Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes.
These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, Mar. 21:
Softball: Brittany Cervantes
Sophomore Brittany Cervantes exploded for the Wildcats in their 4-2 week
which included a win over No. 5 Alabama and an SEC series win over Arkansas.
Cervantes batted .400 with four home runs and 11 RBI along with an astounding
1.200 slugging percentage. Cervantes’ three-run home run became the game-winning
hit for the Wildcats in their upset of No. 5 Alabama on Tuesday. It marked
just the second time in school history UK knocked off the Crimson Tide. Cervantes’
then drilled a three-run home run to defeat Morehead State and remain a perfect
5-0 against the Eagles in the last three seasons. Cervantes’ came up with another
home run in the opening game of the Arkansas series to help UK earn the first
win of that series. In helping the Blue and White clinch their first SEC series
of the season, she was 2-for-3 and drove in a run in the second game. In the
final game of the Arkansas series, she tied the score at 3-3 in the third inning
with her third three-run home run of the week. With four round trippers this
week she moved into sole possession of fifth place all-time in the UK record
books with 17 career home runs in just 86 career games as a sophomore. She
also ranks third all-time at Kentucky with a .535 slugging percentage.
Baseball: Alex Meyer
Sophomore right-hander Alex Meyer picked up the first SEC win of his career
Sunday in UK’s series-finale win over No. 19 Ole Miss … Meyer tossed 6.2 innings,
allowing three runs and striking out a season-high 10 … A 6-foot-9, 220-pounder,
Meyer was tossing a shutout until allowing a single run in the sixth inning
and two runs in the seventh inning, in a 12-3 UK win … Meyer , a native of
Greensburg, Ind., retired the first eight hitters he faced … On the year, Meyer
has totaled a team-high four wins, tossing 27.2 innings and striking out 36.
Baseball: Chad Wright
Sophomore leftfielder Chad Wright had another solid week for the Wildcats,
batting leadoff in all five games … Wright hit .389 (7-for-18) with two doubles,
a homer and four walks, adding a sacrifice fly and a sacrifice bunt during
the week … A native of Paducah, Ky., Wright had, what wound up being, the eventual
game-tying home run robbed by Ole Miss centerfielder Tim Ferguson in the bottom
of the eighth inning of a UK one-run loss Saturday … On the year, Wright has
hit .338 (27-for-80) with three doubles, a triple and two homers, tying for
the team lead with 17 RBI, drawing nine walks and stealing 5-of-7 bases … In
UK’s last 10 games, Wright has hit .405 (17-for-42) with seven RBI and three
steals.