April 7, 2014
LEXINGTON, Ky. — For the second time in 2014, Kentucky junior left-handed pitcher/first baseman A.J. Reed has been named Southeastern Conference Player of the Week, it was announced by the league office on Monday morning.
A native of Terre Haute, Ind., Reed led UK to a series win over No. 12 Florida and a midweek win over No. 8 Louisville last week, belting homers in all three games of the weekend series, while also working seven shutout innings on the mound for the win on Friday night vs. the Gators.
In a week where Reed was named the midseason national player of the year by Perfect Game, he cranked three doubles and hit a homer in each game vs. the Gators, going 8-for-12 in the series with five runs and six RBI, sporting a 1.667 slugging and a .733 on-base percentage.
In the series-opener vs. Florida on Friday, Reed worked seven shutout innings on the mound, scattering five singles, while also going 3-for-4 at the plate with two doubles and a homer. On Saturday, Reed went 2-for-4 with four RBI and his 11th homer of the year, a three-run job. In the rubber-match win on Sunday vs. UF, Reed collected his second three-hit game of the weekend, belting a double and hitting a homer, also getting plunked by a pitch for the second time in the series.
On the year, Reed – the only player in the nation from a BCS conference with eight or more homers – leads the SEC with 12 homers and 39 RBI at the plate, hitting .377, while owning a 6-1 record and a 1.93 ERA in eight Friday-night starts on the mound. In his career, Reed has hit .309 in 142 games, slugging 29 homers and driving in 134 runs at the plate, owning a 13-12 record and a 3.00 ERA in 192 innings on the mound.
A 6-foot-4, 240-pound lefty, Reed has earned four SEC weekly accolades in his career, as he was named SEC Freshman of the Week on April 2, 2012 and SEC Player of the Week on March 5, 2013 after a 15-RBI week. On Feb. 24, Reed was named SEC Player of the Week after hitting five homers in a three-game stretch at the Old Dominion Tournament, also earning national player of the week honors from Louisville Slugger and NCAA.com.
Kentucky (22-10, 6-6 SEC) will return to action with a four-game week, hosting Morehead State on Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. ET at Cliff Hagan Stadium, before welcoming Missouri for a three-game set.
