Every Tuesday, UK Athletics recognizes outstanding performances for our student-athletes. These are the honorees for the week ending Sunday, March 17:
Baseball: Austin Cousino
Sophomore centerfielder Austin Cousino had a stellar week in leading the Wildcats to their first series win at Florida since 1999, with UK also picking up a midweek win over Ohio … Batted .471 (8-for-17) with a double, homer and four RBI, getting hit by a pitch and stealing three bases in three attempts … Was red hot during the series win at Florida, batting .538 (7-for-13) with a double, homer and four RBI, with all three of his steals coming vs. the Gators … Had a .706 slugging and a .550 on-base percentage … In the series opener at UF, Cousino went 2-for-3 with a pair of singles, steal and a hit by pitch … After UK fell in the series opener after three errors in the seventh, Cousino exploded in the series-evening win, going 3-for-5 with four RBI, a double, homer, hit by pitch and stolen base … In the series finale rubber match, Cousino went 2-for-4 with a pair of singles and a stolen base … In the midweek win over Ohio, Cousino went 1-for-4 with a hit by pitch … On the year, Cousino has hit .325 with 22 runs, four doubles, four homers and 15 RBI, stealing 8-of-8 bases.
Men’s tennis: Kevin Lai
In Kentucky’s upset of No. 4 Ole Miss on the road, freshman Kevin Lai clinched the match as he moved to 9-0 on the year, picking up his first-career SEC win. One-time SEC Freshman of the Week, Lai has been a solid player at UK for the six slot, as he has been crucial in many wins over ranked opponents this year. Lai and junior Tom Jomby are ranked 23rd in the country for doubles.
Baseball: Corey Littrell
Junior southpaw Corey Littrell turned in a solid start in a rubber-match win at Florida in the series finale, pacing the Wildcats to its first series win at Florida since the 1999 season … Littrell worked eight innings and allowed just one run, scattering 10 singles without issuing a walk and striking out seven … The 2012 Rawlings Gold Glove Award Winner as the NCAA’s top defensive pitcher also picked off his third runner of the year and the 14th of his career … Littrell’s rubber-match start marked his ninth start in a series-deciding game in the last two years, with UK winning all nine of those games and Littrell posting a 7-0 record and a 1.92 ERA in those outings … On the year, Littrell has a 3-0 record and a 2.84 ERA in five starts, tossing 31.2 innings, walking eight and striking out 31 … With his 18th career win, Littrell moved into a tie for ninth place on the UK career list, just six wins shy of equaling the program mark.
Men’s tennis: Grant Roberts
Junior Grant Roberts was responsible for four of Kentucky’s points this weekend as the Wildcats downed No. 4 Ole Miss and No. 13 Mississippi State on the road. Roberts went 4-0, collecting a straight-sets singles win on Sunday and a tight three-setter which gave UK the early lead in the match on Friday. Roberts and senior doubles partner Anthony Rossi also went 2-0 this weekend in doubles, and now are 9-3 (4-1 SEC) in the three doubles slot.
