On the heels of an NCAA-best 18-0 start to the 2012 season, Kentucky baseball ventures into Southeastern Conference play this weekend. The Wildcats will play host to No. 2 South Carolina, the defending National Champion, beginning at 7 p.m. on Friday. Aaron Fitt of Baseball America talked about UK’s hot start to the season and how the Cats’ play will translate in the nation’s best conference.
“There’s a few things,” Wildcats coach Gary Henderson said by way of explanation for his team’s hot start. “Our starting pitching’s been solid. We’ve got some solid, if not better than that, depth in the bullpen, so we’ve got some options back there. You never feel like you’re held hostage and have to run that starter out there for seven innings every time. Our starting position players have been outstanding playing defense. And our concentration at the plate has been really good.”Kentucky was very excited about its recruiting class this fall, and so far its newcomers have bolstered its nice core of solid veterans in the lineup. In fact, four of Kentucky’s top five hitters so far are newcomers. Outfielder Cameron Flynn, who hit 15 homers at Morehead State before sitting out last year because of transfer rules, leads the team in hitting (.432), homers (five) and slugging (.946), joining with fellow upperclassmen Luke Maile (.383/.513/.617) and Michael Williams (.286/.423/.381) to form a physical heart of the lineup.Freshman two-way talent A.J. Reed (.364/.431/.582, 2 HR, 26 RBI) also provides some thunder in the middle of the lineup. The 6-foot-4, 235-pound Reed has slimmed down by about 20 pounds since he arrived in Lexington, and he is making an impact on the mound as well, going 3-0, 2.04 as the midweek starter. Reed has advanced command for an 88-89 mph fastball that bumps 90-91, a quality breaking ball and changeup. A lefthanded pitcher/first baseman with size, power and feel for pitching, Reed sounds a lot like Florida All-American Brian Johnson, but he reminds Henderson of a different Gators two-way star because of his intangibles.
New blog contributor Ryan Suckow will have a story on this same topic on Friday before the series, so make sure you check back to read that. In the meantime, head on over to read the complete Baseball America story.
