Junior A.J. Reed continues to add awards
April 8, 2014
By Kevin Erpenbeck
Every baseball team needs a star player it can lean on, whether it’s a powerful hitter or a dominant pitcher.
UK baseball has junior A.J. Reed, who shines at the plate and on the mound.
The dual-threat player has garnered national attention this year. Reed is second in the nation in home runs (12) and leads the SEC in homers, as well as runs batted in with 39. All the while he holds a 1.93 earned run average and a 6-1 record on the mound.
It shouldn’t be a surprise how well Reed has played this season. He was a preseason All-America selection by Baseball America and was ranked as the 85th best player in the nation.
His historic first half of 2014 earned him the title of Midseason NCAA Player of the Year by Perfect Game.
“It’s a tremendous honor to get that recognition,” Reed said. “I’ve had a good first half to the season, and it’s a good starting point for me in the second half.”
Reed has pitched at least five innings in every game he has started this season, including three games when he pitched eight innings. The Cats, who have won six of his eight pitching starts, know their victory chances are high when Reed takes the mound.
UK is 15-4 in games when Reed has at least one RBI.
That kind of pressure could be crushing for any normal player. But not for Reed.
“He’s steady at the mound and is able to carry it in the seventh and eighth innings for us,” head coach Gary Henderson said. “When he’s at the plate, he’s really good at driving the ball in the gap and producing RBIs. He’s having a really good season at this point.”
Good is an understatement for Reed, who has the ability to lead his team to success and bring home the conference championship — something that hasn’t been done at UK since 2006.
The Cats are fortunate to boast Reed as their unique two-way star.
