FB Recruiting UK's Cottam, Heyer named All-SEC

[Jeff Drummond]

UK's Cottam, Heyer named All-SEC

Kentucky's Luke Heyer led the SEC in home runs, RBI and total bases.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated

Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK

Kentucky's Kole Cottam and Luke Heyer were first-team picks on the 2018 All-SEC baseball team, the league announced Monday.

Cottam was selected as the first baseman and Heyer as the designated hitter/utility man in voting by the SEC coaches.

Heyer, a senior infielder/outfielder from Lithia, Fla., led the SEC in home runs (18), RBI (57), total bases (140) while posting a batting average of .343 and an OPS of 1.123. He was twice named SEC Player of the Week and earned National Player of the Week honors earlier in the season.

Nationally, Heyer ranks eighth in home runs, 14th in slugging percentage, 17th in total bases and 38th in RBI.

Cottam, a junior catcher/first baseman from Knoxville, Tenn., batted a team-high .346 with an OPS of 1.085 this season. He matched Heyer for SEC honors with 18 home runs while driving in 49 runs. He homered in 12 of UK's 14 weekend series this season. His 10 home runs in SEC play were the best in the league.

Florida's Jonathan India (.365, 16 HR, 1.236 OPS) was named the SEC Player of the Year after leading the Gators to the regular season championship. The Gators' Brady Singer (10-1, 2.25 ERA, 92 strikeouts in 88 IP) claimed Pitcher of the Year honors, while UF head coach Kevin O'Sullivan claimed Coach of the Year after posting 41 wins.

Arkansas' Herston Kjerstad (.348, 11 HR, 46 RBI) was named SEC Freshman of the Year.

The SEC Tournament opens on Tuesday morning in Hoover, Ala. Tenth-seeded Kentucky will face No. 7 seed Auburn on Tuesday at approximately 2 p.m. ET.

*****

2018 SEC Baseball Awards

Player of the Year: Jonathan India, Florida

Pitcher of the Year: Brady Singer, Florida

Freshman of the Year: Heston Kjerstad, Arkansas

Coach of the Year: Kevin O’Sullivan, Florida

Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Keegan McGovern, Georgia

Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year: Nico Mascia, Tennessee

First-Team All-SEC

C: JJ Schwarz, Florida

1B: Kole Cottam, Kentucky

2B: Carson Shaddy, Arkansas

3B: Jonathan India, Florida

SS: Braden Shewmake, Texas A&M

OF: Jake Mangum, Mississippi State

OF: Ryan Olenek, Ole Miss

OF: Keegan McGovern, Georgia

DH/UT: Luke Heyer, Kentucky

SP: Brady Singer, Florida

SP: Casey Mize, Auburn

RP: Michael Byrne, Florida

Second-Team All-SEC Team

C: Nick Fortes, Ole Miss

1B: Adam Sasser, Georgia

2B: Michael Helman, Texas A&M

3B: Casey Martin, Arkansas

SS: Will Holland, Auburn

OF: Eric Cole, Arkansas

OF: Wil Dalton, Florida

OF: Heston Kjerstad, Arkansas

DH/UT: Michael Curry, Georgia

SP: Blaine Knight, Arkansas

SP: Jackson Kowar, Florida

RP: Parker Caracci, Ole Miss

Freshman All-SEC Team

C: Mason Meadows, Georgia

1B: Tanner Allen, Mississippi State

2B: Anthony Servideo, Ole Miss

3B: Casey Martin, Arkansas

OF: Heston Kjerstad, Arkansas

OF: Daniel Cabrera, LSU

OF: Steven Williams, Auburn

DH/UT: Edouard Julien, Auburn

SP: Ma’Khail Hilliard, LSU

SP: Tanner Burns, Auburn

RP: Cody Greenhill, Auburn

SEC All-Defensive Team

C: Grant Koch, Arkansas

1B: Cole Zabowski, Ole Miss

2B: Luke Jarvis, Auburn

3B: Jonathan India, Florida

SS: Connor Kaiser, Vanderbilt

OF: Zach Watson, LSU

OF: Jake Mangum, Mississippi State

OF: Dominic Fletcher, Arkansas

P: Will Neely, Tennessee

 

[Jeff Drummond]

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BASEBALL
May 21, 2018

Luke Heyer Named Golden Spikes Award Semifinalist

Senior third baseman/outfielder honored as one of top 25 players in country


LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky senior infielder/outfielder Luke Heyer has been named a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist, it was announced Monday by the USA Baseball.


The award honors the top collegiate baseball player in the nation for their performance on the field and is presented in partnership with the Rod Dedeaux Foundation. The 41st Golden Spikes Award will be presented on June 28 in Los Angeles.


Heyer, from Lithia, Fla., has burst onto the scene this season with his prodigious power at the plate. He has twice been named SEC Player of the Week and also earned National Player of the Week honors earlier this season. Playing three positions defensively has not hindered his bat, as he finished the regular season batting .343 with an OPS of 1.123. He led the Southeastern Conference in home runs (18), RBI (57) and total bases (140), while ranking in the top five in doubles, runs scored and slugging percentage. He had 21 multi-hit games and 15 multi-RBI games.


Nationally, he ranks eighth in home runs, 14th in slugging percentage, 17th in total bases and 38th in RBI and has appeared amongst the leaders in those categories all season. He also has had clutch hits throughout the season, including a two-strike, two-run, game-tying homer in the ninth inning of a win over Auburn that helped the Cats defeat Tigers’ ace Casey Mize while taking the weekend series.


A ballot will be sent to the Golden Spikes Award voting body consisting of national baseball media, select professional baseball personnel, previous Golden Spikes Award winners and select USA Baseball staff, totaling a group of over 200 voters. From Monday, May 21 through Sunday, June 3, the voting body will select three semifinalists from the ballot to be named as Golden Spikes Award finalists and fan voting will simultaneously be open on GoldenSpikesAward.com. Selections made by the voting body will carry a 95% weight of each athlete's total, while fan votes will account for the remaining 5%.


The finalists will then be announced on Wednesday, June 6. Beginning that same day through Friday, June 22, the voting body and fans will be able to cast their final vote for the Golden Spikes Award winner.