Lexington, (Ky.) ? Kentucky first-year head baseball coach John Cohen has announced the signing of junior college players Kevin Caldwell and Russ Smithson to join the Wildcat roster this fall. The two players are the first additions to the UK team in this signing period.
?These are two very talented players that will make an immediate impact on our program,? Cohen said. ?Both can really swing the bat and give us versatility because they can play multiple positions.?
Caldwell (6-5, 225) is in his second season at Itawamba Community College in Tupelo, Miss. He is batting .420 thus far in 2004 with nine home runs and 41 runs driven in. Itawamba stands at 27-9 on the season. As a freshman, Caldwell helped lead his team to a 46-11 record and a berth in the National Junior College Athletic Association Division II World Series, batting .331 with 11 doubles, 11 home runs and 42 RBI. Caldwell projects as a first baseman at Kentucky.
?Kevin is doing very well at our level,? Itawamba head coach Rick Collier said. ?He?s our best hitter and I?m really anxious to see how well he does in the Southeastern Conference. We certainly wish him the best and look forward to seeing him do well.?
?We see Kevin Caldwell as being a real physical presence that can hit in the middle of our lineup,? Cohen said. ?He has put up some impressive numbers in a very good junior college system.?
Smithson (6-0, 200) is currently batting .407 with 16 doubles, three home runs and 35 RBI for El Paso Community College in El Paso, Texas. The Port Coquitlam, British Columbia native leads the team in hits, doubles, RBI and batting average. Last season, Smithson set the El Paso C.C. school record with 69 runs batted in and hit .436 for a team that finished 42-11. He was named to the First-Team WJCAC as a freshman and was a member of the Canadian National Junior Team in 2002. He will vie for time at third base and second base for Kentucky.
?Russ is a quiet guy who plays very hard,? El Paso C.C. head coach Ken Jacome said. ?I believe he is capable of hitting pitching at any level. He will be very consistent and can really contribute at Kentucky.?
?Russ is a pure hitter,? Cohen said. ?He can play at third base or second base and can really contribute to our program.?
Both players are scheduled to enroll at Kentucky in the fall and be eligible to take part in fall workouts. They will hold junior status when the 2005 season begins next February. Cohen takes his 2004 team back into action this weekend when it plays host to the No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks (25-8, 6-6 SEC) to Lexington. The series gets underway with a 6:30 p.m. (ET) contest on Friday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
— UK —