Feb. 3, 2014
LEXINGTON, Ky. – University of Kentucky junior catcher Griffin Joiner has been named to the 2014 Southeastern Conference Softball Coaches Preseason All-SEC Team, it was announced Monday by the league office.
Joiner, who is the lone catcher to be honored on the preseason list, was named to the All-SEC Second Team and All-SEC Defensive Team last season. The catcher joins UK greats Molly Johnson, Megan Yocke and Rachel Riley as the only players in school history to earn preseason honors from league coaches. Joiner is the first since Riley in 2012 to earn the honors.
The native of Hopkinsville, Ky., who started all 62 games behind the plate last season, had an incredible sophomore season at the dish, hitting .322 with 14 doubles, one triple, 10 homers and 41 RBI. Joiner’s impressive year added to career totals of a .301 batting average with 22 doubles, 14 homers, 51 runs scored and a .412 on-base percentage.
Joiner’s name is marked all over the UK single-season and career record books. On the single-season record list Joiner’s 14 doubles in 2013 ranks tied for fifth, while her 10 homers and 41 RBI last year are ranked tied for ninth and seventh, respectively. Entering the 2014 season, Joiner’s career batting average of .301 ranks 10th on UK’s career list, while she is one home run shy of sitting top 10 on the career homer list.
Joiner has been as steady behind the plate defensively as she has been at the plate offensively. The junior sits fifth all-time in school history with 733 putouts, while last season she finished second in the SEC with 15 runners caught stealing.
The Preseason All-SEC Team consists of a minimum of 14 players. Each SEC head softball coach voted for five infielders, four outfielders, three pitchers, one catcher and one utility/DP player. No ties were broken.
In a class-by-class breakdown, the 2014 team consists of five seniors, four juniors and six sophomores. A complete list of the 2014 SEC Softball Coaches Preseason All-SEC team is below,
Kentucky will begin its season on Feb. 6 in Long Beach, Calif., at the Mizuno Invitational. The Wildcats will play five games on the West Coast beginning with their season opener vs. Santa Clara.
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Preseason All-SEC Team
IF – Kaila Hunt, Alabama
IF – Emily Carosone, Auburn
IF – Kelsey Stewart, Florida
IF – Paige Wilson, Georgia
IF – Madison Shipman, Tennessee
OF – Haylie McCleney, Alabama
OF – Morgan Estell, Auburn
OF – Kaylee Puailoa, Georgia
OF – A.J. Andrews, LSU
OF – Cali Lanphear, Texas A&M
P – Jaclyn Traina, Alabama
P – Hannah Rogers, Florida
P – Ellen Renfroe, Tennessee
C – Griffin Joiner, Kentucky
DP/UTL – Geri Ann Glasco, Georgia