LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky freshman men’s basketball student assistant coach Enes Kanter will be on hand to throw out the first pitch of the UK baseball series opener vs. No. 30 Auburn on Friday, with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. ET at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Kanter, a 6-foot-11, 272-pound native of Istanbul, Turkey, joined the UK men’s basketball team as part of a second consecutive No. 1 ranked recruiting class before the 2010-11 season. Kanter, regarded as a candidate for a lottery pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, was ranked as the No. 1 center in the 2010 recruiting class by scout.com, earning five-star rankings by rivals.com and scout.com.

A member of the under-18 Turkish national team in 2009, Kanter earned MVP honors after averaging 18.6 points and 16.4 rebounds per game at the European Championships.

Kanter spent the 2010-11 men’s basketball season working as an undergraduate student-assistant coach, helping lead the Wildcats to its first NCAA Final Four berth since 1998.