June 5, 2012

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky junior centerfielder Brian Adams has been selected in the eighth round of the 2012 MLB Draft by the San Diego Padres, going as the 255th overall pick, it was announced on Tuesday afternoon.

Adams became the 15th top-10 pick for Kentucky and the 35th pick overall since the Wildcats won the 2006 Southeastern Conference Championship.

Adams, a native of Gainesville, Ga., was picked by the Padres in the eighth round of the MLB Draft, going with the 255th overall selection. A 6-foot-4, 220-pound right-handed hitter, Adams was drafted out of South Forsyth High School in the 45th round by the Cincinnati Reds and was rated as the top athlete in the SEC in the preseason of 2012 by Baseball America. Adams came to Kentucky as a two-sport standout out of Forsyth and was a scholarship wide receiver for the football team from 2009-11.

In his three-year UK career, Adams owns a .312 average (64-for-205) with 36 runs, 13 doubles, two triples, four homers and 28 RBI, stealing 11-of-15 bases. As a freshman, Adams hit .472 (17-for-36) with three doubles, one triple, one homer and eight RBI, emerging as a standout late in the season. During the 2011 campaign, Adams served as UK’s primary starter in centerfield, starting 39 of 41 games played with a .288 average, adding eight doubles, one triple, two homers and 13 RBI, swiping nine bags. During UK’s 2012 season, Adams batted .250 (11-for-44) in 27 games and eight starts, doubling twice and belting a mammonth homer against Alabama at Cliff Hagan Stadium. Adams drove in seven runs in 2012 and robbed his second homer of his career in leftfield, coming at Mississippi State in the regular-season finale.