Kentucky Baseball has pair of First-Team All-SEC performers

Two members of the Kentucky Wildcats baseball team landed high honors today. First baseman Kole Cottam and utility infielder Luke Heyer were named to the All-SEC First-Team. The awards were voted on by the SEC coaches.

Cottam, the junior first baseman from Knoxville, Tennessee played catcher before this season. The move to first base didn’t hurt his swing at all, as Cottam batted .346 on the season and had a league-leading 18 home runs. Cottam also led the league in RBIs with 48.

Luke Heyer plays all over the field. He’s a utility infielder and outfielder, who is playing his best baseball in his senior year. Heyer was always viewed as a hard-nosed player who would play any position in order to get onto the field. He proved that in 2017 when he played both third base and in the outfield.

Heyer showed a tremendous bump in his power numbers from last year. He hit only 3 home runs in 2017, but smacked 18 dingers out of the park this season which ties him with Cottam for the most among SEC players. Heyer finished just behind Cottam in terms of batting average, hitting .340 with a .690 slugging percentage. That’s up from last year’s .262 average and .492 slugging percentage.

For his efforts, Heyer has also been named a Golden Spikes Award semifinalist. The award honors the top collegiate baseball player in the nation for their performance on the field. The 41st Golden Spikes Award will be presented on June 28 in Los Angeles.

The baseball team is now in Hoover, Alabama, getting ready for the SEC Tournament. They’ll battle the Auburn Tigers tomorrow, with the first pitch scheduled for 2:00 pm. The Cats chances to host a regional at Cliff Hagan Stadium are likely out the window, unless they pull off an improbable upset and win the SEC Tournament. It all starts tomorrow.

Congratulations to Kole Cottam and Luke Heyer. Go Big Blue!