March 11, 2013

LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky true freshman infielder Christian Stokes has been named Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Week after hitting .833 (5-for-6) in the weekend series vs. Ole Miss with her first career homer and three runs batted in, the league office announced Monday.

Stokes collected a hit in all three games over the weekend, helping the Wildcats open conference play with a series win against the Rebels. The native of Chesterfield, S.C., had five hits in her six official at-bats during the series, including multi-hit games on Friday and Sunday. Stokes finished the series with an on-base percentage of .889 and a 1.333 slugging percentage, including a homer, three RBI and two runs scored.  

“This is a well-deserved honor for Christian, who had a fantastic week for us,” UK head coach Rachel Lawson said. “She has really picked up her play recently and we are happy with how she is developing.”

For the season, Stokes is hitting .279 (12-for-43) with a .436 on-base percentage. She also has one double, 12 RBI and four runs scored. The rookie has played in all 22 games for UK with 20 starts at second base. Stokes is currently riding a season-best three-game hitting streak while she leads UK’s strong freshman class with three multi-hit games and four multi-RBI games this season.

Kentucky (18-4, 2-1 SEC) will continue its five-game homestand with two non-conference games this week before traveling to LSU this weekend to continue conference action. The Wildcats will host No. 25 North Carolina on Tuesday at 5 p.m. ET before squaring off with Southern Illinois on Wednesday at 3 p.m. ET. Both games will be played at the UK Softball Complex with admission free of charge.

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