Travis Smith Named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week

Kentucky freshman pitcher Travis Smith has been named Southeastern Conference Co-Freshman of the Week, the league announced Monday. Smith shares the award with Georgia pitcher Jarvis Evans.

Smith, of Walton, Kentucky, took advantage of making his career debut in SEC play last Friday. He was the first UK freshman to start a conference game on the mound since Ryan Hagenow in 2021 and earned the win in the Wildcats’ 7-3 victory over No. 3 South Carolina.

The redshirt freshman right-hander set new career bests with 6.0 innings pitched and 83 pitches thrown. He allowed just four hits and struck out five. In his last two starts, both versus ranked Power Five opponents, he has yielded just a pair of solo home runs in 11.0 innings.

Highlights from Smith’s outing:

• Made his first career SEC start on the mound.
  • He picked up the win over No. 3 South Carolina with 6.0 innings, four hits, one run, three walks and five strikeouts.
• It was the eighth quality start by a UK pitcher in 2023.
  • He is the first freshman to start an SEC game for UK since Ryan Hagenow in 2021.
• In his last two starts, both versus ranked Power Five foes: 11.0 IP, 8 H, 2 R (two solo HR allowed), 5 BB, 13 K.