Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

Taking a closer look at the Houston Astros’ selections in this week’s Major League Baseball Draft.

After all, this is where many of the 2010 Lexington Legends are sure to come from. Background info, courtesy of the Astros media relations staff.

1st Round (#21): SS Jiovanni Mier, Bonita (Calif.) H.S.; 6-2, 175
Year AVG AB  R  H   2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB OBP
2009   .394   71  37 28   10     1     5    18   22     9   18   .545
Ranked 44th on Baseball America’s draft rankings, noted as having above average speed and a powerful arm that grades out to well-above-average. … Homered in his last at-bat for Bonita High. … Also pitched in high school, and reportedly had his fastball gunned in the 91-93 mph range. … Maintained a 2.80 ERA (4ER/10IP) through the 2008-09 season. … MVP of the Miramonte League in his 2007 junior season (.479 , 3 HR, 30 RBI, 5 SB). … Brother, Jessie Mier, is a catcher for Inland Empire, Class A affiliate of the Los Angeles Dodgers.
* * * * *
2nd Round (#69): RHP Tanner Bushue, South Central (Ill.) H.S.; 6-4, 190
Year ERA W-L G   IP   H  R ER BB SO
2009   0.62   8-3 13 68.1 31 15    6   22 140
No. 140 in Baseball America’s draft rankings. … As a junior in 2008, Midland Trail Conference Player of the Year (6-0, 2 sv, 47.2 ip, 11 h, 21 w, 126 so).
* * * * *
3rd Round (#100): OF Telvin Nash, Griffin (Ga.) H.S.; 6-2, 220
Year AVG AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO OBP
2009   .527   78 39    7     1   10    40     9    9   .591
A Louisville Slugger High School Pre-Season All-Star in 2009.
* * * * *
3rd (Supplemental-#111): 3B Jonathan Meyer, Simi Valley (Calif.) H.S.; 6-1, 195
Year AVG  H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB
2009   .390 36   10    3     34  13    19    7
177th in Baseball America’s draft rankings. … As a junior in 2008 (.387 , 13 2B, 2 3B, 9 HR, 43 RBI, .802 SP), led Simi Valley to CIF title. … The Ventura County Star and the Daily News Player of the Year in 2008, as well as All-State First-Team, All-CIF Southern Section First-Team and L.A. Times All-County Team that year.
* * * * *
4th Round (#131): RHP B.J. Hyatt, South Carolina — Sumter; 6-4, 205
Year ERA W-L G/GS S   IP   H  R ER BB SO HR WP
2009   7.24   3-0   16/3   3 32.1 33 34  26   19   31     4     1
Former member of the Coastal Plain League’s Florence RedWolves.
* * * * *
5th Round (#161): SS Brandon Wickoff, Illinois; 5-9, 170
Year AVG  AB  R   H 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT
2009   .373  228 56  85   17    5    4      41  25     7    10-13
Rivals.com Preseason All-Big Ten as junior this season. … All-Ping! Baseball second team. … Finished on a career-best 18-game hitting streak, including nine multiple-hit games, and reached base in every game except one this season. … Had 23 multi-hit games, second-best on team, and 10 multi-RBI games. … In 2008, All-Big Ten SS. … Started all 56 games and hit in No. 3 spot in 50 games. … Hit .369 with team-high 61 RBI, tied for team lead in doubles (12) and tied for Big Ten lead in sacrifice flies (9). … His 37 RBI in Big Ten games ranked second in the league and were third-most in Illini history. … Had 24 mult-hit games and 15 multi-RBI efforts. … Played 56 games in 2007, starting 54, all at third base. … Batted mostly in the No. 2 spot. … Led his high school team to the Illinois State Tournament in 2005 and 2006, placing fourth in his junior season. … 2006 All-State pick by Prep Baseball Report and the Chicago Tribune. (Peoria) Journal Star Player of the Year in 2005.
* * * * *
6th Round (#191): SS Enrique Hernandez, American Military Academy (Puerto Rico); 5-11, 170
2009 Puerto Rico High School Baseball All-Star.
* * * * *
7th Round (#221): LHP Dallas Keuchel, Arkansas; 6-2, 180
Year ERA W-L  G    IP    H  R ER BB SO
2009   4.04   7-3  16 98.0 106 54  44   28  62
186th in Baseball America’s draft rankings. … Led Razorbacks in wins and innings pitched. … 4-3, 4.58 ERA, 61 strikeouts, 74.2 inning pitched and 11 starts in 2008. … Threw five or more innings in six of 11 starts and had 2-to-1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. … In SEC play, 2-1, 4.72, 30 strikeouts over 47.2 innings. … Pitched two seasons for Wareham Gatemen of Cape Cod League; a West Division all-star.
* * * * *
8th Round (#251): RHP Brandt Walker, Stanford; 6-3, 185
Year ERA W-L G    IP   R ER BB SO
2009   7.11   0-1 12 19.0  16   15  13  12
2008   4.50   0-0   6   6.0    5    3     7    4
Opened the year as a starter. … Sophomore season (2008), reached College World Series with the Cardinal. … Pitched in 15 games (two starts) over his first two seasons, going 0-1 with a 6.38 ERA (13er, 18.1 ip. …Graduated in 2006 from St. Stephens Episcopal School in Austin, Texas. … A 2006 first-team Preseason Louisville Slugger All-American. … Ranked No. 7 among 2006 Texas High School players. … Selected by the Texas Rangers in the 21st round of the 2006 MLB First-Year Player Draft.
* * * * *
9th Round (#281): SS Ben Orloff, Cal-Irvine; 5-11, 170
Year AVG GP AB  R  H 2B RBI BB SO SB-ATT
2009   .358  60  254 62  91 11     28   21   16    18-23
2008   .344  60  227 50  78 17     23   30   19    19-28
Named a Louisville Slugger Third Team All-American this year; Top 10 Returning Senior by Rivals.com; Brooks Wallace Award Preseason Watch List. … In 2008, All-Big West Conference first-team honoree; Lincoln NCAA Regional All-Tournament team. … Ranked 12th in the country in sacrifice bunts (16). … Tied for third on UCI career list with 44 stolen bases; seventh in games played (181); tied for 13th in runs (116); tied for 19th in hits (190). … Started 155 consecutive games. … Struck out 35 times in 481 at bats over his last two seasons.
* * * * *
10th Round (#311): 3B Erik Castro, San Diego State; 6-4, 200
Year AVG GP  AB  R  H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT
2009   .388   58  206 48 80  19   11     56   42   37     3-4
All-Mountain West Conference second team as utility/DH. … Homered in four consecutive games against three different opponents May 10-15 (vs. Air Force, San Francisco, Utah). … Two of his team-leading 11 home runs came at PETCO Park (home of the San Diego Padres) against UC Davis on April 3; the first player in the 10 col­legiate games played in the Major League stadium to hit two homers in a game. … .496 on-base percentage led the Aztecs. Also led in batting, homers and RBI. … Errorless in 19 games at catcher and four appearances at first base. .… Batted .446 (33-for- 74) with runners in scoring position … Hit .400 in league play with eight doubles, seven homers, 24 runs and 29 RBI.
* * * * *
11th Round (#341): C David “Bubby” Williams, Crowder (Mo.) College; 6-0, 190 
NJCAA Division I Baseball All-Region 16 Team in 2008. … As a freshman last year, 1st Team All Region and  Region 16 Player of the Year.
* * * * *
12th Round (#371): RHP Geoffrey Thomas, Stephenson (Ga.) H.S.; 6-0, 187
Year  ERA W-L     IP BB SO
2009    0.51   3-2  27.2    23   48
Team MVP in 2006 and 2008, all-county in 2007 and 2008. … Rawlings/Perfect Game USA Preseason All-Region Team this season. … Participated in the Major League Baseball Inaugural Break­through Series and was a MLB Urban Academy All-Star selection in 2008.
* * * * *
13th Round (#401): OF Jake Goebbert, Northwestern University; 6-0, 205
Year AVG GP AB  R  H 2B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT
2009   .280  30  107 24 30  10     4     23   18   15     2-3
2008   .353  49  173 41 61  22   10     48   28   27     3-3
As a sophomore in 2008, second-team All-Big Ten. … The Wildcats’ Big Ten Sportsmanship Award recipient. … Broke a 31-year-old school season record by posting a Big Ten-leading 22 doubles; also led team in HR, RBI, BB and with .665 slugging percentage, . 458 on-base percentage. … Hit safely in 17 straight games. … Pitched twice, at Illinois and in a home win over Elmhurst, and did not allow a run. … ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District V team . … Academic All-Big Ten.
* * * * *
14th Round (#431): LHP David Berner, San Jose State; 6-2, 205
Year ERA W-L G/GS CG SV    IP  H  R ER BB SO
2009   3.20   7-2   13/13    3     0  95.2 84 43  34   15   84
In 2008, made 14 appearances, 13 starts. … Tossed 83.0 innings, second-most on the team and seventh-most in the WAC. … Led the Spartans with 67 strikeouts, fifth-most in the conference. … Went at least 4.2 innings in every start.
* * * * *
15th Round (#461): CF Ryan Humphrey, St. Louis Community College–Meramec; 6-0, 195
Year AVG GP-GS  AB  H 2B 3B HR RBI
2009   .278    44-44  133  37    6    0    0      21
* * * * *
16th Round (#491): 1B Ronald Sanchez, Manuela Toro (Puerto Rico) H.S.; 5-10, 170
* * * * *
17th Round (#521): RHP Justin Harper, Oklahoma City University; 6-3, 210
Year ERA W-L G/GS CG SV   IP   H    R ER BB SO
2009   4.94   9-3  15-14     4     0 71.0  63  44  39   38   86
Went 2-1 with 6.00 ERA as sophomore, fanning 42 over 36 innings. … Ranked as top junior-college prospect in Arizona by Baseball America. … 0-2, 3.24 ERA, 14 strikeouts, 25 innings as freshman. … All-state for Greenway High School in Phoenix, Ariz. 
* * * * *
18th Round (#551): RHP James (J.B.) MacDonald, Boston College; 6-2, 190
Year ERA W-L G/GS CG SV  IP   H  R ER BB SO
2009   4.86   5-7   15-15    1    0 96.1 96 58  52   32  71
Started 11 games and made one relief appearance as a junior in 2008, going 4-7. … As a sophomore, pitched in 13 games, totaling 28.1 innings; 1-0, one save, 23 strikeouts. … Went six straight appearances — 9.2 innings — without surrendering an earned run. … Played four years at Danvers High School, earning Northeastern Conference MVP and all-region honors in 2005.
* * * * *
19th Round (#581): CF Brian Kemp, St. Johns; 5-9, 180
Year AVG  GP-GS  AB  H  R 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT
2009    .379    52-52  219 83 68   13    3     3     35   25   25   16-21
2008 pre-season All-Big East selection as a sophomore. … Played 36 games, all starts, batting a team-high .360 with 20 RBI, three doubles, five triples and one home run. … Stole a team-best 16 bases in 21 attempts and had 15 multi-hit games. … Had a 15-game hitting streak. … As a freshman, started 56 games and batted .348, with team-bests of 53 runs and 25 stolen bases. … Louisville Slugger freshman All-American; All-Big East third team.
* * * * *
20th Round (#611): RF Julio (J.D.) Martinez, Nova Southeastern (Fla.); 6-3, 194
Year AVG GP-GS AB  H  R 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT E FLD%
2009   .428     55-55 187 80 73  15    2  15      57  41   26      8-9       6  .921
2008   .370     51-50 192 71 54  18    1  12      56  27   18      6-7       1  .989
Set single-season program record in runs scored (73) while placing second in batting average this season; top 10 season in slugging percentage (.770), hits, home runs, RBI, total bases (144) and walks. … Set NSU career home run record April 17 vs. Barry University, hitting his 31st. … Sophomore season of 2008, led team in RBI, second in at-bats, runs, hits, doubles, homers and total bases (124). …  First-Team All-Sunshine State Conference, Daktronics All-South Region Second-Team, NCBWA All-South Region First-Team, ABCA/Rawlings All-America Baseball third team. .. Finished with 21 multiple hit and 10 multiple RBI games. … As freshman in 2007, hit .379 with 5 HR, 29 RBI. … Back-to-back state title teams at Flanagan High School. … Team Gold Glove winner senior year. … 2006 MLB Draft 36th Round Pick of the Minnesota Twins.
* * * * *

48th Round (#1451): LHP Steven Rodriguez, Gulliver Prep (Fla.) H.S.; 6-3, 215
A 2008 Under Armour All-American. … Also named an All-American Prospect.
* * * * *

49th Round (#1481): 1B Matthew Smith, Mississippi; 6-3, 230
Year AVG GP AB   H  R 2B 3B HR RBI BB SO SB-ATT FLD%

2009   .336   64  232 78 52 15    2    8    59    30    57     4-6        .988

Appeared in 61 games, drawing 60 starts in 2008. … Hit .283, with 40 RBI, 39 runs, 11 doubles, a triple and 14 home runs. … His 14 home runs set the Ole Miss freshman record as he posted a .527 slug­ging percentage. … Also drew 22 walks and posted 17 multiple-hit games, 11 multiple-RBI games.
* * * * *

50th Round (#1511): LHP Spencer Hylander, Oklahoma Baptist; 6-1, 195
Year ERA W-L G/GS CG SV IP   H   R ER BB SO

2009   5.02   5-1   16/10   4   0   61.0 61 34 26   26   56
* * * * *

Rondel Sorrillo

Kentucky junior Rondel Sorrillo finished a strong second place in Saturday’s 200-meter dash for men at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships.

Sorrillo came up big after UK discus throwers Rashaud Scott and Chase Madison failed to score at Fayetteville, Ark.

Texas A&M, under Coach Pat Henry, swept the men’s and women’s team championships. LSU, then coached by Henry, is the only other school to sweep the men’s and women’s crowns, in 1989 and 1990.

Sorrillo, a junior who competed for Trinidad and Tobago at last year’s Beijing Olympics, finished in 20.70 seconds. Florida State junior Charles Clark won in 20.55.

Sorrillo’s eight points pushed the Wildcats’ total to 15, moving the team from 30th place to 15th. Sorrillo was involved in all 15 points, placing fifth in Friday’s 100-meter dash and anchoring UK’s 4-by-100-meter relay to a sixth-place finish.

Gavin Smellie

In the 200, after Sorrillo came Auburn freshman Marcus Rowland in 20.82, Texas A&M’s Gerald Phiri in 20.83 and Western Kentucky senior Gavin Smellie in 20.96. Smellie’s four points put the Hilltoppers in a tie for 46th place with Louisville, 4-4.

In the discus, seniors Scott and Madison both have career bests of more than 200 feet. They didn’t come close to that distance at the University of Arkansas’ John McDonnell Field.

Chase Madison

Martin Maric, a senior from Cal, came through on the final throw of the competion – 196 feet, 3 inches — to nip Arizona State’s Ryan Whiting by an inch.

Scott, the defending champion, was coming off a school-record and NCAA-leading 216-2 regional victory. He was eliminated after three attempts Saturday. After opening at 179-3, Scott fouled his last two tries to wind up in 10th.

Rashaud Scott

Madison made it in on his third throw overall, 182-0, but was unable to improve. He fouled on four of his six attempts and finished ninth.

Louisville’s Andrew Hackney came in 12th at 177-2.

U of L’s Jere’ Summers, who qualified first in the women’s discus with a mark of 183-2, fouled on all three attempts in Saturday’s finals. That left her 12th overall. D’Andra Carter of Texas Tech won wth a throw of 182-6.

Texas A&M secured the men’s team title by placing second to Florida State in the final event, the 4-by-400 relay. The Aggies wound up with 48 points. Florida State, Florida and Oregon tied for second place with 46 each.

Southeastern Conference teams bagged eight of the top 17 spots. In addition to Florida’s second-place tie, the SEC had LSU in fifth, South Carolina sixth, Arkansas ninth, Georgia 11th, Auburn 12, UK 15th and Mississippi State 17th.

A&M’s women totaled 50 points. Second-ranked Oregon edged Arizona State for second place, 43-41. Western Kentucky tied for 52nd place with four points.

The SEC had three teams in the women’s top 10: No. 6 LSU, No. 9 Florida and No. 10 Tennessee.

The University of Kentucky men’s team jumped from 20th to No. 11 in the final U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association poll of the season. The NCAA Outdoor Championships open Wednesday at the University of Arkansas and continue through Saturday.

Texas A&M moved from No. 2 to No. 1 in the final poll. Oregon also moved up a spot to No. 2, followed by four Southeastern Conference squads — previously top-ranked Florida, Arkansas (up from 6), LSU (up from 8th) and South Carolina. In all, the SEC has eight of the top 20 teams. 

Texas A&M also moved from No. 2 to No. 1 in the women’s poll, switching places with Oregon. Third is LSU, which leads five SEC teams in the top 20.

UK has the top-ranked women’s team from the state, improving from No. 34 to 32.

The UK men are led by Rashaud Scott, the Field Athlete of the Year in the Southeast Region (see below). He is coming off a sweep of regional shot put and discus titles and is defending NCAA champion in the latter event. He is ranked No. 1 in the discus and No. 8 in the shot. Teammate Chase Madison is No. 7 in the discus.

In addition, the Wildcats qualified in both the 4-by-100 and 4-by-400 relays, ranking sixth and 12th, respectively.

Rondel Sorrillo, who anchors the 4-by-100 unit, also made it in the 100 (ranked No. 22) and 200 (No. 5).

Louisville’s men improved from 37th to 29th in the team rankings. The Cardinals are led by a pair of top 10-ranked athletes — Corey Thorne, No. 2 in the steeplecase, and Tone Belt, No. 6 in the high jump.

Western Kentucky jumped 14 spots to No. 37. The Hilltoppers are led by Gavin Smellie, ranked No. 2 in the 200, and Mandhla Mgijima, No. 7 in the long jump.

Eastern Kentucky moved from No. 163 to 137. The Colonels’ lone NCAA qualifier is 5,000-meter runner Joseph Maina (No. 27).

UK’s women have four NCAA qualifiers, all ranked 17th or better: Ashley Muffet (No. 4, discus), Kristin Smith (No. 7, hammer throw), Ashley Trimble (No. 11, heptathlon) and Emilee Strot (No. 17, discus).

Louisville is ranked No. 35, an improvement of 14 spots. The Cards are led by Jere’ Summers, who ranks sixth in the discus and 10th in the shot.

Western Kentucky jumped 19 spots to No. 53. Janet Jesang, No. 5 at 5,000 meters, leads the Hilltoppers.

The final team rankings:

WOMEN

1. Texas A&M

2. Oregon

3. LSU

4. Arizona State

5. Tennessee

6. Florida State; 7. Southern Cal; 8. Penn State; 9. Baylor; 10. Texas.

11. Michigan; 12. UCLA; 13. Miami (Fla.); 14. Florida; 15. Washington.

16. UTEP; 17. Oklahoma; 18. Arkansas; 19. Nebraska; 20. Auburn.

21. Illinois; 22. Virginia Tech; 23. Indiana; 24. BYU; 25. Stanford.

MEN

1. Texas A&M

2. Oregon

3. Florida

4. Arkansas

5. LSU

6. South Carolina; 7. So. Cal; 8. Stanford; 9. Nebraska; 10. Ariz. State.

11. KENTUCKY; 12. Fla. State; 13. Miss. State; 14. Texas; 15. Auburn.

16. Minnesota; 17. Kansas State; 18. Texas; 19. Baylor; 20. Georgia.

21. Wash.; 22. Arizona; 23. Cal; 24. Boise State; 25. Wash. State.

Division I regional athletes and coaches of the year

Rashaud Scott

Erik Jenkins

Kentucky shot put/discus ace Rashaud Scott has been named by the USTFCCCA as men’s Field Athlete of the Year in the Southeast Region.

Western Kentucky’s Erik Jenkins was named Women’s Head Coach of the Year in the Southeast Region.

The full list of award winners follows.

Name (school) region

Tiffany Ofili

Women’s track — Tiffany Ofili (Michigan) Great Lakes; Clara Grandt (West Virginia) Mid-Atlantic; Angela Bizzari (Illinois) Midwest; Jenny Barringer (Colorado) Mountain; Danette Doetzel (Providence) Northeast; Murielle Ahoure (Miami, Fla.) South; Porscha Lucas (Texas A&M) South Central; Francena McCorory (Hampton) Southeast; Charonda Williams (Arizona State) West.

Destinee Hooker

Women’s field — Kara Patterson (Purdue) Great Lakes; Gayle Hunter (Penn State) Mid-Atlantic; Liz Roehrig (Minnesota) Midwest; Blessing Okagbare (UTEP) Mountain; Tahari James (Boston U.) Northeast; Kim Williams (Florida State) South; Destinee Hooker (Texas) South Central; Dorotea Habazin (Virginia Tech); Southeast; Sarah Stevens (Arizona State) West.

Trindon Holliday

Men’s track — Adam Harris (Michigan) Great Lakes; Sean Tully (Villanova) Mid-Atlantic; German Fernandez (Oklahoma State) Midwest; Gil Roberts (Texas Tech) Mountain; Kyle Heath (Syracuse) Northeast; Calvin Smith (Florida) South; Trindon Holliday (LSU) South Central; Sam Chelanga (Liberty) Southeast; Galen Rupp (Oregon) West.

Aston Eaton

Men’s field — Derek Drouin (Indiana) Great Lakes; Clarence Smith (Penn State) Mid-Atlantic; Will Claye (Oklahoma) Midwest; Dimitrios Fylladitakis (UTEP) Mountain; Nico Weiler (Harvard) Northeast; Chris Hill (Georgia) South; Jason Colwick (Rice) South Central; RASHAUD SCOTT (KENTUCKY) Southeast; Ashton Eaton (Oregon) West.

T. Buford-Bailey

Women’s head coach — James Henry (Michigan) Great Lakes; Beth Alford-Sullivan (Penn State) Mid-Atlantic; Tonja Buford-Bailey (Illinois) Midwest; Wes Kittley (Texas Tech) Mountain; Bill Morgan (Connecticut) Northeast; Caryl Smith Gilbert (Central Florida) South; Jim Bevan (Rice) South Central; ERIC JENKINS (WESTERN KENTUCKY) Southeast; Dan Steele (Oregon) West.

Brian Forrester

Women’s assistant — Brian Forrester (Akron) Great Lakes; Chris Miltenberg (Georgetown U.) Mid-Atlantic; Marc Burns (Wichita State) Midwest; Scott Irving (U.S. Air Force Academy) Mountain; Clive Terrelong (Connecticut) Northeast; Karen Harvey (Florida State) South; Vince Anderson (Texas A&M) South Central; Carrie Lane (Virginia) Southeast; Robert Johnson (Oregon) West.

Chris Bucknam

Men’s head coach  – Dennis Mitchell (Akron) Great Lakes; Joe Compagni (Monmouth) Mid-Atlantic; Gary Pepin (Nebraska) Midwest; Mark Robison (Brigham Young) Mountain; Nathan Taylor (Cornell) Northeast; Michael Holloway (Florida) South; Tie: Chris Bucknam (Arkansas) and Sean Brady (Southeastern Louisiana) South Central; Jason Vigilante (Virginia) Southeast; Ron Allice (Southern California) West. 

Don Babbitt

Men’s assistant – Rodney Zuyderwyk (Purdue) Great Lakes; Sheila Burrell (Georgetown U.) Mid-Atlantic; Billy Maxwell (Nebraska) Midwest; Dion Miller (Texas Tech) Mountain; Michelle Eisenreich (Brown) Northeast; Don Babbit (Georgia) South; Dick Booth (Arkansas) South Central; Tim Hall (Clemson) Southeast; Mark MacDonald (Washington State) West.

Seven women and six men from Kentucky colleges were awarded at-large bids Tuesday to the NCAA Track & Field Championships, June 10-13, at Arkansas.

Joseph Maina (EKU photo)

From Eastern Kentucky, Joseph Maina was added to the men’s 5,000-meter field.

From Kentucky, Rondel Sorrillo made it in the men’s 100, Emily Strot in the women’s discus.

From Louisville, Steve Hnat was added in the men’s shot put; Josh Greenwald and Andrew Hackney in discus; Matt Hughes in the steeplechase. U of L additions to the women’s field are Chinwe Okoro and Khadija Abdullah in the shot put, Rachel Gehret in the high jump and Seidre Forde in the triple jump.

From Western Kentucky’s women’s team, Miaie Williams was added in the 100, Janet Jesang in the 5,000.

The at-large recipients will join automatic qualifiers at Arkansas. Automatic berths went to the top five in individual events and top three in relays at the Mideast Regional, held Saturday at U of L.

Here’s what the combined at-large and automatic lists from Kentucky schools look like, with NCAA seeding; a = at-large berth; q = automatic qualifier.

MEN

Rondel Sorrillo

Gavin Smellie

100 meters — 24 a, Rondel Sorrillo (UK).

200 — 3 q, Gavin Smellie (WKU); 5 q, Rondel Sorrillo (UK).

5,000 — 26 a, Joseph Maina (EKU).

3,000 steeplechase — 2 q, Cory Thorne (U of L); 14 a, Matt Hughes (U of L).

4-by-100 relay — 6 q, Kentucky.

4-by-400 relay — 11 q, Western Kentucky; 12 q, Kentucky.

Shot put — 8 q, Rashaud Scott (UK); 17 a, Steve Hnat (U of L).

Rashaud Scott

Chase Madison

Discus — 1 q, Rashaud Scott (UK); 7 q, Chase Madison (UK); 16 a, Josh Greenwald (U of L); 17 a, Andrew Hackney (U of L).

Long jump — 7 a, Mandhla Mgijima (WKU).

High jump — 9 q, Tone Belt (U of L).

Long jump — 16 q, Tone Belt (U of L).

WOMEN

Tarah McKay

Janet Jesang

100 — 19 a, Miaie Williams (WKU).

1,500 — 24 q, Tarah McKay (U of L).

5,000 — 6 a, Janet Jesang (WKU).

4-by-100 relay — 12 q, Western Kentucky.

Shot put — 10 q, Jere’ Summers (U of L); 20 a, Chinwe Okoro (U of L); 23 a, Khadija Abdullah (U of L).

Kristin Smith

Ashley Trimble

Discus — 4 q, Ashley Muffet (UK); 6 q, Jere’ Summers (U of L); 17 a, Emilee Strot (UK).

High jump — 19 a, Rachel Gehret (U of L).

Triple jump — 24 a, Seidre Forde (U of L).

Heptathlon (entries based on pre-regional results) — 11. Ashley Trimble (UK).

USA Track & Field Athlete of the Week: Tyson Gay

The third-fastest 200-meter dash of all time makes Tyson Gay the USA Track & Field choice for athlete of the week.

From Tyson Gay's facebook photo gallery

Gay, a Lafayette High School graduate who later starred for Arkansas, uncorked a 19.58-second 200 Saturday at the Reebok Grand Prix, in New York’s Icahn Stadium. Only a pair of Olympic champions have ever run faster: Michael Johnson (19.32) and Usain Bolt (19.30).

Gay swept the 2007 World Championships in the 100 and 200 meters, and also ran on the gold-medal 4-by-100 relay.

After winning the 100 in American-record time at last year’s U.S. Olympic Trials, Gay suffered a severe hamstring injury during preliminaries of the 200. He went on to run the 200 at the Beijing Olympics, but the missed practice time left him far off his usual form. A dropped baton in the 4-by-100 put a disappointing end to his Olympic experience.

Saturday’s result, his first 200 since the Olympics, means Gay now has the third- and fourth-fastest 200s ever. No. 4 is 19.62, his winning effort at the 2007 USA Outdoor Championships.

Saturday’s runner-up, Gay’s former training partner and Arkansas teammate Wallace Spearmon, finished in 19.98. Former LSU standout Xavier Carter was third in 20.27.

“It made me very, very happy; 19.5 had been one of the goals I had, but to do that in the first race is very pleasing,” Gay told reporters. “I wanted to work on my reaction and my start. Then I just ran. I ran for my life. When I came toward the finish line, I got kind of tight and I just wanted to bring it on in. I tried to push all the way through, just to see where my body is at.”

Several of the week’s leading national marks were turned in on Louisville’s Cardinal Park facility, site of the NCAA Mideast Regional.

Cory Thorne

Louisville’s Cory Thorne had the fastest 3,000-meter steeplechase of the week (8:36.98).

Three winners in men’s field events ranked No. 1 for the week: Kentucky’s Rashaud Scott in the discus (216-2); LSU’s Walter Henning in the hammer throw (231-6), and Arkansas’ Mychael Stewart in the long jump (25-10 3/4).

And two of the women’s field event champions at Louisville led the nation: Purdue’s Kara Patterson in the javelin (192-1), and Indiana State’s Lauren Martin in the triple jump (44-4 3/4).

BEST MARKS BY AMERICANS FOR WEEK ENDING MAY 31
 
MEN
 
100 - 10.04 Jacoby Ford (Clemson) - Greensboro, N.C. 5/30
200 - 19.58 Tyson Gay (adidas) - New York, 5/30     World leader
400 - 44.75 LaShawn Merritt (Nike) - New York, 5/30
800 - 1:46.00 Khadevis Robinson (Nike) - New York, 5/30
1500 - 3:34.14 Leo Manzano (Nike) - New York, 5/30     U.S. leader
3000SC - 8:36.98 Cory Thorne (Louisville) - Louisville, 5/30
5000 - 13:03.06 Bernard Lagat (Nike) - New York, 5/30    U.S. leader
110H - 13.12 Terrence Trammell (TSA) - New York, 5/30
400H - 48.52 Bershawn Jackson (Nike) - New York, 5/30
HJ - 2.25/7-4.5 Scott Sellers (Kansas State) - Norman, Okla., 5/29
PV - 5.56/18-3 Jason Colwick (Rice) & Maston Wallace (Texas) - Norman, Okla., 5/30
LJ - 7.89/25-10.75 Mychael Stewart (Arkansas) - Louisville, 5/29
TJ - 16.81/55-2 Will Claye (Oklahoma) - Norman, Okla., 5/30
SP - 20.99/68-10.5 Ryan Whiting (Arizona State) - Eugene, Ore., 5/29
DT - 65.90/216-2 Rashaud Scott (Kentucky) - Louisville, 5/30
HT - 70.56/231-6 Walter Henning (LSU) - Louisville, 5/30
JT - 80.34/263-7 Chris Hill (Georgia) - Greensboro, N.C., 5/29
Dec - 8516 Trey Hardee (Nike) - Gotzis, Austria, 5/31     U.S. leader
  
WOMEN
 
100 - 11.04 Shalonda Solomon (Reebok) - New York, 5/30
200 - 22.34 Lauryn Williams (Nike) - New York, 5/30     World leader
400 - 50.50 Allyson Felix (adidas) - New York, 5/30     World leader
800 - 1:59.29 Anna Willard (Nike) - New York, 5/30     World leader
1500 - 4:03.96 Christin Wurth-Thomas (Nike) - New York, 5/30     U.S. leader
3000SC - 9:26.20 Jenny Barringer (Colorado) - Norman, Okla., 5/30     World leader
5000 - 15:32.39 Jen Rhines (adidas) - New York, 5/30
100H - 12.88 Seun Adigun (Houston) - Norman, Okla., 5/30
400H - 55.44 Tiffany Williams (Reebok) - New York, 5/30
HJ - 1.93/6-4 Sharon Day (Asics) - Havana, Cuba, 5/29
PV - 4.81/15-9.25 Jenn Stuczynski (adidas) - New York, 5/30     World leader
LJ - 6.72/22-0.75 Funmi Jimoh (Nike) - Belgrade, Serbia, 5/29 & Brianna Glenn (adidas) - New York, 5/30
TJ - 13.53/44-4.75 Lauren Martin (Indiana State) - Louisville, 5/30
SP - 18.43/60-5.75 Michelle Carter (unat) - New York, 5/30
DT - 63.97/209-10 Stephanie Brown Trafton (Nike) - New York, 5/30
HT - 69.76/228-10 Amber Campbell (Mjolnir) - Havana, Cuba, 5/30
JT - 58.56/192-1 Kara Patterson (Purdue) - Louisville, 5/30
Hept - 6,063 Sharon Day (Asics) - Havana, Cuba 5/30     U.S. leader

Rashaud Scott

Kentucky’s Rashaud Scott remains the No. 1 discus performer, but the Wildcats team dropped from 21st to No. 25 in the released U.S. Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches Association men’s poll that was released Wednesday.

Cross-state rival Louisville, led by second-ranked steeplechaser Corey Thorne, also fell, from No. 25 to 27.

Oregon reclaimed the No. 1 team ranking, dropping Florida to No. 2.

Florida and Kentucky are among seven Southeastern Conference teams ranked in the top 25. The SEC Championships open Thursday and last through Sunday at Florida.

Texas A&M is No. 1 in the women’s poll. Kentucky is 37th, Louisville 42nd. LSU is the top-rated SEC team, No. 4.

                            MEN                                                     
    Team                     Conference                 Points                    

 1. Oregon                 (Pac-10)              278.52 
 2. Florida                 (SEC)                    265.86
 3. Florida State        (ACC)                   265.23
 4. Texas A&M          (Big 12)                 236.25
 5. Nebraska              (Big 12)               205.59
 6. Arizona State         (Pac-10)             187.09
 7. South Carolina       (SEC)                  172.25
 8. Arkansas               (SEC)                   169.58
 9. Texas                    (Big 12)               162.35
10. Stanford               (Pac-10)              162.10
11. Baylor                   (Big 12)               159.03
12. LSU                       (SEC)                  158.29
13. Auburn                 (SEC)                  149.12
14. Washington          (Pac-10)             137.66
15. Texas Tech          (Big 12)               120.31
16. Souther Cal         (Pac-10)              119.30
17. California            (Pac-10)               114.77
18. Minnesota           (Big Ten)              111.72
19. Brigham Young   (Mountain West)    94.94
20. Georgia               (SEC)                     93.64
21. Washington State (Pac-10)              91.25
22. Virginia Tech       (ACC)                     91.17
23. Liberty                 (Big South)           91.11
24. Missouri              (Big 12)                 90.43
25. KENTUCKY           (SEC)                   90.27

Other Kentucky and SEC teams — 27. Louisville (Big East), 79.85; 34. Tennessee, 68.73; 37. Western Kentucky (Sun Belt) 62.39; 43. Alabama, 54.34; 46. Mississippi State, 50.94; 71, Mississippi, 25.68; 146. Eastern Kentucky (Ohio Valley) 1.88.

                               WOMEN

 1. Texas A&M          (Big 12)              302.56
 2. Oregon                (Pac-10)            256.51
 3. Florida State        (ACC)                242.82
 4. LSU                      (SEC)                220.09
 5. Southern Cal       (Pac-10)            212.44
 6. Texas                  (Big 12)             192.53
 7. Arizona State      (Pac-10)            170.80
 8. Baylor                 (Big 12)               169.52
 9. Virginia Tech     (ACC)                     154.60
10. Brigham Young (Mountain West)   153.40
11. Michigan          (Big Ten)                150.96
12. Tennessee        (SEC)                    148.34
13. UCLA                (Pac-10)                146.00
14. Auburn             (SEC)                     126.52
15. Stanford           (Pac-10)                119.98
16. Miami, Fla.       (ACC)                     112.82
17. Washington     (Pac-10)                111.96
18. Nebraska         (Big 12)                 111.93
19. Oklahoma       (Big 12)                  111.81
20. Penn State       (Big Ten)               110.29
21. Minnesota       (Big Ten)                  95.52
22. Arkansas         (SEC)                       92.82
23. Texas Tech     (Big 12)                     89.26
24. SMU                (Conference USA)     88.60
25. Indiana           (Big Ten)                  86.12
Other Kentucky and SEC teams — 29. Florida, 71.01; 37. Kentucky, 59.25; 39. Mississippi, 55.93; 42. Louisville (Big East), 52.88; 53. South Carolina, 42.53; 60. Alabama, 37.76; 72. Georgia, 25.96; 73. Western Kentucky (Sun Belt), 24.58; 83. Mississippi State, 17.06.

Event-by-event leaders (plus Kentuckians in top 20)

                       MEN

Gavin Smellie

100 — Jacoby Ford (Clemson) 10.11; 13. Gavin Smellie (WKU) 10.29.
200 — Trey Harts (Baylor) 20.29; 6. Gavin Smellie (WKU) 20.58.
400 — Gil Roberts (Texas Tech) 45.27.
800 — Tevan Everett (Texas) 1:47.39.
1,500 — Matt Centrowitz (Oregon) 3:36.92.
5,000 — Brandon Bethke (Arizona State) 13:27.74.
10,000 — Sam Chelanga (Liberty) 27:28.48.
110 hurdles — Oma Osaghae (Texas Tech) 13.42.
400 hurdles — Jeshua Anderson (Washington State) 49.44.

Corey Thorne

3,000 steeplechase — Jake Morse (Texas) 8:34.57; 2. Corey Thorne (U of L) 8:39.19; 12. Matt Hughes (U of L) 8:47.36.
4-x-100 relay — Florida State 38.75; 17. WKU 39.93.
4-x-400 relay — Florida State 3:01.54; 8. UK 3:05.77.
High jump — (Tie) Trent Arrivey (Washington State) and Matt Fisher (Minnesota) 7-4 1/2; 13. Tone Belt (U of L) 7-1.
Pole vault — Jason Colwick (Rice) 18-9 1/4.
Long jump — Brian Chibudu (Florida State) 26-5; 4. Mandhla Mgijima (WKU) 25-11; 6. Rudon Bastian (U of L) 25-8.
Triple jump — Will Claye (Oklahoma) 55-3/4.
Shot put — Ryan Whiting (Arizona State) 66-11 1/2; 15. Steve Hnat (U of L) 60-6 1/2; 16. Rashaud Scott (UK) 60-3 3/4; 20. Chase Madison (UK) 59-11 1/4.
Discus — Rashaud Scott (UK) 212-9; 6. Chase Madison (UK) 196-7.
Hammer throw — Chris Rohr (Missouri) 235-11.
Javelin — Cyrus Hostetler (Oregon) 272-10.
Decathlon — Ashton Eaton (Oregon) 8,091.

                        WOMEN
100 — Alexandria Anderson (Texas) 11.09.
200 — Tiffany Townsend (Baylor) 22.63; 20. Miaie Williams (WKU) 23.43.
400 — Jessica Beard (Texas A&M) 51.52.
800 — Molly Beckwith (Indiana) 2:02.51.
1,500 — Jenny Barringer (Colorado) 4:08.38.

Janet Jesang

5,000 — Jenny Barringer (Colorado) 15:07.64; 10. Janet Jesang (WKU) 15:52.22.
10,000 — Lisa Koll (Iowa State) 32:43.85; 20. Janet Jesang (WKU) 34:08.18.
100 hurdles — Tiffany Ofili (Michigan) 12.82.
400 hurdles — Eric Cray (Bethune-Cookman) 51.80.
3,000 steeplechase — Nicole Bush (Michigan State) 9:39.38.
4-x-100 relay — Texas A&M 42.91.
4-x-400 relay — LSU 3:31.81; 20. WKU 3:37.43.
High jump — Destinee Hooker (Texas) 6-3 1/2; 11. Rachel Gehret (U of L) 5-11 1/4.
Pole vault — Natalie Willer (Nebraska) 14-4 1/2.
Long jump — Blessing Okagbare (UTEP) 22-6 1/4.
Triple jump — Kim Williams (Florida State) 44-9 3/4; 10. Seidre Forde (U of L) 42-11 3/4.

Ashley Muffet

Ashley Trimble

Shot put — Mariam Kevkhishvili (Florida) 59-2 1/4; 12. Ashley Muffet (UK) 53-4 1/2; 20. Khadija Abdullah (U of L) 52-2.
Discus — Annie Alexander (Tennessee) 188-9; 3. Ashley Muffet (UK) 187-8; 13. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 173-8; 17. Emilee Strot (UK) 171-2.
Hammer throw — Eva Orban (Southern Cal) 226-10; 11. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 199-10; 13. Kristin Smith (UK) 199-2.
Javelin — Kara Patterson (Purdue) 191-7.
Heptathlon — Brianne Theisen (Oregon) 5,986; 20. Ashley Trimble (UK) 5,438.

The University of Kentucky softball team turned a local Buffalo Wild Wings restaurant into a Buffalo Wild, Wild Wings during Sunday’s televised NCAA Selection Show (ESPNU).

“We were just told to meet at ‘B.W.’s’ at 9 o’clock, so I thought it was just going to the team,” said second baseman Natalie Smith, a junior. “And then I walk in and girls got surprised with their families, and then everyone’s whispering ‘Coach Cal’s here!’ and Mr. Barnhart, all the athletic people, our media crew, academics, weight, strength and conditioning. It just shows what a family UK athletics is, and it’s just really awesome to have that support system around us.”

Yes, men’s basketball coach John Calipari and athletics director Mitch Barnhart joined in the celebration.

This was big stuff — Kentucky gets its first invitation to the NCAA softball big dance.

“It was really exciting, for the first time in my three years here,” said Molly Johnson, UK’s sweet-hitting junior shortstop. “I was really happy for the team.”

Rachel Lawson

“I wanted to see what the looks on all their faces were because I’m so proud of everything that they’ve done this year,” Coach Rachel Lawson said as she relived the moment that Kentucky’s name appeared on the screen. “They deserve it. They work hard. Just for them to feel this moment for the first time, I think, is very special.”

UK (32-21) landed in the Columbus (Ohio) Regional, one of 16 four-team regionals that will be played next weekend. The Wildcats will open the double-elimination regional against Brigham Young (39-16), the Mountain West champion, Thursday at 5 p.m. Ohio State (44-9), seeded 11th nationally, will face MAAC champion Canisius (27-22) Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Play continues through Saturday. The champion will advance to a best-of-three Super Regional, May 22-23, to face either sixth-seeded Georgia, North Carolina, Campbell or Radford. Winners of the eight Super Regions advance to the College World Series, May 28-June 3, at Oklahoma City.

“Rachel and this group have done a remarkable job,” Barnhart said. “I’m really, really proud of them.”

Natalie Smith

“All the hard work has finally paid off,” Smith said. “We’re really excited to go to Ohio State. Because it’s near Kentucky, a lot of family can travel. We think we’re going to get a lot of fans, and it’s definitely a regional that we think we have a good shot of winning.

“These freshmen have no idea how big of a deal this is because they haven’t had to go through the past two years of losing seasons and just a lot of ups and downs, coaching changes. But it’s all worth it right now and any problems we’ve had in the past, everything’s just kind of melted away. It’s almost like a clean slate and we’re just ready to go.”

UK finished 20-31 in 2007 and, in Lawson’s first season as coach, 17-37 in 2008.

“It’s huge for the program,” Lawson said of what the NCAA berth means, “because I think now they finally understand they’re on the big stage. That was the coolest thing about being at the SEC Tournament, because I heard one of the players say ‘we’re a big deal.’ I don’t think they understood until they were sitting on the field in Knoxville this weekend that they understood they were a big deal. So now that they understand that they are a big deal, now it’s just a matter of winning softball games and don’t worry about anything else.”

UK is among nine SEC teams to receive NCAA bids, along with top-seeded Florida, No. 4 Alabama, No. 6 Georgia, No. 13 Tennessee and unseeded Arkansas, Auburn, LSU and Mississippi State. The Wildcats are coming off an SEC Tournament that saw them stun Georgia 2-0, then take Alabama to extra innings before falling 2-1.

Molly Johnson

Megan Yocke

“After the SEC Tournament, I think our confidence was soaring,” Johnson said. “That win against Georgia really helped. Then taking Alabama to extra innings, a win would have been even better, but extra innings against a top-notch team like Alabama will only help a young team like ourselves.”

“We extremely confident right now,” said sophomore Megan Yocke, who can play infield or behind the plate. “We think that we can pretty much take on anyone. We’ve faced a lot of Top 25 competition in the early season and we played extremely well against them. And we’ve gotten better throughout the season, so I think if we were to face those same teams again we could give an even better run.” 

COLUMBUS REGIONAL SCHEDULE
Thursday (times subject to change):
Game 1: Kentucky (home) vs. BYU (away) - 5 p.m.
Game 2: Canisius at Ohio State - 7:30 p.m.

Friday (times subject to change):
Game 3: Game 1 winner vs. Game 2 winner - 1 p.m.
Game 4: Game 1 loser vs. Game 2 loser - 3:30 p.m.
Game 5: Game 4 winner vs. Game 3 loser - 6 p.m.

Saturday (times subject to change):
Game 6: Game 3 winner vs. Game 5 winner - 1 p.m.
Game 7, if needed: Game 6 winner vs. Game 6 loser - 3:30 p.m.

Region seeds – 1. Florida; 2. UCLA; 3. Washington; 4. Alabama; 5. Michigan; 6. Georgia; 7. Oklahoma; 8. Stanford; 9. Arizona; 10. Arizona State; 11. Ohio State; 12. Northwestern; 13. Tennessee; 14. Georgia Tech; 15. DePaul; 16. Florida State.

* Louisville was selected as a regional host. The Cardinals will open against Purdue. Also in the field are ninth-seeded Arizona and Tennessee Martin.

To see the full NCAA bracket, visit:

 http://www.ncaa.com/auto_pdf/p_hotos/s_chools/ncaa/sports/w-softbl/auto_pdf/Soft-D1-2009Bracket-64

In the bottom of the ninth, Chad Wright is caught looking at strike three. Andy Burns coaxes a walk, bringing the potential tying run to the plate. Chris Bisson loops a single to shallow left, moving Burns to second and bringing the potential winning run to the plate. Gunner Glad grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. FINAL SCORE: Auburn 7, Kentucky 5.

Auburn           212  002  000  — 7    6  1
Kentucky        000  100  310  — 5  11  1
W — Price (4-2); L — Meyer (1-4); Sv — Hubbard (11). HR — AU: Mummey (15), Feltcher 2 (16); UK: Burns (6), Nidiffer (7). Att. — 2,040.

Cats hold Auburn in 9th, try to rally from 2 down

Auburn’s Brian Fletcher leads off the top of the ninth with a walk and moves to second on a grounder. UK Coach Gary Henderson replaces Logan Darnell with right-hander Clint Tilford. Darnell, a lefty, gave up three hits over 5 2/3 innings in relief. Second baseman Chris Bisson knocks down Wes Gilmer’s grounder up the middle and throw him out at first, while Fletcher takes third. Catcher Marcus Nidiffer blocks a Tilford pitch in the dirt, keeping Fletcher at third. Tilford then strikes out Dan Gamache with a B-B over the inside corner. Going to the bottom of the ninth: Auburn 7, Kentucky 5.

Nidiffer homers for UK, cuts Auburn lead to 7-5

Marcus Nidiffer

After the first two Kentucky batters are retired, Marcus Nidiffer sneaks a solo homer just over the center-field wall and the outstretched glove of Trent Mummey. Nidiffer’s seventh homer of the season cuts UK’s deficit to two runs. At the end of eight innings: Auburn 7, Kentucky 5.

Auburn goes down 1-2-3 in eighth

Auburn goes down in order in the eighth inning. Going to the bottom half of the inning: Auburn 7, Kentucky 4.

Kentucky scores 3 in 7th, trails Auburn 7-4

Chad Wright

Gunner Glad

When Braden Kapteyn leads off Kentucky’s half of the seventh with a bloop single to center, Auburn Coach John Pawlowski pulls starting pitcher Dexter Price and brings in another righty, Bradley Hendrix. Hendrix retires one batter, but Cory Farris doubles to right, Kapteyn stopping at third. Chad Wright’s chopper to short scores Kapteyn, but Farris gets hung up between second and third. He stays in a a rundown long enough for Wright to advance to second base. Andy Burns brings Wright home with a single up the middle and advances to second on the throw to the plate. Chris Bisson walks. Gunner Glad singles through the right side of the infield and, when right-fielder Ben Jones bobbles the ball for an error, Burns scores and Bisson takes third. Pawlowski yanks Hendrix and brings in another right-hander, Austin Hubbard. He gets Chris Wade to ground out. Going to the eighth inning: Auburn 7, Kentucky 4.

Unusual double play ends Auburn threat in 7th

In the top of the seventh, Auburn’s Wes Gilmer leads off with a double to the gap in right-center and Dan Gamache follows with a walk. Caleb Bowen puts down a two-strike bunt to move the runners to second and third. Justin Haggerty bounces to shortstop Chris Wade. Gilmer holds at third but Gamache doesn’t hold at second. After Wade throws out Haggerty at first, Gunner Glad whips the ball to second baseman Chris Bisson, who gets the ball to Chris McClendon for the tag. Score the double play 6-3-4-5. Seventh-inning stretch time: Auburn 7, Kentucky 1.

Wildcats add two hits but no runs in 6th

In the bottom of the sixth, Kentucky gets a one-out single, up the middle, from Chris Bisson. One out later, Chris Wade singles, the fifth hit given up by Auburn right-hander Dexter Price. The threat ends as Keenan Wiley lines out to center. Going to the seventh inning: Auburn 7, Kentucky 1.

Fletcher goes deep again to give Auburn 7-1 lead

Brian Fletcher

A hit batsman and Brian Fletcher’s second home run of the game (16th of the season) produce two runs for Auburn in the sixth inning. Three homers have produced six Auburn runs. Trent Mummey, the other long-ball artist, drove in the Tigers’ other run with a bases-loaded walk. Going to UK’s half of the sixth: Auburn 7, Kentucky 1.

Cats leave 2 runners on in 5th, trail Auburn 5-1

Kentucky gets a leadoff single from Keenan Wiley and a two-out single from Cory Farris, but can’t score in the fifth. Two runners are stranded as Chad Wright flies to deep center. Going to the sixth inning: Auburn 5, Kentucky 1.

Nidiffer, Darnell quell Auburn threat in fifth

After the first batter grounds out, Auburn loads the bases with a single, walk and fielding error. UK catcher Marcus Nidiffer fires a strike to Andy Burns, successfully picking off Wes Gilmer at third. Logan Darnell then induces Justin Hargett to ground out to second. In the middle of the fifth: Auburn 5, Kentucky 1.

Burns homer puts Kentucky on the board

Andy Burns

Held to a walk through three innings, Kentucky gets a lift from Andy Burns. The third baseman rips the first pitch of the inning for a home run off of the light tower in right-center field. Five of his six homers this season have come on first-pitch offerings. Auburn righty Dexter Price retires the next two batters. Then, Chris Wade just misses a homer — a long foul down the left-field line — and then flies out to right. After four innings: Auburn 5, Kentucky 1.

Darnell strikes out Auburn in order in fourth

UK’s Logan Darnell strikes out the side in the fourth: Hunter Morris, Ben Jones and Brian Fletcher, all swinging. In the middle of the fourth: Auburn 5, Kentucky 0.

Wildcats’ bats remain silent in third inning

Kentucky goes down in order in the third via two fly balls and a called third strike. Through three innings: Auburn 5 runs, 3 hits; Kentucky 0 runs, 0 hits.

Fletcher homer increases Auburn lead to 5-0

Alex Meyer

Auburn’s half of the third inning starts out much like the first inning. Ben Jones draws a leadoff walk and Brian Fletcher follows with a home run, his 15th of the season, over the left-field wall. Then, just as in the first, UK righty Alex Meyer strikes out the next two: Casey McElroy and Wes Gilmer. Unlike the first, though, he doesn’t get a third whiff in a row, as Dan Gamache and Caleb Bowen walk — Meyer’s and seventh free passes of the day. Gary Henderson pulls Meyer and brings in left-hander Logan Darnell. For his third straight at-bat, Justin Hargett works the count full before drawing a walk — this one to load the bases. But Trent Mummey fouls out to third baseman Andy Burns and Auburn leaves the bases loaded for the second consecutive inning. In the middle of the third inning: Auburn 5, Kentucky 0.

Cats get a base-runner but nothing else in 2nd

Auburn right-hander Dexter Price handles Kentucky’s first two batters in the second. The freshman gets Gunner Glad on a fly ball to left and Chris Wade on a pop to short right. Keenan Wiley draws a walk. Right fielder Ben Jones, battling the sun, wind and a long run to Braden Kapteyn’s shallow fly, makes a circus catch. At the end of two innings: Auburn 3, Kentucky 0.

Auburn adds a run in 2nd, leads Kentucky 3-0

Auburn puts runners on first and second with one out, prompting Kentucky Coach Gary Henderson to make a visit to RHP Alex Meyer. The freshman responds, striking out Caleb Bowen but then issues Justin Hargett his second walk of the game. Trent Mummey, who homered in the first inning, pops a foul behind the plate. But catcher Marcus Nidiffer is slow to locate the ball and can’t make the catch. Mummey then walks, forcing in a run. Hunter Morris just misses a grand slam, flying out on a drive to the right-field warning track. In the middle of the second inning: Auburn 3, Kentucky 0.

Wildcats go down in order in first inning

Kentucky goes down in order in the first, with a groundout, lineout and fly out. At the end of one: Auburn 2, Kentucky 0.

Mummey homer gives Auburn early 2-0 lead.

Trent Mummey

In the top of the first, Auburn taketh and Auburn swingeth away. Leadoff man Justin Hargett takes a 3-2 pitch for ball four. Trent Mummey brings him around with a two-run homer to the deck in right-center, his 15th homer of the season. UK freshman right-hander Alex Meyer settles down to strike out the next three batters — Hunter Morris, swinging; Ben Jones, looking; and Brian Fletcher, swinging. After half an inning: Auburn 2, Kentucky 0.

SEC baseball: Auburn at Kentucky, III

Kentucky, which hadn’t won a home baseball series against Auburn since 1989, tries for a three-game sweep Sunday.

We’re about 20 minutes away from the first pitch on a beautiful day at Cliff Hagan Stadium — 64 degrees, mostly sunny and a 7 mph wind blowing out to left field.

Kentucky swept Saturday’s Southeastern Conference doubleheader 6-5 (10 innings) and 6-3.

UK (26-23, 11-15 SEC) still has hopes of qualifying for the eight-team SEC Tournament. The Wildcats start Sunday ninth overall, 1 1/2 games behind Vanderbilt and 2 games back of South Carolina. Vandy goes for a sweep of Georgia on Sunday, with South Carolina taking on Tennessee.

Saturday’s sweep virtually eliminated Auburn (27-24, 8-18) from contention.

 

Sunday’s starting lineups:

AUBURN — Justin Hargett, 2B; Trent Mummey, CF; Hunter Morris, 1B; Ben Jones, RF; Brian Fletcher, LF; Casey McElroy, SS; Wes Gilmer, 3B; Dan Gamache, DH; Caleb Bowen, C. Pitching — RH Dexter Price (3-2, 5.74).

KENTUCKY — Chad Wright, LF; Andy Burns, 3B; Chris Bisson, 2B; Gunner Glad, 1B; Chris Wade, SS; Keenan Wiley, CF; Braden Kapteyn, DH; Marcus Nidiffer, C; Cory Farris, RF. Pitching — RH Alex Meyer (1-3, 4.67).

UMPIRES — Kevin Assman, plate; Nelson Graham, 1B; A.J. Lostaglio, 3B.

Braden Kapteyn

UK’s Andy Burns opens the bottom of the 10th with a full-count walk. Chris Bisson takes a 2-2 pitch to the opposite field, singling through the left side of the infield to put Burns on second. With Auburn expecting a bunt, Gunner Glad instead pokes a run-scoring single on nearly the same path that Bisson just used. Burns scores and Bisson stops at second. Chris Wade bunts the runners to second and third. With one out, Keenan Wiley draws an intentional walk to fill the bases for Braden Kapteyn. Kapteyn takes two balls, then lines a game-winning RBI single down the third-base line. FINAL SCORE: KENTUCKY 6, AUBURN 5.

Auburn grabs 5-4 lead over Kentucky in top of 10th

Justin Hargett

Auburn’s Justin Hargett opens the 10th inning with a bunt single. Trent Mummey, looking to bunt, is nailed in the right leg by a Braden Kapteyn pitch. Brian Fletcher bunts the runners to second and third. Ben Jones’ sacrifice fly sends Chad Wright to the left-field wall. Hargett scores and Mummey advances to third. There’s where it ends, though, as third baseman Andy Burns successfully pulls off the ol’ hidden ball trick and tags out Mummey. Going to the bottom of the 10th: Auburn 5, Kentucky 4.

Kentucky, Auburn tied 4-4 through 9 innings

In the bottom of the ninth, Marcus Nidiffer is called out on strikes. Bryan Rose just misses a homer, backing Trent Mummey to the center-field wall for the second out. Chad Wright grounds out. Heading to extra innings: Kentucky 4, Auburn 4.

Auburn ties Kentucky at 4 with ninth-inning run

Brian Fletcher

In the top of the ninth, Auburn’s Brian Fletcher works a full-count walk. Kentucky Coach Gary Henderson pulls starter James Paxton and brings in lefty Logan Darnell to pitch. Darnell strikes out Ben Jones, but hits Tony Caldwell to put runners on first and second. Casey McElroy goes the other way to drive a single through the left side of the infield, loading the bases. Henderson summons his DH, right-hander Braden Kapteyn, to take over on the mound. Wes Gilmer, who banged a two-run double his previous at-bat, grounds to first baseman Gunner Glad who, inexplicably, opts to take a few steps and touch the bag before throwing home — too late to catch Fletcher. So now the game is tied, runners on second and third, with two outs. Chez McCann, who entered the game in the seventh as a defensive replacement, walks to load the bases. Kapteyn gets ahead of Kevin Patterson 0-2, then gets saved from a run-scoring wild pitch as catcher Marcus Nidiffer jumps up to spear a very, very outside pitch. Next pitch is a called third strike. Going to the bottom the ninth, and with Auburn calling in right-hander Austin Hubbard from the bullpen: Kentucky 4, Auburn 4.

Kentucky tries to protect 4-3 lead in 9th

Kentucky gets a one-out double from Chris Wade but nothing else in the eighth. Going to the ninth inning: Kentucky 4, Auburn 3.

Auburn goes down quietly in 8th inning

UK lefty James Paxton regains his composure to set Auburn down in order in the eighth, striking out two. In the middle of the eighth: Kentucky 4, Auburn 3.

Fluke play gives UK 4-3 lead in 7th

Marcus Nidiffer

Andy Burns

Kentucky takes a 4-3 lead on a weird play. Marcus Nidiffer leads off with a single to left. One out later, Chad Wright walks. Andy Burns takes a 2-2 pitch for a ball, then mistakingly trots towards first base — thinking the pitch was ball four. Nidiffer gets hung up between second and third, with catcher Tony Caldwell firing the ball towards third, but into left field for an error. Nidiffer scores and Wright moves to third. Next pitch, Burns does walk. But he’s doubled off first when Chris Bisson lines out to pitcher Bradley Hendrix. At the end of seven: Kentucky 4, Auburn 3.

Auburn comes back in 7th to tie Kentucky 3-3

Auburn comes battling back in the seventh. Justin Hargett leads off with an infield single. Trent Mummey looks at a called third strike, the eighth whiff of the game by James Paxton, and Brian Fletcher is out on a pop foul. Ben Jones doubles to the gap in left-center, moving Hargett to third. Tony Caldwell draws the first Auburn walk of the day to load the bases. Casey McElroy draws a full-count walk to force in a run. Wes Gilmer drives a two-run, game-tying double off the wall in right-center. Pinch-hitter Bradley Ray takes a called third strike. Seventh-inning stretch time: Kentucky 3, Auburn 3.

UK breaks through in sixth, takes 3-0 lead on Auburn

Bryan Rose leads off the bottom of the sixth with a sharp single to right — just the third hit of the game and the second for Kentucky. Chad Wright executes the

Bryan Rose

Keenan Wiley

sacrifice bunt to push Rose to second. Andy Burns jumps on a 3-1 pitch, lining a run-scoring double down the left-field line. One out later, Gunner Glad draws a walk. After waving at a pair of breaking balls, Chris Wade reaches out to slap a 1-2 pitch through the left side of the infield for a run-scoring single. Glad stops at second. Auburn Coach John Pawlowski calls to the bullpen for Bradley Hendrix. Keenan Wiley welcomes the right-hander with a single to left-center to score Glad and move Wade to third. Hendrix retires Braden Kapteyn on a comebacker. After six innings: Kentucky 3, Auburn 0.

Paxton continues mastery; UK-Auburn scoreless

Kentucky’s James Paxton retires his ninth, 10th and 11th batters in a row, getting a fly ball and striking out two. Through the top of the sixth, Paxton has yielded one hit and hit a batter, struck out seven and faced the minimum 18 batters. In the middle of the sixth inning: Kentucky 0, Auburn 0.

Pitching duel continues as Cats get nothing in 5th

Jon Luke Jacobs

Auburn freshman Jon Luke Jacobs continues to have Kentucky’s number. He retires Keenan Wiley on a pop foul, Braden Kapteyn on a grounder and Marcus Nidiffer on a pop to short center. At the end of five innings: Kentucky 0, Auburn 0.

Auburn retired in order in fifth; no score

Auburn goes down in order in the fifth inning. Ben Jones grounds out, Tony Caldwell is strikeout victim No. 5 for James Paxton and Casey McElroy taps out to catcher Marcus Nidiffer. In the middle of the fifth: Kentucky 0, Auburn 0.

Kentucky gets first hit, then a double play

Gunner Glad

Kentucky gets its first hit of the game as Gunner Glad lines a one-out single down the third-base line. But Auburn right-hander Jon Luke Jacobs gets Chris Wade to ground into a 4-6-3 double play. At the end of four innings: UK 0 runs, 1 hit; Auburn 0 runs, 1 hit.

Wright survives collision with wall; Auburn down 1-2-3

UK lefty James Paxton again sets Auburn down in order, but Kentucky gets a scare. Trent Mummey’s one-out fly sends left fielder Chad Wright deep. Wright makes the catch but is shaken up as he crashes into the wall. He stays in the game, though, and Paxton fans Brian Fletcher to end the inning. In the middle of the fourth: no score.

Auburn frosh Jacobs completes third no-hit inning

Auburn freshman Jon Luke Jacobs sets down Kentucky 1-2-3 in the third. Through three innings: Kentucky 0 runs, 0 hits; Auburn 0 runs, 1 hit.

Paxton puts away Auburn in third; still no score

Kentucky, Auburn scoreless through two innings

Kentucky goes down in order in the second. Auburn left-fielder Brian Fletcher robs Marcus Nidiffer of a two-out hit, making a diving catch of Nidiffer’s blooper to left-center. At the end of two innings: Kentucky 0, Auburn 0.

Paxton strikes out the side, in order, in 2nd

UK lefty James Paxton retires Auburn in conventional fashion in the second, striking out the side: Ben Jones, Tony Caldwell and Casey McElroy. Going to the bottom of the second: nil-nil.

Wildcats strand a pair of runners in first

Kentucky threatens in the first, thanks to a leadoff walk to Chad Wright and a two-out pass to Gunner Glad. But Auburn freshman Jon Luke Jacobs strikes out Andy Burns, Chris Bisson and Chris Wade, the last two caught looking. At the end of one: 0-0.

Double play ends Auburn’s half of first inning

UK lefty James Paxton, aided by a double play, cuffs Auburn in the top of the first. Trent Mummey bloops a one-out single just over the reach of 2B Chris Bisson. But Brian Fletcher lines out to Bisson, who tosses to Gunner Glad to easily double off Mummey at first. Going to the bottom of the first: no score.

SEC baseball: Auburn at Kentucky, game one

Saturday is looking much better than Friday for baseball at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Kentucky and Auburn are set to make up Friday’s postponement, with first pitch scheduled for 2 p.m. Right now, it’s 71 degrees, cloudy, with a rain-clear radar in Central Kentucky. Saturday’s regularly scheduled game, to be televised by the Big Blue Network, is scheduled for 7 p.m.

Both UK and Auburn have hopes of qualifying for the eight-team Southeastern Conference Tournament.

UK (24-23 overall, 9-15 SEC) ranks ninth, Auburn (27-22, 8-16) 10th. No. 8 Vanderbilt (11-13) opened a two-game lead on UK by defeating Georgia on Friday.

Starting lineups for Saturday’s first game

Auburn — Justin Hargett, 2B; Trent Mummey, CF; Brian Fletcher, LF; Ben Jones, RF; Tony Caldwell, C; Casey McElroy, SS; Wes Gilmer, 3B; Dan Gamache, 1B; Kevin Patterson, DH. Pitching — RH Jon Luke Jacobs (3-4, 6.23).

Kentucky — Chad Wright, LF; Andy Burns, 3B; Chris Bisson, 2B; Gunner Glad, 1B; Chris Wade, SS; Keenan Wiley, CF; Braden Kapteyn, DH; Marcus Nidiffer, C; Bryan Rose, RF. Pitching — LH James Paxton (5-2, 5.40).

Umpires — Nelson Graham, plate; A.J. Lostaglio, 1B; Kevin Assman, 3B.

Thanks to Jonathan Grooms, Carlisle County coach, for providing this week’s KYtrackXC.com rankings of state high school track and field teams.

Class AAA Boys - Team Rankings                    
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   1) Male 76.5; 2) St. Xavier 66; 3) Louisville Ballard 39; 4) North Hardin 36; 5) Henry Clay 34; 6) Oldham County 33; 7) Daviess County 31.5; 8 ) Christian County 30.3; 9) John Hardin 29; 10) Owensboro 28.   

Class AAA Girls - Team Rankings                   
===============================================================================
   1) Owensboro 75; 2) Butler 56; 3) Louisville Ballard 51.5; 4) Fern Creek 45; 5) Sacred Heart 43; 6) Paul Dunbar 40; 7) Eastern 33; 8 ) Campbell County 32; 9) Male 31; 10) duPont Manual 29.

Class AA Girls - Team Rankings                   
===============================================================================
   1) Central 73.5; 2) Lloyd Memorial 71; 3) Rockcastle County 56; 4) Trigg County 53.5; 5) Highlands 43.5; 6) (tie) South Oldham and Boyle County 37; 8 ) West Jessamine 34; 9) (tie) Casey County and Elizabethtown 26.

National Collegiate rankings

MEN

WOMEN

Event rankings

Corey Thorne

Rashaud Scott

MEN

100 meters — 21. Justin Austin (UK) 10.35.

200 — 25. Jose Acevedo (UK) 20.80.

Steeplechase — 2. Corey Thorne (U of L) 8:39.19; 12. Matt Hughes (U of L) 8:47.36; 24. Stanley Mugo (EKU) 8:52.07.

4-by-100 relay — 19. UK (A. Williams, B. Austin, J. Austin, J. Acevedo) 40.03.

4-by-400 relay — 8. UK (B. Austin, J. Austin, K. Obeng, J. Acevedo) 3:05.77.

High jump — 11. Tone Belt (U of L) 7-1.

Long jump — 4. Rudon Bastian (U of L) 25-8.

Shot put — 14. Steve Hnat (U of L) 60-6 1/2; 15. Rashaud Scott (UK) 60-3 3/4; 20. Chase Madison (UK) 59-11 1/4.

Discus — 1. Rashaud Scott (UK) 212-9; 6. Chase Madison (UK) 196-7.

 

Janet Jesang

Ashley Muffet

WOMEN

5,000 — 10. Janet Jesang (WKU)15:52.22.

10,000 — 20. Janet Jesang (WKU)34:08.18.

4-by-400 relay — 20. WKU (M. Williams, S. Smith, K. Morrison, A. Brown) 3:37.43.

High jump — 10. Rachel Gehret (U of L) 5-11 1/4.

Long jump — 23. Rachel Gehret (U of L) 20-5 1/4.

Triple jump — 10. Seidre Forde (U of L) 42-11 3/4.

Shot put — 11. Ashley Muffet(UK) 53-4 1/2; 20. Khadija Abdullah (U of L) 52-2; 23. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 51-11 1/4.

Discus — 3. Ashley Muffet (UK) 187-8; 10. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 173-8; 16. Emilee Strot (UK) 171-2.

Hammer throw — 11. Jere’ Summers (U of L) 199-10; 13. Kristin Smith (UK) 199-2.

Heptathlon — 18. Ashley Trimble (UK) 5,438; 21. Danielle Sampley (UK) 5,477 (pre-season mark).

 

In the bottom of the ninth, Kentucky’s Chris Bisson knocks a one-out bloop single to left. He takes second on a wild pitch and third on Gunner Glad’s groundout to second. Chris McClendon grounds to second, as the Cats strand their 10th runner of the game. FINAL SCORE: Georgia 5, Kentucky 4.

Lewis homers to put Bulldogs on top

Kentucky makes a defensive change to start the ninth, Marcus Nidiffer replacing Michael Williams as catcher. Joey Lewis leads off with a high-arcing home run over the left-field wall, his 11th homer of the season. Pinch-hitter Chase Davidson reaches on a throwing error by second baseman Chris Bisson, then steals second. With Lyle Allen in an 0-2 hole, UK Coach Gary Henderson makes a pitching change — left-hander Logan Darnell taking over for righty Clint Tilford — after Allen drives a long, long ball barely foul down the right-field line. Allen swings at the first pitch and pops out to short center field. Davidson is nailed at third on a strike ‘em out, throw ‘em out double play. Going to the bottom of the ninth, Davidson stays in the Georgia lineup in right field; Peter Verdin moves from right to center; and Dean Weaver comes on to pitch. The score: Georgia 5, Kentucky 4.

Wright is caught stealing to end 8th

Kentucky gets a two-out single, up the middle, from Chad Wright, but he is caught stealing. Moving to the top of the ninth: Kentucky 4, Georgia 4.

Tilford keeps door shut in 8th

UK right-hander Clint Tilford works his second consecutive perfect inning of relief. Going to the bottom of the eighth: Kentucky 4, Georgia 4.

Left-fielder Allen makes diving catch to snuff UK rally

Chris Bisson leads off the Kentucky seventh with a single. One out later, he steals second. With two outs, Bisson steals third as Chris Wade draws a walk. Keenan Wiley lofts a fly to short left-center, but is robbed of a run-scoring hit as left-fielder Lyle Allen makes a diving catch for the third out. Going to the eighth: Kentucky 4, Georgia 4.

Tilford perfect in first inning of relief

UK reliever Clint Tilford retires Georgia in order in the seventh, getting a pair of groundouts and a strikeout. Going to the bottom of the inning, Georgia right-hander Will Harvil comes in to replace Justin Earle; Miles Starr takes over at second base for Michael Dermperio. Through 6 1/2 innings: Kentucky 4, Georgia 4.

Error pushes across tying run for Wildcats in sixth

Keenan Wiley

Paxton notches ninth and 10th strikeouts of game

Cats can’t score in fifth

Kentucky gets a one-out single from Gunner Glad, but nothing else, in the fifth. Going to the sixth inning: Georgia 4, Kentucky 3.

Poythress goes deep to give Georgia a 4-3 lead

Rich Poythress

Cats go down in order in fourth

Paxton strikes out the side in fourth

UK left-hander James Paxton strikes out the side in a perfect fourth inning. Going to the bottom of the fourth: Kentucky 3, Georgia 2.

Wildcats take 3-2 lead on Wade’s RBI-double

Chris Wade

Double play ends Georgia’s chances in third inning

Cats tie on Williams’ RBI-single in second inning

Michael Williams

Georgia rallies for two runs in second inning