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LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky baseball team will wrap up its fall practice season with the annual Fall World Series, set for Friday and Saturday at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
UK has been in the midst of its fall practice season over the last two months and will conclude the team practice portion of the fall with the series. The Wildcats will open the Blue vs. Black series on Friday at 3 p.m. ET at Cliff Hagan Stadium, before resuming the series at 10 a.m. ET on Saturday.
In game one, Blue will send sophomore southpaw Corey Littrell to the mound to take on Black’s junior lefty Taylor Rogers. In the second contest on Saturday, freshman lefty A.J. Reed takes the hill for Blue against lefty Sam Mahar, with junior lefty and Miami transfer Jerad Grundy, and freshman right-hander Chandler Shepherd set to pitch.
“We are excited to test our guys in one more weekend fall series,” UK head coach Gary Henderson said. “It is always fun to split the guys up and let them compete against each other. They bring tremendous energy and excitement to the Fall World Series and it is another great chance for them to get out on the diamond and get ready for the spring.”
As always, UK has been keeping detailed statistics throughout the fall scrimmages. Several UK hitters have had dynamic fall practices, including freshman outfielder Austin Cousino, a first-team High School All-America selection by Baseball America. Cousino has hit .377 (20-for-53) with four doubles, one triple, three homers and a team-high 12 walks, stealing a club-best 8-of-9 bases. Catcher Luke Maile has hit .400 (24-for-60) with three doubles, two homers and five RBI, with 2011 first-team All-Southeastern Conference third baseman Thomas McCarthy batting .385 (20-for-52) with six doubles.
UK has also been paced throughout the fall by sophomore outfielder Lucas Witt, who owns a .311 (19-for-61) average with three doubles and five stolen bases. Outfielder Cameron Flynn has hit .321 (18-for-56) with three doubles and two homers. Freshman two-way player A.J. Reed leads the team with five homers, also tossing five shutout innings with only one hit allowed.
On the mound during the fall, UK has been led by several hurlers, including Littrell and Rogers. Littrell has posted a 4.80 ERA in 15 innings, striking out 17 with three walks. Rogers, the starting pitcher in the 2011 Cape Cod League All-Star Game, owns a 3.60 ERA in 20 innings, walking four with 18 strikeouts.
Sophomore righty Trevor Gott – who got the save at Fenway Park in the 2011 Cape Cod League All-Star Game – has a 1.29 ERA in 14 innings, allowing only six hits. Grundy has tossed 16 frames during the fall with 17 strikeouts and a 1.13 ERA, while freshman righty Taylor Martin owns a 1.93 ERA with 16 strikeouts and four walks in 14 innings. Right-hander Spencer Drake owns a 0.64 ERA in 14 innings with 16 strikeouts, while righty Chris Garrison has charted a 2.81 ERA in 16 innings with 17 strikeouts. Walter Wijas has pitched 18 innings in the fall for a 3.50 ERA, with only two walks and 17 strikeouts.
Fall Stat Leaders
Average: Maile (.400)
Hits: Maile (24)
Slugging: Cousino (.660)
OBP: Cousino (.492)
Stolen bases: Cousino (8)
Doubles: McCarthy (6)
Triples: Reida/Cousino (1)
Homers: Reed (5)
Walks: Cousino (12)
ERA (min 5 IP): Reed (0.00)
Innings Pitched: Rogers (20)
Strikeouts: Rogers (18)
Game Times (Eastern)
Friday: 3:00 p.m.
Saturday: 10:15 a.m.
Parking
Friday: Fans can part in the Parking Structure 7 garage for $2 per hour for the first two hours and for $1 for each additional hour ($10 max).
Saturday: Due to a football gameday, fans can park in Parking Structure 7 garage for $20 or for free at the Parking Structure 2 garage next to the William T. Young Library.
Pitching Matchups (Blue vs. Black)
Friday: So., LHP Corey Littrell vs. Jr., LHP Taylor Rogers
Saturday: Fr., LHP A.J. Reed vs. Fr., LHP Sam Mahar AND Jr., LHP Jerad Grundy vs. Fr., RHP Chandler Shepherd.
