Softball
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Abbey Cheek - Softball - University of Kentucky Athletics 11

AbbeyCheek

  • position Utility
  • class Senior
  • Hometown Inman, S.C.
  • High school Chapman High School
BIO Stats
Junior (2018): SEC Player of the Week (3/20) … Played in and started every game for Kentucky this season on the defensive end of the field … Led the Wildcats with 18 home runs, including a two-HR game at New Mexico State on opening weekend and a two-HR game at #6 Tennessee in a 9-8 win … Is now second all-time at UK with 41 career HR, trailing Brittany Cervantes by seven … Hit a walk-off HR over Notre Dame to send Kentucky into Super Regionals … 15 multi-RBI games this season, including three five-RBI games, setting a new career-high … Multi-RBI games in nine of the last 27 games … Scored a run in 29 of UK’s 56 games, including eight of the last 13 games and seven of the last 10 … Hit a home run over the scoreboard at John Cropp Stadium vs. SEMO that was an SC Top 10 nominee play … Has an extra-base hit in 20 of UK’s games this season … Went for two triples in the game vs. Dayton, the fourth and fifth triples of her career … vs. Indiana and LSU hit over .700 with three multi-hit games and two multi-RBI games … Had a hit in every game vs. Alabama … Hit a walk-off HR over the JCS scoreboard to give UK a 10-0 win over EKU in six innings … Had a walk-off HR over Middle Tennessee State on April 6 in the bottom of the sixth. 

Sophomore (2017): Team leader in runs scored, home runs and RBI … First UK player with 20+ HR in first two seasons at UK … Hits in 33 of the last 46 games … Hit a grand slam, the second of her career, against Illinois-Chicago in the bottom of the fifth inning in a 2-2 game at the time … Home runs have come against Pittsburgh, Florida Atlantic, Memphis, Illinois-Chicago, Drexel, Arkansas, Tennessee, Mizzou and two in the same game against South Carolina this season … Has stolen eight bases in nine tries this season, including 4-for-4 at the Coach B Classic in week four of the season … Has 11 multi-RBI games on the season to lead all UK players … Hit .574 overall with four RBI and two runs scored against Arkansas … Went 2-for-3 with an RBI against Louisville … Hit .476 vs. Mizzou, belting three home runs, knocking in five runs and coming around to score four times, including scoring a run in all three games … Named CollegeSports Madness SEC Player of the Week (4/25) … Moved to lead-off in game two of the Texas A&M series and was there until game three of the Mississippi State series … Two runs scored in three of the last five games.

Freshman (2016): SEC ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM (DP/UTL) … SEC Freshman of the Week (3/7) … Kentucky’s highest-rated freshman in the Class of 2016 coming out of high school … Leads Kentucky in RBIs with 49 on the season … Has nine home runs, including a grand slam against No. 4 Oregon at the Kajikawa Classic … Has 19 extra-base hits on the season, including two triples … Has drawn 17 walks, including three vs. South Carolina in the weekend series … Had a go-ahead homer against Arkansas to put UK up 5-4 and plate herself as the game-winning run to secure the series sweep … Hit the game-winning 3-run home run at Ohio in the second game of a doubleheader in Athens … Had the go-ahead HR in the bottom of the sixth inning vs. EKU to put UK up 2-1 after trailing 1-0 … Had three game-winning home runs last week – vs. EKU and Friday/Sunday vs. Missouri … Of her four home runs in week 10 of the season, three hit off the videoboard at John Cropp Stadium … Has scored five runs in the last five games … Had the game-winning double in the fifth inning to give UK a 3-2 win over No. 4 Alabama … RBI against Louisville to tie the game in the seventh inning.


Considered the top overall prospect in the state of South Carolina by SCVarsity.com and The State, Cheek brings raw talent and power to the Bluegrass State. Entering her senior season at Chapman High School in Inman, S.C., Cheek is an all-around athlete earning countless honors in softball, volleyball and basketball. Cheek had a great junior season with a .549 batting average, adding 16 home runs, three triples and six doubles. Those gaudy numbers came even though most teams didn’t pitch to the slugger, registering over 30 walks – mostly intentional – which set a new school record. Cheek hit .486 her sophomore season with 12 homers, five triples and 12 doubles, while her freshman season she had seven homers, five triples and nine doubles. The impressive athlete has led Chapman to the regional and division championship each of the last three seasons. A five-year letterwinner in softball, Cheek has been named South Carolina High School League and High School Sports Report All-State and All-Region all three years, while she was the SCHSL Region Player of the Year her freshman and junior years and HSSR Player of the Year all three years. Cheek, who was a nominee for South Carolina Gatorade Player of the Year last season, played travel ball with the South Carolina Elite under head coach Tony Genovese. Genovese described Cheek as “probably the best hitter on the team, she’ll hit for high average and a lot of home runs. She plays third and first and can play the outfield.” Cheek played a year up with the SC Elite, hitting over 200 home runs in her nine years with the squad. Cheek is on fullcountsoftball.com’s national watch list and was named to the USA Elite Select All-Star roster. An all-region honoree in volleyball and basketball, Cheek is very involved away from athletics as a four-year member of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes and Beta Club. Daughter of Monica Cheek and stepfather Lee Newman, she has an older brother, Jerrett Heard, and sister, Caitlyn Cheek. She plans a major in kinesiology/health promotion.

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