May 18, 2015

HOOVER, Ala. — Kentucky baseball standouts JaVon Shelby, Kyle Barrett and Evan White have earned postseason All-Southeastern Conference honors, as selected by the league coaches and announced by the SEC on Monday afternoon.

Shelby, UK’s sophomore second baseman, earned first-team accolades, with Barrett — a junior -centerfielder — tabbed second-team All-SEC. White was named Freshman All-SEC and to the All-SEC Defensive Team at first base.

A product of Lexington’s Tates Creek High School, Shelby is having a breakout season as a star at the keystone. Shelby, a freshman All-SEC Selection in 2014, has belted nine homers and hit .318, ripping 12 doubles, two triples and driving in 44 runs, stealing four bases. Shelby has belted seven homers, nine doubles and a triple in league play, with a .321 average and a 1.073 OPS (on-base percentage + slugging percentage). In his career, Shelby has made 104 consecutive starts at second base and owns 13 homers, 18 doubles, four triples and 65 RBI. Shelby is the second member of his family to earn All-SEC accolades, as he is the brother of former UK star second baseman John Shelby (2004-06), a second-team All-SEC honoree in 2006. Combined in their careers, the Shelby family has hit 45 homers for Kentucky.

Shelby is the first UK second baseman to earn first-team All-SEC honors since Ryan Wilkes in 2008 and just the second UK standout named first-team at the keystone since 1988.

Barrett, a product of Douglasville, Ga., was named second-team All-SEC in the outfield after becoming just the second UK player in program history to lead the SEC in hits (82) and the first since 1988. He finished the year with a .352 average with 12 doubles, three triples, one homer and 25 RBI, with seven stolen bases. In SEC play, Barrett hit .371 to lead the club, with 11 of his extra-base hits coming in conference action. In his career, Barrett has hit .323 with 172 hits, totaling 22 doubles, four triples, two homers and 21 steals.

A native of Gahanna, Ohio, White had a strong season as UK’s everyday first baseman, batting .319 with 12 doubles, one triple, two homers and 28 RBI, stealing three bases. The second UK first baseman, and the first since AJ Reed in 2012, to be named Freshman All-SEC. White was perfect defensively in conference play and hit .296 with 10 extra-base hits and 15 RBI coming in SEC action.

Kentucky (30-24, 14-15 SEC) earned the No. 8 seed in the SEC Tournament and will face off with ninth-seeded Auburn on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. ET at the Hoover Met. The game will be televised live on the SEC Network, with Clay Matvick, Gabe Gross and Kaycee Smith voicing the action. The game will also be on the UK Radio Network, available in Central Kentucky on WLAP 630-AM, in Louisville on WKJK 1080-AM and online at UKathletics.com.

2015 SEC Baseball Awards


Player of the Year: Andrew Benintendi, Arkansas
Pitcher of the Year: Carson Fulmer, Vanderbilt
Freshman of the Year: Alex Lange, LSU
Coach of the Year: Paul Mainieri, LSU
Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Seth Heck, Mississippi State

First-Team All-SEC


C: Kade Scivicque, LSU
1B: Kyle Martin, South Carolina
2B: JaVon Shelby, Kentucky

3B: Conner Hale, LSU
SS: Alex Bregman, LSU
OF: Andrew Benintendi, Arkansas
OF: Andrew Stevenson, LSU
OF: Christin Stewart, Tennessee
DH/UT: Mitchell Nau, Texas A&M
SP: Carson Fulmer, Vanderbilt
SP: Alex Lange, LSU
RP: Zach Jackson, Arkansas

Second-Team All-SEC Team


C: Mike Rivera, Florida
1B: Chris Chinea, LSU
2B: Max Schrock, South Carolina
3B: Josh Tobias, Florida
SS: Dansby Swanson, Vanderbilt
OF: Kyle Barrett, Kentucky

OF: Nick Banks, Texas A&M
OF: Logan Taylor, Texas A&M
DH/UT: JJ Schwarz, Florida
SP: Grayson Long, Texas A&M
SP: Cole Lipscomb, Auburn
*RP: Breckin Williams, Missouri
*RP: Wyatt Short, Ole Miss

Freshman All-SEC Team


C: Mike Rivera, Florida
1B: Evan White, Kentucky

2B: Dalton Guthrie, Florida
3B: Will Toffey, Vanderbilt
SS: Ryan Gridley, Mississippi State
OF: Keegan McGovern, Georgia
OF: Trey Harris, Missouri
OF: Jeren Kendall, Vanderbilt
DH/UT: JJ Schwarz, Florida
SP: Tanner Houck, Missouri
SP: Keaton McKinney, Arkansas
RP: Kyle Wright, Vanderbilt

SEC All-Defensive Team


C: Kade Scivicque, LSU
1B: Evan White, Kentucky

2B: Kyle Overstreet, Alabama
3B: Bobby Wernes, Arkansas
SS: Alex Bregman, LSU
OF: Andrew Stevenson, LSU
OF: Mark Laird, LSU
OF: Buddy Reed, Florida
P: Carson Fulmer, Vanderbilt

* – Denotes a tie in voting. Ties are not broken.