Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes. These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, March 25:
Gymnastics: Holly Cunningham
Sophomore Holly Cunningham posted the highest individual score for Kentucky at the SEC Championships with her career-high tying 9.85 on vault. Has now posted a 9.8 or higher on vault in nine of her last 10 meets.
Softball: Griffin Joiner
Freshman Griffin Joiner was her continued steady-self offering the Wildcats a .300 batting clip and a pair of crucial RBI in helping clinch a series over No. 18/21 Auburn. Joiner gave UK a 1-0 lead in both of the final two games of the series with the Tigers. In Saturday’s game the lead would be one UK would not relinquish en route to earning a series win over the Tigers for just the fourth time in school history. Her sacrifice fly in the final game of the series proved to be UK’s lone scoring of the game and it was a lead UK held until Auburn mounted a two-run bottom of the seventh rally to salvage a sweep. Joiner’s presence at catcher cannot go unnoticed. She logged a perfect 1.000 fielding clip while notching 28 putouts and four assists. Runners attempted to steal on her a mere three times, and she successfully turned the play in all three attempts not allowing any runners to advance a base on her watch. Her success rate discouraged additional attempts as teams opted for sacrifice hits and hit-and-runs.
Men’s tennis: Alex Musialek
Became the 14th player in school history to record 100 singles wins with his come-from-behind win over No. 82 Roberto Maytin of Baylor. The native of Dax, France, earned the historic win in a three-set thriller over No. 82 Roberto Maytin at No. 2 singles. After dropping the first set 3-6, Musialek dominated the second set 6-1 and then rolled in the third set 6-4 to grab the win.
Baseball: Alex Phillips
Senior southpaw Alex Phillips had a pair of strong relief outings in helping the Wildcats extend their NCAA-leading 24-1 record with a series win at Tennessee and a midweek win at Cincinnati … In game two of the series at UT, Phillips entered the game after a rain storm had halted play on Sunday, working the final 4.1 shutout innings to post a win to even that series … In a midweek win at UC, Phillips entered when the steady UK bullpen was allowing six runs to make the contest tight … Phillips immediately got UK out of any trouble to lock the save down with two innings and two strikeouts … On the year, Phillips owns a 3-0 record and a 2.11 ERA in 10 relief outings, tossing 21.1 innings, allowing only 12 hits and five walks, striking out 19, with a .190 opposing batting average.
Baseball: J.T. Riddle
Sophomore second baseman J.T. Riddle had a clutch week in helping No. 2 Kentucky to a midweek win at Cincinnati and a series victory at Tennessee … Riddle’s clutch hitting led UK to the series win over the Vols, UK’s first in Knoxville since the 2008 season and helped the Wildcats improve to a nation-leading 24-1, including a 5-1 mark in SEC play … After the Wildcats suffered their first loss of the year in the series opener on Friday night to snap a 22-game winning streak, Riddle’s bat paced UK to the series-evening win in game two, batting 3-for-4 with three RBI, a homer and a triple … In the series finale, a seven-inning game, the two teams were locked in a scoreless pitching duel in the top of the sixth when Riddle smacked a double off the wall in leftfield to score the go-ahead and game-winning run … In a midweek win at UC, Riddle scored a pair of runs and added an RBI single … In addition to his contributions at the plate, Riddle has played stellar defense at second base, with his instincts, range and arm strength helping the UK defensive unit rank second in the SEC in fielding … On the year, Riddle has hit .318 (28-for-88), with five doubles, one triple, one homer and 18 RBI, with his 23 runs scored ranking eighth in the league.
Softball: Rachel Riley
Senior Rachel Riley was flawless in her two starts and two victories this week in UK’s impressive 3-1 weekend including taking a series from No. 18/21 Auburn for just the fourth time school history. Riley earned the decisive-series clinching victory over the Tigers with a complete-game effort. She worked 7.0 innings yielding just one earned run and limiting Auburn to a mere five hits. She struck out four in the win. The win marked the ninth of her career over a top-25 ranked opponent and the first in her senior campaign. She also contributed offensively with a 2-for-4 day at the dish which was her sixth multi-hit outing of the season. In UK’s non-conference victory in front of her hometown of Bowling Green, Ky., on the campus of Western Kentucky, Riley again worked a complete-game. She struck out six batters and allowed just five Hilltopper hits. She also logged a 1-for-4 day at the plate in the UK victory. With 10 strikeouts this weekend, Riley moved into fifth place on UK’s all-time career strikeout list. With two wins she also becomes just one of three pitchers in school history with 35 or more career wins.
Baseball: Chandler Shepherd
Right-hander Chandler Shepherd made his first career road start at Big East foe Cincinnati on Wednesday, posting his second career win … Shepherd worked a career-long 5.2 innings, allowing five hits and two runs, striking out two … Shepherd worked five shutout innings and came out for the sixth inning in an effort to extend his pitch count, with the Bearcats scoring two on a triple … On the year, Shepherd has appeared in five games with four starts, posting a 2-0 record and a 3.15 ERA, in 20 innings, walking five and striking out 11.
