March 4, 2013
LEXINGTON, Ky. — After collecting 15 RBI during a five-game week, Kentucky sophomore left-handed pitcher/first baseman A.J. Reed has been tabbed one of five Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week, it was announced on Monday morning by the Collegiate Baseball Newspaper.
A native of Terre Haute, Ind., Reed joins four other players as the Louisville Slugger National Players of the Week, including Stanford right-hander Mark Appel, Oregon State outfielder Michael Conforto, North Carolina State lefty Carlos Rodon and Southeastern Louisiana lefty Jordan Hymel.
The honor comes after Reed put up monster numbers during the week in leading the Wildcats to a sweep over Akron and midweek wins over Murray State and Eastern Kentucky. The 6-foot-4, 245-pounder hit .526 (10-for-19) during the week with a double, three homers and 15 RBI. He collected 20 total bases, a 1.053 slugging percentage and a .609 on-base mark. On the mound, Reed started the Friday night win over the Zips, working six innings, allowing two runs and striking out four to earn his second win of the year.
On the year, Reed has hit No. 3 in the order in each contest and been the Friday night starter for three consecutive weekends. On the mound, Reed has a 2-1 record and a 4.70 ERA, tossing 15.1 innings, walking only two and striking out 11. At the plate, Reed has hit .409 (18-for-44) with 11 runs, one double, one triple, four homers and 22 RBI, owning a .500 on-base percentage and a .750 slugging clip. In his two-year UK career, Reed has a 7-4 record with a 3.00 ERA on the mound and a .320 average (78-for-244) with eight homers and 65 RBI at the dish.
A 25th-round draft pick in 2011 by the New York Mets, Reed earned consensus first-team freshman All-America accolades in 2012 and was a semifinalist for the John Olerud Two-Way Player of the Year Award. He entered the season as a preseason All-America honoree by the National Collegiate Baseball.
Kentucky (10-1) moved up one spot in the latest Collegiate Baseball weekly top-30 poll, advancing to No. 7. The Wildcats will host a pair of midweek games against Cincinnati and Xavier on Tuesday and Wednesday, with first pitch slated for 4 p.m. ET at Cliff Hagan Stadium. Both games will be broadcast live on the UK IMG Radio Network, with the Voice of UK Baseball, Neil Price, calling the action. Fans in Lexington can hear the game live on WWTF 1580-AM and online at UKathletics.com.
