B T.J. Collett
  • Collett is the first UK player to homer in four consecutive games since All-American Sawyer Carroll did so in a four-game series vs. Butler in early 2008.
  • Collett hit .400 in four games this week, homering four times and driving in 11 runs.
  • For his career, Collett now counts seven of his 13 career hits as extra-base hits, including six home runs.
  • Collett now has 17 RBI on the season in just eight games.
  • Collett is hitting .344 with an .844 slugging percentage this season.
  • His HR vs Xavier on Tuesday night tied the game and helped send it to extra innings.

 
 
PITCHER OF WEEK NOMINEE

• Junior RHP SEAN HJELLE (vs. Oakland)

  • Pitched 7.2 innings, giving up one hit, no runs and striking out 13.
  • Went to just two three-ball counts and threw 70 of 94 pitches for strikes.

• The 13 strikeouts are a career-high, besting the 10 he had vs. LSU on 5/25/17 at the SEC Tournament.
• Hjelle retired the first 12 hitters he faced before back-to-back errors to start the fifth inning. He then retired the next 11 before Jordan Jackson’s single.
• Hjelle now has 17 career wins, tying him for 12^th on UK’s career list.
• His career winning percentage of .773 ranks third on UK’s career list.
• In his first two starts this season, Hjelle has pitched 13.2 IP, giving up just three hits, one run, two walks and striking out 16.

 
TEAM NOTES

• Kentucky hit .379 as a team and averaged 11 runs per game for the week.
• Scored 42 runs in weekend series vs. Oakland
• Kentucky moved to 23-2 in non-conference home games under coach Nick Mingione.
• The Cats are 24-0 when scoring 10 or more runs under Mingione.
• The offense has hit a home run in all eight games this season.

 
 
PLAYER NOTES

• Senior IF Luke Becker

  • Had three doubles on the week.
  • Became the 50^th player in UK history to reach 100 career hits.

• Junior OF Ryan Johnson

  • Hit .467 for the week with four doubles and his first career home run.

• Senior C/1B Troy Squires

  • Recorded all eight of his RBI for the season in the weekend series vs. Oakland.
  • Recorded his 22nd career sacrifice to move into seventh place on UK’s career list.

• Senior IF/OF Luke Heyer

  • Hit .444 in three games with two home runs, four runs and four RBI.
  • Started games at both 3B and LF during the week.

• Junior IF Trey Dawson

  • Hit a team-high .556 for the week with six runs scored and eight walks.
  • Reached base in 11 of his first 12 plate appearances, including nine straight.

• Junior RHP Justin Lewis

  • Struck out a career-high 11 vs. Oakland