LEXINGTON, Ky. — Already owning a Southeastern Conference Pitcher of the Week and National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association NCAA Pitcher of the Week honors after a complete-game shutout win over No. 1 Vanderbilt, Kentucky junior Alex Meyer has been named a national player of the week by CollegeBaseball360.com, it was announced.
A native of Greensburg, Ind., Meyer was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on Monday and NCBWA Pro-Line Athletic National Pitcher of the Week on Tuesday. CollegeBaseball360.com announces a weekly national honor roll including the top eight performances of the previous week, with Meyer tabbed as the headline winner on Tuesday, joining Princeton catcher Sam Mulroy.
The 6-foot-9, 220-pounder tossed his league-leading second complete-game shutout of the year on Friday, outdueling Vanderbilt ace right-hander Sonny Gray in a matchup that was billed as two of the top starting pitchers in amateur baseball. Meyer went the full nine innings, allowing only five singles and one walk, striking out five in an efficient 110-pitch, 72-strike outing.
The righty leads the SEC in innings pitched (87.2), strikeouts (96), complete games (four) and complete-game shutouts (two). Meyer has allowed only 66 hits on the year and a .220 opponent batting average, with only a staggering 11 hits allowed coming as extra-base hits, including just two homers.
Meyer’s win lifted UK to its first win over a No. 1 ranked team since UK bested Vanderbilt in 2007, a club that featured starts David Price, Casey Weathers, Ryan Flaherty and Pedro Alvarez. Meyer’s outing came against a dominating VU club that entered the game leading the conference in batting average, average in SEC games and on-base percentage, ranking second in the SEC in runs.
He did not allow Vandy to getting a runner to second base until the seventh frame, tossing first-pitch strikes to 17 hitters, facing only four batters above the minimum and facing the minimum through his first six frames. Meyer allowed only five singles in the game in the first shutout surrendered by the Dores since they were blanked at South Carolina in 2010.
Meyer was named SEC Pitcher of the Week on Monday, the second conference pitcher of the week on the year for Meyer. The national player of the week accolade is the fourth of Meyer’s junior season, as he was named Louisville Slugger National Player of the Week after striking out 13 in a start on opening weekend and the College Baseball Foundation honored him after he posted a complete-game win over No. 12 Arkansas on April 23.
Kentucky (22-27, 5-19 Southeastern Conference) will return to action on Friday, hosting SEC Eastern Division power Georgia at 6:30 p.m. ET at Cliff Hagan Stadium. The game will be televised live on the Big Blue Sports Network, with Dick Gabriel (play-by-play), MLB Gold Glover Doug Flynn (color) and Brian Milam (sideline) calling the action. The telecast can be found on FSN South (Insight-Lexington channel 52) and in Central Kentucky on CWKYT-TV (Insight-Lexington channel 5). The game will also be broadcast live on BBSN, with the Voice of UK Baseball, Neil Price, calling the action. Fans in Central Kentucky can hear the game live on WLAP 630-AM, in Louisville on WKJK 1080-AM and online at UKathletics.com.
