A total of 25 Kentucky college baseball players have earned postseason conference honors since the end of the regular season, including the Big East Conference Pitcher of the Year and Ohio Valley Conference Rookie of the Year.

The University of Louisville leads the way with 10 players selected to one of the there Big East postseason all-conference teams.

Jeff Thompson. (Photo from UofL Sports Information)

Junior right-handed pitcher Jeff Thompson was named the conference’s Pitcher of the Year and selected to the All-Big East First Team. He was joined by sophomore closer Nick Burdi and junior designated hitter Jeff Gardner on the All-Big East First Team.

Thompson was 10-1 with a 2.09 ERA and 97 strikeouts in 90 and one-third innings pitched on the season. Burdi posted a 0.64 ERA and 14 saves in 24 games. He struck out 55 batters and walked 10 in 28 and one-third innings pitched. Gardner batted .341 with nine home runs, 40 RBI and 22 runs scored in 51 games, including 36 starts.

UofL junior right-handed pitcher Chad Green, junior third baseman Ty Young, sophomore shortstop Sutton Whiting and junior outfielder Coco Johnson were named to the All-Big East Second Team. Senior second baseman Nick Ratajczak, junior outfielder Adam Engel and junior outfielder Cole Sturgeon were named to the All-Big East Third Team.

EKU award winners Luke Wurzelbacher, Shaun Ball, Doug Teegarden, Sean Hagen, Kyle Nowlin, Kenny Hostrander. (Photo from EKU Sports Information)

Eastern Kentucky University led the three Kentucky Ohio Valley Conference schools with six players earning postseason honors. Freshman outfielder Kyle Nowlin was named the conference’s Rookie of the Year after batting .288 with three home runs, 22 RBI, 33 runs scored and 14 stolen bases in 47 games.

EKU junior catcher Sean Hagen and senior outfielder Shaun Ball were named to the All-OVC First Team. Hagen batted .364 with three home runs, 35 RBI, 32 runs scored and 10 stolen bases in 45 games. Ball batted .302 with 10 home runs, 49 RBI and 33 runs scored in 52 games.

Murray State University junior designated hitter Brandon Eggenschwiler and Morehead State University first baseman Kane Sweeney were named to the All-OVC Second Team. Sweeney was named to the team as a utility player.

EKU second baseman Kenny Hostrander, shortstop Luke Wurzelbacher and third baseman Doug Teegarden; Murray State right-handed pitcher Cody Maerz and outfielder Taylor Mathews; and Morehead third baseman Alan Mocahbee joined Nowlin on the OVC All-Freshman Team.

After being named the BluGrass Baseball Hitter of the Year Monday, Western Kentucky University junior first baseman Ryan Huck was named to the All-Sun Belt Conference First Team. Huck batted .372 with 15 home runs, 53 RBI and 42 runs scored in 51 games this season.

Northern Kentucky University first baseman Logan Spurlin was selected to the Atlantic Sun Conference Freshman Team as the only Norse player to earn postseason conference honors.

Two Kentucky high school graduates playing college baseball out of the state also earned postseason honors.

Mercer County High School alum Matt Honchel, a sophomore outfielder at Miami (OH), was named to the Mid-American Conference First Team after batting .342 with 18 RBI, 50 runs scored and 17 stolen bases in 53 games.

Marshall County High School alum Cody Forsythe, a senior left-handed pitcher at Southern Illinois University, was named to the All-Missouri Valley Conference Second Team. Forsythe led Southern Illinois to an opening-round win in the MVC tournament with a one-run complete game performance Tuesday versus Wichita State.

Southeastern Conference postseason honors have yet to be announced, and several University of Kentucky players are expected to be in contention the awards.

The Lexington Legends clinched a series win with a 4-3 victory versus Asheville. Legends second baseman Yowill Espinal was 2 for 3 with one home run, one RBI and two runs scored, and designated hitter Raul Mondesi was 2 for 4. Right-handed starter Christian Binford did not receive a decision after surrendering three unearned runs on five hits in six innings while striking out eight batters and walking one. Right-handed reliever Ali Williams earned his second win of the season with two scoreless innings of relief, and right-handed pitcher Alec Mills pitched a scoreless ninth inning for his sixth save. (Box Score)

The Louisville Bats clinched a series win versus Gwinnett with a 6-2 victory. Bats first baseman Mike Hessman was 3 for 4 with one home run, one double, two RBI and one run scored, and catcher Corky Miller slugged a solo home run. Right-handed starter Chad Reineke earned his fourth win of the season after surrendering two runs on six hits in seven innings while striking out three batters and walking one. (Box Score)

The Bowling Green Hot Rods were off Tuesday.

Former UofL infielder Ryan Wright was 2 for 5 with two home runs, three RBI and two runs scored for high A Bakersfield. Wright has three home runs, five hits and six RBI in his last two games.

Former Henry Clay High School, Morehead State and UK outfielder Cameron Flynn extended his hitting streak to nine games with a 3-for-4, one-RBI performance.

Justin Marks. (Photo from the Kansas City Royals)

Former Owensboro Catholic High School and UofL left-handed pitcher Justin Marks did not receive a decision after surrendering two runs on five hits in seven innings while striking out four batters and walking two in a start for AAA Omaha.

Former Beechwood High School and Campbellsville infielder Chris Curley was 3 for 5 with one RBI and three runs scored for high A Winston-Salem.

Former WKU outfielder Kes Carter was 2 for 3 with one triple and three RBI for high A Charlotte.

Former Male High School and UofL catcher Jeff Arnold slugged his seventh home run of the season and drove in two runs for high A San Jose.

Former St. Mary’s High School infielder Jonathan Roof slugged his first home run of the season for high A Clearwater.

Former Hart County High School and UofL right-handed pitcher Derek Self was credited with his third win of the season after surrendering one run on three hits in two innings of relief for high A Potomac.

Three more Kentucky Division I college baseball teams open postseason play Wednesday in their respective conference tournaments.

The University of Louisville enters the Big East Tournament as the No. 1 seed, Western Kentucky University enters the Sun Belt Tournament as the No. 5 seed and Eastern Kentucky University enters the Ohio Valley Conference Tournament as the No. 5 seed.

The University of Kentucky saw its season end Tuesday with a first-round loss to Ole Miss in the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

WKU opens the action versus No. 4 seed Florida Atlantic at 10 a.m. EKU faces No. 4 seed Jacksonville State at 4 p.m., and UofL faces No. 8 seed Connecticut at 5 p.m.

(File photo by Jon Hale)

Louisville enters the Big East Tournament riding the nation’s longest active winning streak at 16 games. The Cardinals finished the regular season with a school-record 46 wins to earn their fourth Big East regular season title in five seasons. The Cardinals will attempt to wrap up a top-eight national seed in the NCAA Tournament with a strong showing in Clearwater, Fla.

UofL outscored Connecticut 17-1 in a three-game sweep earlier this month.

WKU will be playing for the Sun Belt’s automatic bid into the NCAA Tournament this week after finishing the regular season at 28-27 overall and 16-14 in conference play. If the Hilltoppers win their opener versus Florida Atlantic, they would face the winner of No. 8 seed Arkansas State and No. 1 seed Troy on Thursday. A loss in the opener would send WKU to the losers’ bracket against the loser of the Arkansas State and Troy game.

Florida Atlantic swept WKU in a three-game series earlier this month.

One season after earning a share of the OVC regular season championship, EKU was one of five teams to finish with a winning record in conference play but finished the regular season at 20-32 overall. The Colonels face a tough task in their opener, as Jacksonville State won two of three meetings between the two teams in the regular season and EKU has lost six consecutive OVC Tournament games. EKU closed the season strong, winning 14 of its last 20 OVC games.

The Colonels will send right-handed pitcher Brent Cobb, who is 6-6 with a 3.83 ERA in 87 innings pitched this season, to the mound for the start versus Jacksonville State. Cobb is coming off six no-hit innings in a start versus Murray State on May 16.

Tournament brackets:

– Big East
– Sun Belt
– Ohio Valley

The UK baseball team’s season came to an end Tuesday with a 4-1 loss to Ole Miss in the first round of the Southeastern Conference Tournament.

The Wildcats, who likely needed to win the tournament to earn a spot in the NCAA Tournament, finish the season at 30-25, one year after setting a program record for wins.

UK played from behind for almost the entire game after Ole Miss plated a single run in the bottom of the first inning on a sacrifice fly.

Two doubles in the third inning plated a second Ole Miss run, and the Rebels added two more runs in the sixth on four hits.

UK’s only run of the game came in the fourth inning when Ole Miss catcher Stuart Turner threw the ball into center field while trying to catch UK center fielder Austin Cousino stealing second base, allowing left fielder Zac Zellers to score from third base.

Senior left-handed pitcher Jerad Grundy was charged with the loss after surrendering four runs on nine hits in five and two-thirds innings while striking out one batter and walking none.

UK’s best chance to get back in the game came in the seventh inning when the Cats loaded the bases with one out, but redshirt junior catcher Micheal Thomas popped out to second base and freshman right fielder Kyle Barrett grounded into a fielder’s choice at second base to end the scoring threat.

The Lexington Legends opened a three-game homestead with a 3-1 win versus Asheville. Legends center fielder Bubba Starling was 2 for 4 with one double and one RBI in his return from Lasik surgery, and left fielder Terrance Gore was 2 for 4 with one run scored and one stolen base. Right-handed starter Miguel Almonte did not receive a decision after surrendering one run on two hits in five and two-thirds innings while striking out eight batters and walking four. Right-handed reliever Chas Byrne was credited with his second win after two hitless innings of relief, and left-handed reliever Clayton Schulz recorded the final four outs without surrendering a hit for his third save. (Box Score)

The Louisville Bats could not finish the series sweep in a 5-2 loss to Gwinnett. Bats center fielder Billy Hamilton was 2 for 4 with two runs scored, and first baseman Neftali Soto was 2 for 4 with one RBI. Right-handed starter Daniel Corcino was charged with his seventh loss of the season after surrendering five runs on six hits in four and two-thirds innings while striking out two batters and walking six. (Box Score)

West Michigan clinched a series victory by sending the Bowling Green Hot Rods to a 7-6 loss in 11 innings. Hot Rods center fielder Andrew Toles was 2 for 6 with one triple, one RBI and one run scored, and right fielder Joey Rickard reached base four times with his first home run of the season and three walks. Right-handed reliever Ryan Garton was charged with a loss after surrendering one run on two hits in one-third of an inning. (Box Score)

Former UofL infielder Ryan Wright was 3 for 4 with one home run, two doubles, three RBI and two runs scored for high A Bakersfield.

Former Henry Clay High School, Morehead State and UK outfielder Cameron Flynn was 2 for 4 with one home run, three RBI and one run scored for low A Greensboro.

Former Hancock County High School and WKU infielder Wade Gaynor was 2 for 4 with one home run, one double, two RBI and two runs scored for AA Erie.

Former Butler County High School right-handed pitcher Keith Butler earned his seventh save of the season with a scoreless inning of relief for AA Springfield.

Former North Hardin High School right-handed pitcher Nate Adcock did not receive a decision after surrendering seven runs, five of which were earned, on 11 hits in five and two-thirds innings in a start for AAA Omaha.

The Wildcats, who had already earned three weekend series wins versus RPI top-40 teams by the end of March, find themselves likely in need of a Southeastern Conference Tournament championship to reach the NCAA Tournament.

UK opens play in the SEC Tournament in Birmingham Tuesday as the No. 11 seed versus No. 6 seed Ole Miss at 10:30 a.m. in a single-elmination game. If the Cats can defeat Ole Miss, which dropped two of three games versus UK in the regular season, they would advance to the double-elimination portion of the tournament versus No. 3 seed Arkansas Wednesday.

A run to tournament championship would require at least five wins in six days, likely against at least four top 25 teams.

“We need to play well, we need to pitch well,” said UK head coach Gary Henderson. “All the coaching clichés that are absolutely true, we need to do those tomorrow morning and when that’s over we’ll worry about it. I would say we need to have a significant run.”

UK ended the regular season at 30-24 overall and 11-19 in SEC play.

Since the NCAA Tournament expanded to its current format in 1999, no SEC team has been selected for the field with fewer than 12 conference wins and 30 teams with 12 or more conference wins have been left out of the tournament.

UK does have a RPI of 38 and a strength of schedule ranked 25th nationally working in its favor, but an 8-18 finish to the season likely ends any hope of earning an at-large bid to the tournament.

Jerad Grundy. (Photo by Jon Hale)

Henderson will send senior left-handed pitcher Jerad Grundy to the mound versus Ole Miss. Since being removed from the weekend rotation, Grundy has surrendered two runs in 11 innings pitched while striking out seven batters and walking two.

Following a quality start versus No. 12 Indiana in his last appearance, Grundy spoke of the need to keep his momentum for postseason play.

“It’s going to be huge because once you get in that tournament you’re going to need everybody because you’re going to play a lot of games in a short amount of time,” he said.

Even if Grundy continues his recent resurgence, the Cats will need to solve some of the offensive struggles that have plagued them throughout conference play.

UK ranks last in the conference with a .234 batting average in SEC games and 13th of 14 teams with 114 runs scored in conference play.

Henderson acknowledged he and his players know the odds are stacked against them for reaching the NCAA Tournament. Despite the must-win scenario, he is not letting his team get ahead of itself.

“When you show up and you’re 11-19 (in SEC play), I think it’s pretty clear to everybody that, whether or not you gotta win it or you’ve got to win four or whatever it may be, it’s pretty clear,” he said. “I’m not sure I’ve got to manage a lot of that. I think it’s pretty clear to our guys. We’ll go about it the same way we always do. We need to win tomorrow morning, and then we can worry about what we’re doing on Wednesday.”

(Photo from Team USA)

UK women’s basketball signee Linnae Harper was one of 12 players selected to the 2013 USA Basketball Women’s U19 World Championship Team, USA Basketball announced Sunday.

Harper was one of 33 athletes invited to tryouts for the team, which were held May 16-19 at the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colo. The 12-member team was selected by the USA Basketball Junior National Team Committee, chaired by UT Chattanooga head coach Jim Foster.

Harper, a 5-foot-8 guard from Chicago and a former teammate of current Wildcat Janee Thompson at Whitney Young High School, is no stranger to USA Basketball. She won gold medals as a member of the 2012 USA U17 World Championship Team and the 2011 FIBA Americas U16 Championship Team. She also was awarded an honorary bronze medal in the inaugural 2011 FIBA 3×3 U18 World Championship. She is one of eight members on the team who have won a gold medal playing with USA Basketball.

“Just being here the last day, everyone was anxious and ready to hear their name called,” Harper said. “Every year I’ve been here I’m always nervous, my stomach feels like it is dropping and spinning, lack of rest, then to hear my name called was a big relief. I was so excited. This is another opportunity to represent our country and be with another group of girls I’ve never played with, a mixture of college and high school, and I really can’t wait to spend a nice month with them.”

Harper and the rest of Team USA will compete at the 2013 FIBA U19 World Championship, hosted by Lithuania from July 18-28 in Klaipeda and Panevėžys. The red, white and blue has won the last four gold medals at the FIBA U19 World Championships.

“We were able to pick a U19 team that has a lot of strengths in a lot of different areas,” said Foster. “I think that bodes well for them. They have good size. They have some people who can put the ball in the basket. They’re athletic, and I think they can be good defensively. It’s a team that has a lot of potential to be very successful.

“The team has some players whose skill set is a little different than their position. Breanna Stewart, A’Ja Wilson and Brianna Turner are all 6’3” or above and are equally as comfortable putting the ball on the floor after they get a rebound and starting a fast break on their own. It’s an interesting dimension, and it makes the team that much more versatile because you could actually play some of them at wing positions and have a very, very big team on the floor. It makes for a lot of versatility.”

The 12-player team includes: Candice Agee (Penn State/Victorville, Calif.); Nia Coffey (Hopkins H.S./ Minneapolis, Minn.); Bashaara Graves (Tennessee/Clarksville, Tenn.); Gabby Green (St. Mary’s College H.S./Oakland, Calif.); Linnae Harper (Whitney Young H.S./Chicago, Ill.); Moriah Jefferson (Connecticut/Glenn Heights, Texas); Alexis Jones (Duke/Irving, Texas); Kelsey Plum (La Jolla Country Day/Poway, Calif.); Breanna Stewart (Connecticut/North Syracuse, N.Y.); Morgan Tuck (Connecticut/Bolingbrook, Ill.); Brianna Turner (Manvel H.S./Pearland, Texas); A’ja Wilson (Heathwood Hall H.S./Hopkins, S.C.).

University of Miami head coach Katie Meier will be leading Team USA and will be assisted by Nikki Caldwell (LSU) and Kelly Graves (Gonzaga).

The USA will regroup for training on July 1 at the USOTC prior to traveling to Europe for a July 11-14 Spain-hosted tournament in Lanzarote, Canary Islands. Featuring U19 squads from Australia, Canada and Spain, the tournament will be good test for the U.S. From there, the American women will travel to Lithuania in an attempt to defend gold.

The FIBA U19 Worlds will feature 16 teams with athletes 19-years-old or younger. While Lithuania earned an automatic berth to the tournament as host, the remaining 15 nations were determined by the five FIBA zone qualifiers in 2012. In addition to the U.S., nations qualified out of the FIBA Americas zone include Brazil (silver medalist), Argentina (bronze medalist) and Canada (fourth place). Senegal (gold medalist) and Mali (silver medalist) will represent FIBA Africa; advancing from FIBA Asia are China (gold medalist), Japan (silver medalist) and South Korea (bronze medalist); Australia took FIBA Oceania’s spot after winning the best-of-three series against New Zealand; while FIBA Europe will be represented by France (gold medalist), Russia (silver medalist), Serbia (bronze medalist), Netherlands (fourth place) and Spain (fifth place).

Drawn into Group D, the U.S. will play its preliminary and second round games in Panevėžys, and opens against Lithuania on July 18, followed by China on July 19 and caps the preliminary round against Mali on July 20.

From UK Athletics

University of Louisville (4-0)

Tuesday — UofL 6, Ohio State 3
Thursday — UofL 5, Pittsburgh 2
Friday — UofL 12, Pittsburgh 4
Saturday — UofL 7, Pittsburgh 4

Top performers
Coco Johnson — 6-17 (.353), 2 HR, 9 RBI, 4 R, 1 SB
Jeff Gardner — 5-15 (.333), 3 HR, 1 3B, 7 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB
Ty Young — 4-12 (.333), 2 2B, 3 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SB
Adam Engel — 4-14 (.286), 1 2B, 4 RBI, 5 R, 3 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SB
Jeff Thompson — 1-0, 1 GS, 7 IP, 3 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 7 SO, 3 BB
Kyle Funkhouser — 1-0, 2 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 8 SO, 2 BB
Chad Green — 1-0, 1 GS, 5 IP, 8 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 5 SO, 2 BB
Cody Ege — 1-0, 3 G, 4.1 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 8 SO, 0 BB
Nick Burdi — 3 S, 3 G, 3.2 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 7 SO, 5 BB

Western Kentucky University (4-0)

Tuesday — WKU 7, Evansville 6
Thursday — WKU 11, Middle Tennessee 8
Friday — WKU 8, Middle Tennessee 2
Saturday — WKU 3, Middle Tennessee 2

Top performers
Ryan Huck — 9-17 (.529), 2 HR, 2 2B, 7 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 1 SB
Regan Flaherty — 7-18 (.389), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 4 R, 1 BB
Scott Wilcox — 7-18 (.389), 1 3B, 1 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R, 2 BB, 1 SB
Steve Hodgins — 6-16 (.375), 4 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 3 SB
Austin Clay — 2 GS, 9 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 5 SO, 3 BB
Andrew Edwards — 1-0, 1 GS, 7 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 7 SO, 0 BB
Taylor Haydel — 1-0, 2 S, 3 G, 3.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 SO, 1 BB
Ian Tompkins — 1-0, 2 G, 3.2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 9 SO, 0 BB

University of Kentucky (2-2)

Tuesday — UK 5, Indiana 3
Thursday — Missouri 4, UK 2
Friday — Missouri 4, UK 3
Saturday — UK 5, Missouri 1

Top performers
Matt Reida — 6-16 (.375), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 2 SB
Micheal Thomas — 4-12 (.333), 1 HR, 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP
Kyle Barrett — 4-11 (.364), 3 R, 3 BB
Paul McConkey — 4-11 (.364), 2 RBI, 1 BB
Corey Littrell — 1-0, 1 GS, 7 IP, 6 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 7 SO, 4 BB
Jerad Grundy — 1 GS, 6 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 2 SO, 2 BB
Chandler Shepherd — 1-0, 3 G, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 4 SO, 1 BB

Brent Cobb. (EKU photo by Steve Fohl)

Eastern Kentucky University (2-2)

Tuesday — Dayton 14, EKU 11
Thursday — EKU 3, Murray 1
Friday — EKU 9, Murray 7
Saturday — Murray 9, EKU 8

Top performers
Shaun Ball — 9-18 (.500), 1 3B, 2 2B, 6 RBI, 4 R, 1 BB, 2 SB
Alex Hughes — 6-15 (.400), 1 HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 5 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP, 1 SB
Austin Grisham — 6-16 (.375), 1 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
Bryan Soloman — 7-19 (.368), 1 HR, 2 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R
Doug Teegarden — 6-18 (.333), 1 2B, 1 RBI, 6 R, 1 BB
Brent Cobb — 1-0, 1 GS, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 SO, 2 BB
Myles Scott — 2 G, 1 GS, 6 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 1 SO, 1 BB
Matt Lynch — 1 GS, 6 IP, 8 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 4 SO, 0 BB
Cody Creamer — 1-0, 1 S, 3 G, 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 SO, 0 BB

Murray State University (1-2)

Thursday — EKU 3, Murray 1
Friday — EKU 9, Murray 7
Saturday — Murray 9, EKU 8

Top performers
Mike Kozlowski — 5-11 (.455), 1 2B, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 HBP
Paul Ritzheimer — 5-14 (.357), 1 2B, 3 RBI, 2 R, 1 BB
Taylor Mathews — 3-10 (.300), 1 RBi, 1 R, 2 HBP
Brock Downey — 0-1, 1 GS, 9 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 5 SO, 1 BB

Morehead State University (1-3)

Tuesday — Tennessee 6, Morehead 4
Thursday — Jacksonville State 8, Morehead 2
Friday — Jacksonville State 5, Morehead 3
Friday — Morehead 22, Jacksonville State 3

Top performers
Chase Greenwell — 8-15 (.533), 1 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB, 1 HBP, 1 SB
Taylor Pickens — 6-9 (.668), 2 2B, 3 RBI, 4 R
Chris Robinson — 5-14 (.357), 2 RBI, 5 R, 1 SB
Brandon Rawe — 5-16 (.313), 1 RBI, 4 R, 1 SB
Duran Elmore — 5-18 (.277), 1 3B, 2 2B, 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB, 2 SB
Blake Smith — 1-0, 1 GS, 5 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 3 SO, 4 BB

Northern Kentucky University (0-4)

Tuesday — Bowling Green 13, NKU 8
Thursday — Mercer 7, NKU 4
Friday — Mercer 9, NKU 5
Saturday — Mercer 13, NKU 4

Top performers
Logan Spurlin — 7-16 (.438), 1 HR, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 3 R, 2 BB
Caleb Lonkard — 6-18 (.333), 1 RBI, 4 R, 1 BB, 3 SB
Luke Green — 4-6 (.667), 2 2B, 4 RBI, 1 BB
Quint Heady — 5-14 (.357), 2 RBI, 3 R, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 2 SB
Mike Derby — 2 G, 5 IP, 5 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 3 SO, 0 BB

BluGrass Baseball Weekly Awards

Hitter of the Week: Ryan Huck (WKU)
– Stats: 9-17 (.529), 2 HR, 2 2B, 7 RBI, 6 R, 3 BB, 1 SB
– Honorable mention: Coco Johnson (UofL), Jeff Gardner (UofL), Regan Flaherty (WKU), Scott Wilcox (WKU), Matt Reida (UK), Shaun Ball (EKU), Alex Hughes (EKU), Bryan Soloman (EKU), Mike Kozlowski (Murray), Chase Greenwell (Morehead), Taylor Pickens (Morehead), Logan Spurlin (NKU)

Pitcher of the Week: Brent Cobb (EKU)
– Stats: 1-0, 1 GS, 6 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 6 SO, 2 BB
– Honorable mention: Jeff Thompson (UofL), Kyle Funkhouser (UofL), Chad Green (UofL), Cody Ege (UofL), Austin Clay (WKU), Andrew Edwards (WKU), Ian Tompkins (WKU), Corey Littrell (UK), Jerad Grundy (UK), Myles Scott (EKU), Matt Lynch (EKU), Brock Downey (Murray), Mike Derby (NKU)

Freshman of the Week: Kyle Funkhouser (UofL)
– Stats: 1-0, 2 G, 1 GS, 7 IP, 4 H, 3 R, 2 ER, 8 SO, 2 BB
– Honorable mention: Kyle Barrett (UK), Doug Teegarden (EKU), Taylor Mathews (Murray), Logan Spurlin (NKU), Quint Heady (NKU)

The Lexington Legends earned a series split versus West Virginia with a 12-5 win. Center fielder Ethan Chapman was 2 for 5 with one triple, one RBI and two runs scored, and first baseman Fred Ford slugged his fifth home run of the season and drove in two runs. Third baseman Adrian Morales scored three runs, and right fielder Nick Cuckovich drove in three runs. Right-handed starter Bryan Brickhouse earned his second win of the season after surrendering four runs on six hits in five innings. (Box Score)

The Bowling Green Hot Rods earned their sixth shutout win of the season with an 8-0 victory versus West Michigan. Right fielder Joey Rickard was 2 for 3 with one double, one RBI, one run scored and one walk, and shortstop Leonardo Reginatto was 2 for 3 with one double and one run scored. Right-handed starter Taylor Guerrieri earned his third win of the season after surrendering one hit in six shutout innings while striking out three batters and walking one. (Box Score)

In the completion of a game suspended on May 10, the Hot Rods dropped a 5-1 decision versus West Michigan. No Bowling Green player tallied multiple hits in the game, but second baseman Thomas Coyle tripled and drove in the team’s only run. Right-handed starter Reinaldo Lopez was charged with a loss after surrendering four runs on seven hits in five and one-third innings while striking out three batters and walking two. (Box Score)

The Louisville Bats game versus Gwinnett was postponed due to rain.

Former Boyle County High School right-handed pitcher Patrick Cooper earned his second win of the season after surrendering three runs on five hits in six innings in a start for AA Erie.

Former UofL infielder Ryan Wright was 2 for 3 with one double, two RBI, one run scored and one walk for high A Bakersfield.

Former Morehead State catcher Taylor Davis was 2 for 4 with one run scored for high A Daytona.

Former WKU right-handed pitcher Phil Wetherell earned his first win of the season after surrendering two hits in three scoreless innings while striking out two batters and walking none in a relief appearance for low A Charleston.

Former Bowling Green High School left-handed pitcher Jack Snodgrass did not receive a decision after surrendering two hits in four scoreless innings while striking out two batters and walking none in a start for AA Richmond.

Former Covington Catholic High School and UK catcher Luke Maile doubled and drove in two runs for the Hot Rods.

Former Hancock County High School and WKU infielder Wade Gaynor doubled and drove in two runs for AA Erie.

Former UK left-handed pitcher James Paxton did not receive a decision after surrendering five runs on seven hits in four and two-thirds innings while striking out three batters and walking none in a start for AAA Tacoma.

“Hated school,” said John Calipari of Cauley-Stein. “He’d have told you at the beginning of the year: ‘I hate school.’ And I appreciate an honest guy. He didn’t BS.”

What difference can a year make? Consider one of the reason’s Cauley-Stein gave reporters for coming back to UK for a sophomore season.

“You know, I enjoy school,” he said. “It’s not like I was in any hurry to leave.”

Willie Cauley-Stein. (Photo by Jon Hale)

Calipari made Cauley-Stein’s distaste for school one of his pet projects. He gave the 7-footer reading assignments, which he would later discuss with his coach.

“You’re trying to create a love of learning,” Calipari said.

Cauley-Stein noted some of the out-of-classroom experiences of the college lifestyle also helped form his newfound appreciation.

“I just like the college life, going around like a celebrity,” he said. “In the pros it’s like that, but it’s going to be at a different level. Here, you’re that one guy that it’s kind of like everybody knows you.

“I like it around here where people know my name. That’s just fun.”

The attitude about school is not the only change in Cauley-Stein since he arrived on campus.

After a freshman season that saw him average 8.3 points and 6.2 rebounds he was able to move beyond his self-proclaimed doubts about whether he could play with his more highly touted teammates when he arrived on campus.

Since the season-ending NIT loss to Robert Morris, Cauley-Stein’s confidence has reached new levels.

“Once the season ended it was kind of like my whole mentality changed instantly,” he said. “I wish it would have changed before the tournament happened. I kind of got like a dominating mindset going into this next year. I want to be the best in everything I do.”

If that new mindset helps Cauley-Stein improve his on-the-court play, it will undoubtedly excited fans and his coach, but Calipari insists he’s just as proud of the academic maturation.

“These kids are young kids,” he said. “They’re 18. It’s your own child learning to crawl, learning to walk, learning to talk right, learning to be mannered socially, learning their way. What makes these kids different? ‘Well, they’re bigger.’

“Really? So now a kid’s 6-10 so he’s different than your own child? That’s why I (talk about) the patience of this.”

Lauren Cumbess pitches for UK in the NCAA regional final Saturday. (Photo by Jon Hale)

After Virginia Tech forced a winner-take-all game two in the NCAA regional final Saturday, UK head coach Rachel Lawson had a simple message for her squad.

“I told them that the defense, if they wanted to extend their season, they were going to have to give a better effort,” she said. “They were going to have to make big plays. They couldn’t let balls fall.”

The UK defense obliged with three stelar defensive plays in a 1-0 victory to advance to the second super regional in program history.

Left fielder Ginny Carroll made a diving catch at the foul line in the first inning, center fielder Sylver Samuel made a leaping catch at the wall in the third inning to take away extra bases and shortstop Christian Stokes made a diving catch while ranging into left field in the fourth inning.

Stokes’ play came in an inning in which Virginia Tech loaded the bases and mounted their most serious scoring threat in the game.

With two outs and the bases loaded, Lawson called on freshman pitcher Kelsey Nunley, who had pitched the first 22 innings of the regional for UK, to get the Cats out of the jam.

Nunley responded with by getting a pop up to shortstop to end the inning.

“I always tell the team you never know when the game-winning play is going to happen,” Lawson said. “I believe those were the game-winning plays.”

Nunley pitched the final three and one-third innings for here program-record 27th win of the season. Junior Lauren Cumbess surrendered two hits in three and two-third scoreless innings in the start and drove in the game’s only run on a line-drive single that deflected off the first baseman’s glove in the fifth inning.

“Our team’s really mentally tough and we stay positive, and I think that’s why we do come away with so many wins,” Cumbess said. “We stay up and positive and we know we have each other’s backs. We’ve had some awesome plays made in the game, and we just stay up and positive and keep at it until we win.”

The victory set a new single-season program high at 41 for the Cats.

When the Cats take the field for their super regional, they will look to defeat No. 5 Arizona State for a chance to reach the first College World Series in program history.

Making history Saturday was all the more special for Lawson because it came in the new state-of-the-art stadium named for long-time UK softball administrator John Cropp.

“Women’s sports is something that’s come a long way, and people usually build facilities because they have to. Kentucky puts out the effort because they want to,” she said while choking back tears. “They didn’t have to build this. They did not have to build the indoor (facility) the way they did.

“And they didn’t have to name it after John Cropp. Usually schools save the naming rights for financial reasons. The fact that they named it after such a great guy is pretty cool.”

The Louisville Bats pounded out 14 hits in a 6-5 win versus Gwinnett. Right fielder Denis Phipps was 3 for 5 with two RBI and one run scored, and left fielder Felix Perez was 3 for 5 with one RBI. Third baseman Henry Rodriguez slugged his second home run of the season. Right-handed starter Greg Reynolds earned his fourth win of the season after surrendering two runs on five hits in seven innings while striking out four batters and walking three, and right-handed reliever Yohan Pino surrendered one run on three this in the final one and one-third innings to earn his fourth save. (Box Score)

The Lexington Legends dropped game one of a doubleheader in a 3-2 loss to West Virginia. The Legends tallied just one hit in the seven-inning game, a two-run home run in the first inning by first baseman Fred Ford. Left-handed starter Daniel Stumpf was charged with a loss after surrendering three runs, two of which were earned, on five hits in six innings while striking out six batters and walking one. (Box Score)

The Legends earned a split in the doubleheader with a 6-4 win in game two versus West Virginia. Designated hitter Raul Mondesi was 2 for 3 with one RBI, one run scored and two stolen bases, and catcher Alex Marquez was 2 for 2 with one RBI, one run scored and one walk. Right-handed starter Aroni Nina earned his first win of the season after surrendering two runs on four hits in five innings while striking out two batters and walking one. (Box Score)

West Michigan evened the series at one win by sending the Bowling Green Hot Rods to an 8-1 loss. No Bowling Green player tallied multiple hits in the game, and shortstop Leonardo Reginatto doubled for the team’s only extra-base hit. Right-handed starter Eduar Quinonez was charged with a loss after surrendering four runs on three hits in five innings. (Box Score)

Cameron Flynn. (File photo by Jon Hale)

Former Henry Clay High School, Morehead State and UK outfielder Cameron Flynn was 3 for 4 with two triples and two RBI for low A Greensboro.

Former UofL right-handed pitcher Matt Koch earned his second win of the season after surrendering one unearned run on four hits in six innings while striking out five batters and walking one in a start for low A Savannah.

Former UK left-handed pitcher Logan Darnell surrendered one run on three hits in seven innings while striking out six batters and walking none in a start for AA New Britain but was charged with his third loss of the season.

Former UK infielder Andy Burns extended his hitting streak to nine games with a single for high A Dunedin.

Former UK left-handed pitcher Chris Rusin was charged with a loss after surrendering four runs, three of which were earned, on five hits in six and two-thirds innings while striking out three batters and walking two in a start for AAA Iowa.

Former Male High School and UofL catcher Jeff Arnold reached base three times with a double and two walks for high A San Jose.

Former Daviess County High School left-handed pitcher Jeremy Dobbs earned his first win of the season after surrendering one hit in one and two-thirds scoreless innings for high A High Desert.

Freshman pitcher Kelsey Nunley threw seven strong innings, allowing only one hit and no earned runs, while junior infielder Krystal Smith went 2 for 3 at the plate with a home run and two RBI, as the No. 12 UK softball team posted its school-record tying 40th win of the season and clinched its ticket to the NCAA Lexington Regional Finals on Sunday with a 6-2 win versus Virginia Tech at John Cropp Stadium.

UK (40-18) now advances to the regional finals on Sunday, where the Cats will face a rematch against Virginia Tech. The Hokies defeated Marshall in the losers’ bracket to reach the championship game. The regional final will begin Sunday at 1 p.m. If UK drops the first game of the regional final, a winner-take-all game two will be played at 3:30 p.m.

The win for UK was its 40th of the season, tying the school record for most wins in a season. Head coach Rachel Lawson’s 2011 team also had 40 wins en route to advancing to the school’s first ever Super Regional. UK’s win against Virginia Tech was its first in school history over the Hokies in three tries.

This is the third time UK has advanced to a regional final, also accomplishing the feat in 2009 and 2011. The Wildcats lost the first game of the 2009 regional final to Ohio State while it defeated Michigan in game one of the Ann Arbor Regional Final in 2011. The Wildcats are now 10-8 all-time in the NCAA Tournament.

Nunley threw a complete-game one-hitter, allowing two runs – both unearned – with five strikeouts. For the season, Nunley is now 26-8 with a 2.00 ERA, striking out 185 in 245 and one-third innings pitched. So far this weekend, Nunley is 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA, striking out 10 batters in 15 innings pitched while opponents are hitting just .140 against her.

Offensively, UK was paced by Smith and junior first baseman Lauren Cumbess. Cumbess blasted her team-best 12th home run of the season to finish 2 for 4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Freshman outfielder Sylver Samuel was 2 for 3 in the game with one run scored, while sophomore catcher Griffin Joiner was 1 for 3 with one run scored.

From UK Athletics

(From Campbellsville University)

Originally scheduled for an 8 p.m. EDT start at Prasco Park, the game was moved to the synthetic turf surface at Legacy Field and moved up to 6 p.m. in hopes to avoid the rain. Once the weather moved in, the start was delayed to 8:15 p.m., before the Tigers took the field as the home team.

Matt Robertson (4-1) shut down the Fire Storm in the first two innings in a pitchers dual with SEU’s Johnnie Kirkland (10-3).

Campbellsville’s Brandon Johnson was the first to collect a hit in the game in the bottom of the second, singling up the middle after two strike outs by Kirkland. Johnson stole second and Travis Hayes was hit by a pitch to give either team their first threat of the night. Kirkland, throwing on one day of rest, got a ground ball fielder’s choice to get out of the jam.

Southeastern received similar offensive production in the top of the third. Robertson walked Carlos Guzman and then gave up a single to right by Josh Gordon. Guzman’s courtesy runner, Cody Light, stretched for third as Shane Woodson delivered a strong throw to third. Light was called safe as he slid in as Michael Bush applied the tag at third. The call stood after a lengthy argument.

SEU suddenly had runners on the corners with no outs.

Phillip Kish pushed a bunt down the first base line for a near infield hit, but Johnson charged in and made a sweeping tag, which Kish was later called out on after a second questioned call, placing runners on first and second. Ryne Knuth followed with an RBI single to shallow centerfield to score Light. After a throw to the plate, CU catcher Keaton Neeb tried to get Knuth stretching at second, but the ball short hopped and was flicked into shallow center. Gordon scored from third on the play, giving Southeastern a 2-0 lead.

Campbellsville put a runner on with two outs in each of the next four innings, but ended up leaving seven on base in the game.

Tylar Schmunk took over on the mound for Campbellsville in the fourth. He allowed one base runner and struck out four in the fourth and fifth innings combined.

Meanwhile, Michael Bush was hit by a pitch and stole second in the third and Brandon Johnson reached on a two-base error in center with two outs in the fourth. Nielsen was hit with two outs in the fifth and stranded on first.

Allen Hewey inherited two base runners in the sixth with one out after Schmunk walked one and hit one. Hewey used a ground ball to get the second out and then got Gordon to strike out swinging on a 3-2 pitch to end the inning. The strikout was CU’s 415th of the season, tying the Tigers’ single-season strikeouts record, previously set in 2010.

Campbellsville tried to get some momentum going in the bottom of the sixth, as Carlos Torres crushed a one-out double off the top of the left-centerfield fence. The hit closed the book on Kirkland, who pitched 5 1/3 innings, allowing only two hits and striking out three. Aaron Schwoebel followed with a single deep behind the second base bag off SEU reliever Corey Turner.

However, Kish moved in from short and struck out the next two batters to end the inning.

Brett DeRooy started the seventh for CU, hitting Kish as the leadoff hitter, and then got a fielder’s choice bunt and fly ball to record the first two outs. Mason Yates also saw action, giving up a walk, before getting a ground ball to end the inning.

Kish shut down the Tigers in order in the bottom of the seventh for his 18th save of the season.

Campbellsville closes its season at 39-20 after going 11-3 in postseason tournaments. The Tigers opened the season 19-4 and unbeaten in Mid-South Conference action entering the third weekend in March. Beginning with its first MSC series loss at home to UVA-Wise, March 22-23, Campbellsville struggled over the next four weeks, going 8-13 to close the regular season.

The Tigers rallied in the postseason though, finishing runner-up in the Mid-South Conference Tournament and winning the NCCAA Mid-East Region championship to qualify for the program’s first NCCAA Division I World Series.

Southeastern (39-28) will face defending champion California Baptist University (42-18) in the NCCAA World Series championship game on Saturday at 11 a.m. EDT.

From Campbellsville Univeristy

UofL head coach Dan McDonnell meets with players. (File photo by Jon Hale)

Jeff Gardner hammered a pair of home runs and had four RBI while Adam Engel and Nick Ratajczak combined for four hits and five RBI as the No. 10 Louisville baseball team clinched a share of its fourth BIG EAST Conference regular season title in five years with a 12-4 victory over 16th-ranked Pittsburgh on Friday night Jim Patterson Stadium.

With their 15th straight win overall, the Cardinals improved to 45-10 on the season and 19-4 in BIG EAST games, while the Panthers dropped to 40-14 and 18-5. Louisville, which also locked up the No. 1 seed in next week’s BIG EAST Championship in Clearwater, Fla., can win the league title outright with a victory in Saturday’s regular season finale with Pittsburgh, scheduled for a noon ET start on ESPNU.

The winning streak for Louisville, which is the second longest in school history trailing only a 20-game stretch in the 1950’s, stands as the longest active streak in the nation. A victory in Saturday’s finale would also match the school record for regular season held by the 2010 Cardinals, which finished with a 46-10 mark.

Gardner finished 2 for 4 at the plate connecting for his eighth and ninth home runs of the season to become the second Louisville player this week to hit two home runs in a game after junior outfielder Coco Johnson did it in the win at Ohio State on Tuesday. It was the first career multiple-home run game for the junior designated hitter, who is hitting .388 with eight home runs and 24 RBI in his last 20 games.

Engel went 2 for 3 with a double, two RBI and two runs scored, while Ratajczak was 2 for 4 with three RBI as Louisville finished with a 12-5 advantage in hits. Junior catcher Kyle Gibson added two hits and scored once while senior first baseman Zak Wasserman and junior outfielder Cole Sturgeon chipped in with one hit and two runs scored each.

On the mound, junior right-handed pitcher Jeff Thompson won his fourth straight start and improved to 10-1 on the season after allowing three runs on just three hits with seven strikeouts in seven innings pitched. He became just the sixth pitcher in school history to win 10 or more games in a season and moved within a one win of matching Justin Marks’ school record of 11 wins set in 2009. It was also career win No. 21 for Thompson moving him into a tie for fifth on the Cardinals’ career leaderboard with Mike Shields (1975-78).

From UofL Sports Information Department