The Sporting News Magazine is reporting that Kentucky's in-coming Freshmen and some returning players are turning down a chance to play for USA Basketball. Instead, the players are deciding to get to Lexington and get to work on winning a National Championship.

The article says all of the Freshmen were eligible to play for the U19 team but, the U.S. will have to do without them as they get their college careers started.

Wildcats Coach, John Calipari, is quoted in the article saying, "Most of it is, they didn't want to play. I'm not forcing kids to do anything... I think the reason they all turned it down is, they want to get started."

Returning Center, Willie Cauley-Stein, was also invited to try out for USA Basketball this summer on a World University Games team. He decided not to attend. Coach Cal told the Sporting News, "Willie said, 'This is not the summer for me to do this stuff. I just can't wait to get back. I want to get prepared.'" Calipari said, "I'm happy they're thinking in those terms. They know the spotlight's on them."

UK Basketball is favorite according to Las Vegas odd-makers to win the 2014 National Championship.

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After hosting the school's first NCAA Regional last weekend at John Cropp Stadium, where it defeated Virginia Tech and Marshall to claim the regional title, the No. 12 University of Kentucky softball team is ready to hit the road to Tempe, Ariz., this weekend to play in the school's second-ever NCAA Super Regional against No. 5 national seed Arizona State at Farrington Stadium.

Kentucky (41-19) and Arizona State (48-10) will start the best-of-three series Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2, with game two of the series coming Sunday at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN. If necessary, game three of the series will be played at 8 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPN2. All three games will also be available on WatchESPN.

ASU will be the home team Saturday night, while UK will be the home team in game two on Sunday. The higher seeded team has the choice of home/away in game three, if necessary.

Kentucky advanced out of the Lexington Regional behind strong pitching as freshman hurler Kelsey Nunley went 3-1 with a 0.83 ERA, striking out 15 batters in 25.1 innings pitched. Junior pitcher/infielder Lauren Cumbess also pitched well, going 3.2 innings in the clinching game, allowing no runs on two hits with one strikeout. Combined, opponents only hit just .184 against UK in the regional round, collecting a combined 18 hits and only three earned runs.

Offensively, UK was paced by freshman slapper Sylver Samuel, who hit .556 (5-for-9) with three runs scored, three stolen bases and a .556 on-base percentage. Junior outfielder Ginny Carroll hit .429 in the regional, while sophomore catcher Griffin Joiner hit .417 with a double. Cumbess collected three hits over the weekend with a home run and three RBI, while junior infielder Krystal Smith had a home run and two RBI.

Arizona State enters the Tempe Super Regional with a 48-10 overall record after finishing Pac-12 play at 16-8. ASU is an impressive 38-3 at home this season, while it won 21 straight games to open the season. Arizona State has been led offensively this season by Amber Freeman, who has started all 58 games with a .382 batting average, including 18 home runs and 61 RBI. Cheyenne Coyle leads the team with 19 homers and 61 RBI, while Bailey Wigness is hitting .379 with 14 stolen bases. Five ASU?players have 10 or more home runs this season, while four players have 40 or more RBI. As a team, ASU is hitting .334 with 92 homers and 403 runs scored.

The Sun Devils have been just as good in the circle, posting a team ERA of 2.07 with 418 strikeouts as a staff. Dallas Escobedo paces the team with a 28-4 record and 2.10 ERA after dominating regional action with a 3-0 record and no runs scored on just five hits in three games. Escobedo hasn't allowed an earned run in 31 consecutive innings. Mackenzie Popescue is 19-6 this season with a 2.03 ERA in 134.1 innings pitched, while Alexis Cooper and Jenna Makis are a combined 1-0 in limited action.

Kentucky squared off against the Sun Devils once this season back in February in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Ariz. UK fell behind early to Arizona State in the game, dropping an 8-1 decision. Escobedo got the start for ASU, throwing a complete game, allowing one earned run on five hits with eight strikeouts. The lone run was scored on a solo home run in the fifth inning by?Joiner. UK also had hits from Kara Dill, Alice O'Brien and Cumbess in the game.

Cumbess started in the circle for UK, going three innings, allowing three earned runs on three hits with one strikeout. Nunley came on in relief in the fourth inning, allowing five earned runs on seven hits. Elizabeth Caporuscio was the offensive star for ASU, hitting a double and triple with two RBI, while Freedman and Sam Parlich also had home runs.

Although UK?only played Arizona State once this season, the Wildcats have played three games this year at Farrington Stadium in?Tempe,?Ariz. UK actually started its season with a win over highly ranked Cal at Farrington?Stadium before defeating Oregon State the next day at the park as part of the 2013 Kajikawa Classic.

Saturday's Super Regional game marks just the third all-time meeting between Kentucky and Pac-12 power Arizona State with the series tied a 1-1. The two teams first met in the Kajikawa Classic in 2010 in Tempe with the Wildcats posting a 5-2 victory over ASU. The second meeting was UK's 8-1 loss earlier this season. Both games were played at Farrington?Stadium.

 

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NEW YORK (AP) - What's not to like? Being in the lottery every year.

Nick Gilbert expects the Cleveland Cavaliers are through with it, and if so he sent them out a winner again.

The Cavaliers and their owner's son beat the odds for the second time in three years, winning the lottery Tuesday night to give them the No. 1 pick for the June 27 NBA draft.

Two years after charming viewers by responding to a question about being on stage by saying: "What's not to like?" the bowtie-wearing son of Dan Gilbert wore a stern look before this one. He said he expected he was done coming here and that he believed the Cavs would be in the playoffs next season.

Then they got a great jump on that goal, earning the first pick even though they had only the third-best odds to do so.

And 16-year-old Nick Gilbert delivered it, just as he did in 2011, when the Cavs used the pick to take eventual Rookie of the Year Kyrie Irving.

"Kyrie is a hell of a player ... but this also felt almost as good," Nick Gilbert said. "That was the first time. This is the second time, but man does it feel good to get the first pick this last time. Get that last player to give us a push."

The Orlando Magic fell back one spot to No. 2, while the Washington Wizards vaulted from the No. 8 spot to third.

Ten years after winning the lottery that landed them LeBron James, the Cavaliers picked up another opportunity to help speed up the rebuilding process since his departure to Miami in 2010.

James' exit shook a franchise that had become a perennial contender with the Ohio native, but the Cavs aren't thinking about that now.

"It's so long ago already. I knew it is only three years but in NBA years it's like dog years. It seems like it is 15 or 20 years," Dan Gilbert said. "We've been just so focused on building the team the last few years, I can't look back. There is nothing you can do. I am just happy about today."

The potential No. 1 pick this year, Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel, is no James. But he could be a nice addition for the Cavs once he's recovered from a torn ACL - if they keep the pick. They also have Nos. 19, 31 and 33 for new coach Mike Brown, who they rehired after firing Byron Scott following a 24-58 season.

"We were hoping regardless of what pick we got that this would be our last lottery," Dan Gilbert said. "We thought originally after everything had to be reset that it would be a three-year process. You never know. It could be four. We thought three years, but having No. 1 and 19, we've got a pretty good chance of this being the last one for a while."

Dan Gilbert and the rest of the Cavs entourage - all wearing wine-colored bowties as well - celebrated their latest victory, which came with 15.6 percent odds after they finished with the NBA's third-worst record at 24-58.

When they won the lottery in 2011, the Cavs had the eighth best odds.

"For everyone in Cleveland who has supported us through these three years, I think this is for them," Dan Gilbert said. "Is that right, Nick?"

"It feels good," said Nick, who was born with Neurofibromatosis (NF), a nerve disorder that causes tumors to grow anywhere in the body at any time.

Not even having four-time winner Pat Williams on stage and 25 percent odds could get the No. 1 pick for the Magic. The team with the best odds hasn't won since 2004, when Orlando won for the third time with Williams representing them and drafted Dwight Howard. The franchise hadn't been back since 2006.

"We had such a nice run up here, over the years. Yeah, we came to win, so when they turned Cleveland over it was like "How did that happen? Absolutely! How did that happen?" Williams said.

"We had a better shot, a better percentage. ... I think the Lord was looking out for that little guy from Cleveland."

Even heading back to their Hornets name couldn't change the luck of the Bobcats, who were lottery losers for the second straight year. Hours after owner Michael Jordan announced they were planning to get back the original nickname of the Charlotte franchise, the Bobcats fell from No. 2 to the fourth spot.

Last year, Charlotte had the best odds of winning after the worst season in NBA history but fell back one spot to second.

The lottery sets the top three teams, and the remainder of the 14 teams finish in inverse order of their record.

Phoenix will pick fifth, followed by New Orleans, Sacramento, Detroit, Minnesota, Portland, Philadelphia, Oklahoma City, Dallas, and Utah.

The Thunder got the Raptors' pick as payment of a previous trade because it didn't move into the top three. Bryan Colangelo represented the team on stage on the day the Raptors announced he would stay on as team president but they would hire a general manager.

Guards Ben McLemore of Kansas and Trey Burke of Michigan, the college player of the year, and Georgetown forward Otto Porter Jr. are considered other top available players.

With uncertainty at the top, this is another year when the No. 1 pick could've been a high school player if eligible. Kansas-bound prep star Andrew Wiggins may have been the choice, but the age limit requiring players to be 19 years old and a year out of high school will remain unchanged at least until the players' association has a new executive director to replace the ousted Billy Hunter.

The union would like the limit to be lowered or scrapped entirely, while the NBA has expressed interest in raising it to 20. It's on a list of "B-list" items from the 2011 collective bargaining negotiations that the sides still plan to discuss.

(Copyright 2013 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

 

 

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HOOVER, Ala. -- No. 21 Ole Miss jumped out to an early lead and held on to post a 4-1 win over Kentucky in the opener of the Southeastern Conference Tournament, eliminating the Wildcats, on Tuesday morning at the Hoover Met.

Kentucky (30-25) fell behind after the Rebels plated a single run in the first and third innings. The Wildcats manufactured a run with a delayed-steal play with two outs in the fourth inning, with Ole Miss plating a pair of runs in the sixth for a 4-1 lead. The Wildcats loaded the bases with one out in the seventh inning but couldn't get anything across to narrow the Ole Miss lead.

UK senior starter Jerad Grundy (6-6) worked 5.2 innings, allowing nine hits and four runs, striking out one. Sophomore Chandler Shepherd came on in relief in the sixth and allowed the first hit in a span of six consecutive innings, scoring a run charged to Grundy. Shepherd worked 2.1 shutout innings, allowing just two hits and striking out two.

UK was led at the plate by a two-hit game from Matt Reida, who extended his hitting streak to a career-long 11 games. UK also got a double from Zac Zellers and singles from Kyle Barrett, A.J. Reed and J.T. Riddle. Freshman Zack Storm came off the bench to post a 2-for-2 game with a pair of singles.

Ole Miss (37-20) senior starter Mike Mayers (5-5) working 6.1 strong innings, allowing six UK hits and one unearned run, walking one and striking out four. Lefty Jeremy Massie came on in relief in the seventh, working 1.2 shutout innings, allowing one walk and an infield single to the speedy Storm. Tanner Bailey came on to record the save with three outs in the ninth.

Two singles and a sacrifice fly put Ole Miss up 1-0 in the bottom of the first. Austin Anderson reached first on a single into rightfield with one out and advanced to third on a single into a rightfield from Stuart Turner. Andrew Mistone brought Anderson home, flying out to rightfield for a sacrifice fly and giving the Rebels a 1-0 lead.
Two doubles in the bottom of the third scored an additional run for the Rebels. Christian Helsel opened the inning with a double into leftfield, moving over to third on a sacrifice bunt. Anderson followed with a double down the rightfield line, scoring Helsel and increasing the Rebels' lead to 2-0.

Kentucky scored its first run in the top of the fourth after Zellers knocked a one-out double into right-centerfield. Reed moved Zellers to third on a ground out to second base and an Austin Cousino walk gave UK runners on first and third with two outs. With Riddle at the plate, Cousino stole second and an errant throw enabled Zellers to score from third.
Ole Miss added two in the bottom of the sixth, pushing its lead to 4-1. Mistone reached second on a double down the leftfield line and came around to score when Auston Bousfield singled into rightfield. Pinch-hitter Austin Knight singled through the right side, moving Bousfield into scoring position. A single up the middle from Will Allen scored Bousfield from second.

GAME NOTES: UK falls to 4-3 in its blue and grey uniform combination ... Ole Miss leads the series with UK, 44-30, including a 2-1 mark in the SEC Tournament ... UK is now 3-2 in neutral site games in 2013 ... UK falls to 19-6 in non-conference games ... UK is now 22-12 in day games ... UK drops to 20-17 against right-handed starting pitching ... UK is now 5-4 on Tuesdays ... UK drops to 7-15 vs. top-25 foes ... UK is now 8-15 when its opponent scores first ... UK has played four consecutive errorless games.

* Junior second baseman J.T. Riddle made his team-leading 121st consecutive start.
* Senior Jerad Grundy made his 14th start of the year and the 30th of his career.
* Freshman Kyle Barrett has hits in 18 of his last 19 games.
* Senior Zac Zellers doubled for the fourth time in 2013.
* Sophomore Austin Cousino stole his 14th base of the year.
* Junior Matt Reida extended his hitting streak to a career-long 11 games.
* Reida recorded his eighth multi-hit game of the year.
* Junior catcher Micheal Thomas caught his 12th runner stealing in 2013.
* Sophomore Chandler Shepherd made his 26th appearance of the year, second-most on the club.

 

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Americans Josh Teater, Scott Brown Johnson Wagner and Bud Cauley qualified for the British Open on Monday at the international final qualifying at Gleneagles Country Club Queens Course.

The 34-year-old Teater shot rounds of 64 and 69 to take medalist honors. He has never played in a major championship before taking one of eight spots available under very windy conditions at the par 70 course.

The British Open will be held July 18-21 at Muirfield Golf Club in East Lothian, Scotland.

Wagner shot 134, along with Columbia's Camilo Villegas, who did not play in a single major last year.

Brown who won earlier this year in a PGA Tour event in Puerto Rico. He shot a 135. England's Brian Davis also shot 135.

There was a four-man playoff for the final three spots between Americans Bud Cauley, Luke Guthrie, Columbia's Andres Echavarria and Sweden's Robert Karlsson, who all finished at 136.

Echavarria, seeking his first major championship, was eliminated with a bogey four on the first playoff hole while the others made par 3.

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Kentucky women's basketball signee Linnae (La-NAY) Harper was one of 12 players selected to the 2013 USA Basketball Women's U19 World Championship Team, announced USA Basketball on 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 3x3 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 Paneveys. 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).

"I'm thrilled. The length is incredible, the talent, the diversity," Meier said. "Everybody brings a little something different. That gives us a lot of choices as coaches in a lot of different ways that we can win basketball games. (The committee) put together what I think is the team that answers any type of a question. We have speed. We have quickness. We have size. We have shooters. They really made sure that they gave us every weapon."

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 Paneveys, and opens against Lithuania on July 18, followed by China on July 19 and caps the preliminary round against Mali on July 20.

The top three finishing teams from each first-round group will advance to the second round, held July 22-24. The 12 nations qualifying for the second round will be divided into Groups E and F. Each team will play the three new teams in its new group, with all results of games played in the preliminary round carrying over to determine the second-round standings.

Teams finishing in first through fourth places in the second round will qualify for the quarterfinals, with the opportunity to advance to the semifinals and finals. The medal round will be played in Klaipeda, with the quarterfinals held on July 26, semifinals slated for July 27 and the gold medal game on July 28.

In addition to Foster, the 2013-14 USA Basketball includes NCAA appointees Melanie Balcomb (head coach, Vanderbilt University), Lindsay Gottlieb (head coach, University of California) and Joi Williams (head coach, UCF), as well as athlete representative Kara Lawson, a 2008 Olympic gold medalist who has played on nine USA Basketball teams.

 

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HOOVER, Ala. - Kentucky senior pitcher Jerad Grundy has been named to the Southeastern Conference Community Service Team, it was announced by the league office on Monday morning.

A native of Johnsburg, Ill., Grundy has been active in the local community during his two years in Lexington. The Miami (Fla.) and Heartland College transfer has volunteered at local elementary schools and served as a youth baseball coach. Grundy has also been involved with the Bluegrass Miracle League, a youth league devoted to providing safe environments for handicapped children in the Lexington area.

A member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll in 2012, Grundy has been a fixture on the mound for two seasons. In his two-year UK career, Grundy has a 12-8 record in 29 starts, posting a 4.24 ERA in 163.1 innings, allowing 165 hits and 56 walks, striking out 123. In 2012, Grundy made 16 weekend starts, posting a 6-3 record and a 3.78 ERA, striking out 63 in 85.2 innings. As a senior, Grundy has a 6-5 record and a 4.75 ERA in 13 starts, walking just 20 and striking out 60 in 77.2 innings.

Kentucky will open the SEC Tournament on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. ET at the Hoover Met against No. 6 seeded Ole Miss. Grundy will be making his 14th start of 2013 on the mound for the Wildcats and his second SEC Tournament start in his career.

 

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The No. 12 University of Kentucky softball team will continue its 2013 NCAA Tournament run at Alberta B. Farrington Softball Stadium in Tempe, Ariz., starting Saturday, May 25 against No. 5 national seed Arizona State, the NCAA announced Sunday night.

Kentucky (41-19) and Arizona State (48-10) will start the best-of-three series Saturday at 10 p.m. ET on ESPN2, with game two of the series coming Sunday at 5 p.m. ET on ESPN. If necessary, game three of the series will be played at 8 p.m. ET Sunday on ESPN2. All three games will also be available on WatchESPN.

Arizona State will be the home team Saturday night, while UK will be the home team in game two on Sunday. The higher seeded team has the choice of home/away in game three, if necessary. A full schedule is listed below.

Kentucky, which is making its fifth appearance all-time in the NCAA Tournament, is playing in its second NCAA Super Regional in school history. The Wildcats are having arguably one of the best seasons in program history in 2013, setting a new school record for wins in a season with 41. Freshman pitcher Kelsey Nunley was fantastic for UK in regional action, going 3-1 with a 0.83 ERA.

Arizona State won all three of its games in the NCAA Tempe Regional over the weekend, taking down Southeastern Conference foe Georgia, twice, and San Jose State. Pitcher Dallas Escobedo was the star of the regional for ASU, winning all three games, including a no-hit effort against San Jose State and two shutout performances against Georgia.

NCAA Tempe Super Regional

Kentucky - 40-19
Arizona State - 48-10

Schedule

Game One: Saturday, May 25 - Kentucky vs. Arizona State - 10 p.m. ET - ESPN2

Game Two: Sunday, May 26 - Arizona State vs. Kentucky - 5 p.m. ET - ESPN

Game Three: Sunday, May 26 - Kentucky vs. Arizona State - 8 p.m. ET - ESPN2*

* If necessary

 

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Fresh on the heels of leading the No. 12 University of Kentucky softball team to its second NCAA Super Regional in school history, the UK/IMG Sports Network has announced it will air the Rachel Lawson radio call-in show on Monday from 8:00-8:30 p.m. ET at The Cellar on Lansdowne Drive.

Fans can hear the show, which will be hosted by Dick Gabriel, live on WLAP 630-AM in Lexington. Fans can call-in toll free at 1-800-606-4263 or in the Lexington area at 859-280-2287 to ask Coach Lawson questions as UK prepares for a NCAA Super Regional. Fans are also welcome to join Coach Lawson and Gabriel at The Cellar.

Kentucky (41-19), which just hosted the first NCAA Regional in school history, went 3-1 over the weekend to punch its ticket to the NCAA Super Regional in Tempe, Ariz., against No. 5 national seed Arizona State. UK started its tournament run with a thrilling win over Marshall before claiming a 6-2 victory over Virginia Tech on Saturday. UK then took down Virginia Tech on Sunday to seal the regional title. Sunday's win was UK's 41st of the season, setting a new school record for wins in a season.

Lawson, who is the winningest head coach in UK softball history, has directed Kentucky to five straight NCAA Tournaments - the lone five NCAA berths in school history. This is the second time in the last three seasons that UK has advanced out of regional action.

 

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Former Kentucky All-America infielder Terry Shumpert will serve as one of four members of the Southeastern Conference Baseball Legends, Presented by AT&T, to be honored at the SEC Tournament, May 21-26 at the Hoover Met.

Shumpert (1985-87) will be one of four SEC Legends to be honored during the week, joining former Auburn head coach Hal Baird, LSU legendary head coach Skip Bertman and Missouri's Gene McArtor. Four legends are honored each year as part of the SEC Baseball Tournament.

"The SEC Baseball Legends, Presented by AT&T, allows us to honor the deep tradition and history of baseball in our league and show why the SEC is the nation's premier baseball conference," said SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. "We are grateful to our friends at AT&T for helping to continue to make this program possible."

A three-year starter in the middle infield for coach Keith Madison's club, Shumpert earned All-America honors at second base in 1987. He was named first-team All-SEC in 1986 and 1987 and was a member of the SEC All-Tournament Team in 1987.

As a sophomore in 1986, Shumpert hit .364 with 19 doubles, two triples, 10 homers and 37 RBI, stealing 28 bases. Had a dynamic junior season in 1987, hitting .376 with 19 doubles, four triples, nine homers and 32 stolen bases. His .374 average in 1987 ranks as the 11th-best mark in program history and he finished ranking sixth and eighth in the UK single-season stolen base record book.

A second-round pick in the 1987 MLB Draft by the Kansas City Royals, Shumpert had a 14-year MLB career conclude in 2003, seeing time with the Royals, Boston Red Sox, Chicago Cubs, San Diego Padres, Colorado Rockies and Tampa Bay Devil Rays. A product of Paducah Tilghman High School, Shumpert hit .252 during his MLB career in 854 games, with 49 homers, 223 RBI and 85 steals.

 

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After dropping game one of the day that forced a winner-take-all regional final, the University of Kentucky softball team got three-plus strong innings of work from junior pitcher/infielder Lauren Cumbess in the circle, who also delivered the game-winning RBI single, while freshman pitcher Kelsey Nunley shut the door in the final 3.1 innings, lifting UK to a 1-0 victory over Virginia Tech on Sunday at John Cropp Stadium in Lexington, Ky.

Kentucky (41-19) now advances to a NCAA Super Regional for only the second time in school history. The Wildcats will face the winner of the NCAA Tempe Regional between Arizona State and Southeastern Conference foe Georgia. The Super Regional will be a best-of-three game series. More information will be available Monday morning on UKathletics.com.

The win for Kentucky in game two was its 41st of the season, setting a new school record for wins in a single season. The 2011 squad, which advanced to the school's first ever Super Regional, had 40 wins. Sunday marked the third time UK has played in a regional final, now holding a 2-2 record in those games. Kentucky is 11-9 all-time in its five NCAA appearances with all five berths coming under sixth-year head coach Rachel Lawson.

Cumbess was the do-it-all star for Kentucky in the final game of the weekend, throwing 3.2 strong innings in the circle and delivering a game-winning RBI single in the fifth inning to propel UK to victory. The junior two-way player allowed only two hits in the game - both in the fourth inning - before leaving the fourth inning with the bases loaded and two outs. Nunley came in and kept the Virginia Tech bats quiet the rest of the way, getting out of the jam in the fourth and throwing the final three innings, allowing only three hits with two strikeouts.

"When I was preparing for Virginia Tech earlier in the week, I actually thought Lauren (Cumbess) was the exact matchup for them," Lawson said. "Lauren has such a good drop ball and Virginia Tech is such a good hitting team. I wanted to keep the ball in the infield, so I actually had thought about starting her in the first place. But, when you are the head coach at Kentucky and you have a 27-game winner, and I start the one who doesn't have 27, I am going to have my head on a platter if I am wrong. I have a lot of faith in both of them. I felt good about Lauren coming in. To be honest with you, I pulled Lauren aside before today and I said, ‘If this goes into two games, you are starting the second game and it is your job to come in and shut the door.' So, whereas she just thinks she was giving (Kelsey) Nunley a rest, that was actually plan B. I don't like to have plan B, but I always have plan B in case things don't go our way. So, that was my plan going into the game. I didn't tell anyone else that plan, but it seems like they were reading my mind I suppose."

Cumbess did not earn a decision in the game, while Nunley picked up her 27th win of the season, moving her school-record win total to 27-9. Cumbess is still 10-7 on the year with a 3.88 ERA, striking out 82 in 110 innings pitched, while Nunley, who has thrown a school-record high 255.1 innings this season, has a 1.97 ERA - which ranks second lowest in a single-season in school history. Nunley now has 190 strikeouts on the season, which ranks fifth most in school history. Nunley needs 10 more strikeouts to become only the second player in UK history to record 200-plus strikeouts in a single season.

Cumbess and Nunley received some fantastic efforts defensively in the second game to keep the Wildcats on top. On top of the Wildcat infield turning two double plays in the game, junior outfielder Ginny Carroll made a diving catch in the first inning to rob a Hokie player of a single, while freshman outfielder Sylver Samuel made a great catch up against the centerfield wall in the third inning to rob a Hokie player of a double. In the fourth inning, freshman infielder Christian Stokes made a diving catch in shallow leftfield to take away a single.

"Our defense was huge," Lawson said. "I thought Christian Stokes' play when she dove and got the play behind her was big. In game one, we didn't make that catch, and that's why they scored two runs. So, the fact that she made that catch and really stepped up on her birthday was cool. I think the fact that Griffin Joiner did such a good job behind the plate (catch every game in the tournament) was awesome. She did a really good job. I think, too, Silver Samuel made a big catch at the wall. I always tell the team that you never know when the game-winning play is going to happen. I believe those were the game-winning plays. And then Nunley coming in and closing the door - being able to come in with the bases loaded and jamming them in and being able to get them to popup was huge."

Offensively, Kentucky had eight hits in the game, getting multi-hit games from Carroll and Stokes, who each went 2-for-3. Senior infielder Kara Dill, sophomore catcher Griffin Joiner and Samuel each had singles, while Samuel scored the game's only run on the RBI single by Cumbess.

Virginia Tech (38-21) started pitcher Jasmin Harrell in the game, who went seven innings, allowing only one unearned run on eight hits with two strikeouts. Harrell, who threw all 13 innings against Marshall on Saturday night to get Virginia Tech into the regional final, picked up the tough-luck loss, moving to 18-9 on the season.

The Hokies earned five hits the game, getting a multi-hit day from Baily Liddle, who went 2-for-3, while Dani Anderson, Courtney Liddle and Bkaye Smith each had singles.

Kentucky scored its lone run of the game in the fifth inning, moving to 26-5 this season when it scores first in the game. Samuel started the rally by reaching on an error by the second baseman, moving to second on Dill's groundout. After Joiner flied out to deep leftfield to move Samuel to third, Cumbess hit a laser at the first baseman that deflected off the edge of her glove and rolled into foul territory for a single, scoring Samuel.

Virginia Tech forced the seventh game of the regional with an impressive performance in the first game of the day, taking down the Wildcats 2-0 behind a strong pitching effort from Kelly Heinz. The Hokie hurler threw a complete game in the contest, allowing only three hits with three strikeouts, besting Nunley, who started for UK in game one, allowing two earned runs on six hits with three strikeouts.

 

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NCAA Softball Championships Regional Final
Postgame Quotes
John Cropp Stadium - Lexington, Ky.
May 18, 2013

Kentucky Head Coach Rachel Lawson

Opening statement ...
"Well, a couple of things... When I was preparing for Virginia Tech earlier in the week, I actually thought Lauren (Cumbess) was the exact matchup for them. Lauren has such a good drop ball and Virginia Tech is such a good hitting team. I wanted to keep the ball in the infield, so I actually had thought about starting her in the first place. But, when you are the head coach at Kentucky and you have a 27-game winner, and I start the one who doesn't have 27, I am going to have my head on a platter if I am wrong. I have a lot of faith in both of them. I felt good about Lauren coming in. To be honest with you, I pulled Lauren aside before today and I said, ‘If this goes into two games, you are starting the second game and it is your job to come in and shut the door.' So, whereas she just thinks she was giving (Kelsey) Nunley a rest, that was actually plan B. I don't like to have plan B, but I always have plan B in case things don't go our way. So, that was my plan going into the game. I didn't tell anyone else that plan, but it seems like they were reading my mind I suppose.
 
First, I would just like to say I think it is cool that our athletic department spent so much money and effort putting up this facility. And to be able to win when an athletic department supports you --. Women's sports are something that has come a long way. People usually build facilities because they have to. Kentucky puts out the effort because they want to. They didn't have to build the indoor the way they did. And they didn't have to name it after John Cropp. Usually, when schools do that, they save the naming rights for financial reasons, but the fact that they named it after such a great guy is cool because he is retiring. So, that was my goal. I had two goals. My goal is to get to the World Series, but to be able to win on his field, and to be able to get Kara (Dill) into the postseason were my two goals."
 
On the defense helping the cause with lack of run support ...
"Our defense was huge because our offense was not very good today. I thought Christian Stokes' play when she dove and got the play behind her was big. In game one, we didn't make that catch, and that's why they scored two runs. So, the fact that she made that catch and really stepped up on her birthday was cool. I think the fact that Griffin Joiner did such a good job behind the plate was awesome. She did a really good job. I think one thing that goes underrated is that our signs rotate constantly. The fact that she was able to keep up, and she didn't miss a pitch all weekend was pretty cool. The name of Kelsey (Nunley)'s game is to be able to execute and so it requires that we get the sign in properly. I think, too, Silver Samuel saved a home run. Being able to save a run there and also come back in the next inning saved the game. I always tell the team that you never know when the game-winning play is going to happen. I believe those were the game-winning plays. And then Nunley coming in and closing the door - being able to come in with the bases loaded and jamming them in and being able to get them to popup was huge." 

Kentucky RHP #19 Lauren Cumbess

On the shared pitching duties in today's game...
"Kelsey is tough. I knew she was going to be strong today and I felt good that I was able to help her out a bit in the second game. She came back fresh and she had a little break and came back and did awesome."

On getting the call to pitch the second game...
"I was ready and I wanted to do whatever it took to help our team win. To give Kelsey that little break is just what we needed for that win. I was ready to do whatever it took for us to win that game."

On getting the win after the performance in the SEC Tournament...
"It's a lot of fun. Everybody was so supportive all weekend. They have come out to every single game we have played and we have had a really big crowd and that's always fun to play in front of at home. It's been a lot of fun playing here this weekend and we are happy to come away with the win to go to Supers."

On the nerves throughout the game...
"There are certain times if the bases get loaded that it is a little nerve racking. I can imagine it was a little bit nerve racking with her coming in with the bases loaded. Our team is really mentally tough and we stay positive and I think that is why we do come away with so many wins, because we stay up and positive. We know we have each other's backs. We had some awesome plays made in that game and we just stay up and positive and keep at it ‘til we win."

Kentucky RHP #33 Kelsey Nunley

On her relationship with Cumbess...
"I have to say Lauren really encourages me. She helps me stay positive all the time and gives me little triggers to get past batters. We have become pretty close; she's my main encourager on the team."

On how her body is feeling after the last three games...
"I feel great. We are going on so that is all that matters. I don't really care how my body feels. I just want to win."

Virginia Tech Head Coach Scot Thomas

Opening Statement
"Well first of all, hats off to Kentucky and I think it goes without saying that the staff and everyone that was involved with this regional did a great job. They made everybody feel very comfortable and there were no surprises, so we appreciate that out of the administration and athletic department for putting on a great show. We did what we needed to do to compete and try to move on and obviously I thought coming into this regional we matched up well with Kentucky. I think we proved that today. Hats off to them, hats off to my team for battling all last night and battling all day today. I am proud of our bunch for sure."

On if he was optimistic when Lauren Cumbess was pitching the second game after his team winning the first game...
"I figured what would happen is what happened. I figured if she got in trouble, they would bring Nunley back. To be honest to you, I thought that might have played in our favor at some point in time. I think it started to and they made a great pitching sub at that time. The biggest thing is we are used to pitching a couple of pitchers and that is in our routine. In the SEC, you are playing one Friday, one Saturday, and one Sunday or whatever they do but we are used to playing double headers at times. We are used to making double-header adjustments even late in the season. We do it during tournaments played early and in spring break and certainly Kentucky does also. I just felt that was something that may be a positive for us but we just weren't pushing anything across."

On the senior class and what they did for the team...
"I think the biggest thing about this senior class is once we came out of the World Series in 2008, we had a couple of years where injuries were a problem and we didn't play well. We were having to, instead of being able to build off of that, we had to start re-teaching what it was like to win and get in the post season. This senior class led us there. They led us last year. Our senior class was very small. We had one kid that was a pretty good leader. This class was really the leaders this year and last year and did a great job. I am hoping and setting the tone for the rest of the few years and I think they set the tone."

Virginia Tech RHP #22 Jasmin Harrell

On her pitching in the second game...
"I threw more drop balls and screwballs to the lefties and then some rise balls there towards the middle and the end of the game. It was working until a few of their guys were clearly trying to get under them, trying to drive them more than hitting them. "

On her last season at Virginia Tech...
"I think I did really well, especially towards the end of the season and making a run in this end of the year. I'm pretty happy with what I've achieved here at Tech. I'm really happy with the way I went out with the 13-inning game last night (against Notre Dame). I think I threw a really good game against a good hitting team, against Kentucky. I'm happy. It sucks that it's over but, I'm happy."

Virginia Tech RHP #25 Kelly Heinz

On her pitching in the first game...
"I threw an extreme amount of curveballs that game, probably 85 percent of my pitches were curved that game. It just seemed to be working, moving the ball more and more off the plate, each pitch and each batter and see how far they would go. That was pretty major that game."

On the team's energy...
"I think our energy definitely carried from game to game, especially from last night into this morning. Then, even into the second game, I think we had great energy. It was just a matter of not stringing hits together here and there and not having a couple things drop that should have."

 

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For the first time in 14 years, Kentucky will be making back-to-back Southeastern Conference Tournament berths, drawing six-seed Ole Miss in the opener of the tournament on Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. ET at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium.

Kentucky (30-24, 11-19 Southeastern Conference) earned the No. 11 seed in the nation's best conference tournament. The Wildcats will face the Rebels for the fourth time in 2013, claiming two of three games over Ole Miss in Oxford, April 25-27. Last season, UK and Ole Miss also opened the SEC Tournament with the first game of the day, with UK advancing with the win.

The first round of the 2013 SEC Tournament will be played as a play-in game, single-elimination format to advance to the double-elimination round, starting on Wednesday. Top-four seeds Vanderbilt, LSU, Arkansas and South Carolina earned byes on Tuesday.

The Wildcats will send senior southpaw Jerad Grundy (6-5, 4.75 ERA) to the mound on Tuesday to face the Rebels for the second time in 2013. Grundy has made 13 starts - 11 weekend starts - tossing 77.2 innings, walking just 20 and striking out 60. Over his last two starts, Grundy has a 1-0 record and a 1.64 ERA, allowing just nine hits and two walks in 11 innings. In his last start, Grundy posted a win over No. 15 Indiana last Tuesday, working six strong innings, allowing just four hits and one run, walking two and striking out two. In his decorated two-year career, Grundy has made 29 starts and posted a 12-8 record and a 4.24 ERA, striking out 123 in 163.1 innings. In his two starts vs. Ole Miss in his career, Grundy has a 0-2 record and a 13.06 ERA, allowing 15 runs in 10.1 innings. In 2013, Grundy suffered a loss on Friday at Ole Miss, surrendering nine hits and 12 runs in 5.2 innings. Ole Miss has yet to announce a starting pitcher, using the rotation of Mike Mayers-Sam Smith-Bobby Wahl on the final weekend of the regular season.

UK is coming off a series loss at Missouri over the weekend, falling in the first two games, before rebounding to post a 5-1 win over the Tigers to end the regular season.

Kentucky has hit .256 as a team, slugging .363 and reaching base at a .361 clip. UK has belted 36 homers and stolen 56 bases. Defensively, UK has fielded a strong .973, turning 58 double plays and surrendering just 29-of-51 steal attempts. On the mound, UK has a 3.56 ERA, allowing a .333 on-base percentage and a .363 slugging mark, striking out 370 and walking just 144 in 487.1 innings.

UK has been led offensively by freshman outfielder Kyle Barrett, who has hit .352 to rank 10th in the SEC and second among SEC freshmen, just behind potential NCAA Freshman of the Year Alex Bregman. Junior J.T. Riddle has hit .284 with seven doubles, two triples, one homer and 20 RBI, stealing six bases. Slugger A.J. Reed has batted .281 with eight doubles, two triples, 13 homers and 52 RBI, ranking third in the league in RBI. Austin Cousino has hit .251 with 12 doubles, one triple, six homers and 27 RBI, stealing 13 bags. Max Kuhn has hit .247 with nine doubles, five homers and 29 RBI, stealing seven bags. Catcher Micheal Thomas has hit .246 with three homers and 21 RBI.

In relief for UK, senior Walter Wijas (2-1, 1.45 ERA) has appeared in a staff-best 27 games, working 31 innings and allowing 29 singles. Junior Trevor Gott (4-1, 1.20 ERA) has a school-record 12 saves in 30 innings, walking five and striking out 35. Chandler Shepherd (5-0, 2.89 ERA) has been a force in his 25 appearances, tossing a strong 53 innings, allowing 48 hits and 17 walks, striking out 37. Freshmen Ryne Combs (0-0, 2.01 ERA), Zach Strecker (1-1, 2.35 ERA) and Dylan Dwyer (1-0, 3.86 ERA) have each appeared in at least 10 games in relief.

Ole Miss (36-20, 15-15 SEC) has hit .278, with a .369 slugging a .361 on-base percentage, belting 23 homers and stealing 43 bases. Defensively, the Rebels had fielded .970, turning 49 double plays and allowing just 26-of-53 steals. On the mound, Ole Miss has a strong 3.15 ERA, walking 202 and striking out 403 in 503 innings.

The Rebels have been led at the plate by star catcher Stuart Turner, a laser-armed backstop who thwarts opponents running games. He has hit .377 with 15 doubles, one triple, five homers and 47 RBI. Third sacker Andrew Mistone has a .320 average with 10 doubles and 33 RBI, with centerfielder Austin Anderson batting .296 with eight doubles, three homers and 37 RBI. First baseman Preston Overbey has a .283 average with eight doubles, five homers and 36 RBI, with outfielder Will Jamison batting .281 with a homer and 16 RBI. Standout leftfielder and leadoff man, senior Tanner Mathis, has hit .272 after a blistering weekend against LSU pitching, with 13 doubles and a 32-17 walk-strikeout ratio.

In the bullpen, Ole Miss has been paced by closer Brett Huber (3-2, 1.59 ERA), who has 12 saves in 22.2 innings, allowing just 14 hits and walking 17, striking out 26. Tanner Bailey (4-1, 2.65 ERA) has appeared in a staff-best 27 games, with three saves, striking out 36 in 37.1 innings. Aaron Greenwood (3-4, 2.98 ERA) has appeared in 24 games and worked 42.1 innings. Lefty Matt Denny (2-1, 2.18 ERA) has appeared in 20 games, striking out 22 in 20.2 innings.

Ole Miss leads the all-time series with UK, 43-30, with the series tied 1-1 in neutral site meetings. UK has won five of the last seven meetings between the two teams, claiming series victories in 2012 and 2013 and picking up a SEC Tourney win in 2012.

In the series with Ole Miss in 2013, UK posted a 3-2 win on Thursday night as part of the ESPNU SEC Thursday Night Game of the Week. UK got a solo homer from Austin Cousino off Bobby Wahl in the first inning for an early lead, then falling behind after two unearned runs in the bottom of the seventh. UK rallied with two runs in the top of the eighth inning, getting clutch RBI from Cousino and J.T. Riddle. Chandler Shepherd worked 2.1 innings for the win for an exhausted UK bullpen that worked 18 innings at Western Kentucky just 40 hours earlier and then traveled back to Lexington to leave the next morning for Oxford. Wahl worked seven innings for Ole Miss, allowing four hits and one run. Aaron Greenwood took the loss with two decisive runs in the eighth. Ole Miss bounced back to even the series with an 11-5 win in the second game, getting nine runs off UK starter Jerad Grundy. Mike Mayers worked six innings, allowing just one hit and three runs - one earned - walking three and striking out eight. Stuart Turner led the Rebels with four runs on a 2-for-3 game, blasting a homer. In the rubber match UK got a strong start from junior Corey Littrell who hurled eight innings and UK took a 5-3 lead into the ninth inning after three runs over the seventh and eighth. Closer Trevor Gott battled through a pair of hits and a run to pick up his 10th save, with UK getting a clutch game-tying homer from Greg Fettes in the seventh inning. Sam Smith worked for Ole Miss, allowing just two hits and two runs in 4.2 innings.

In the meeting in the SEC Tournament opener in 2012, UK posted a 2-0 win over the Rebels to set up a strong run in the tournament. A.J. Reed was a force at the plate and one the mound, going 4-for-4 with a homer and working 5.2 shutout innings in a start. Taylor Rogers picked up a 3.1 inning save, allowing just two hits and no runs. Bobby Wahl started for the Rebels, allowing two runs in six innings.

The Wildcats enter the SEC Tournament owning a No. 38 RPI, after falling 11 points on the final weekend during a series loss at Missouri. UK has 13 wins over top-50 teams in the RBI, including series wins over Michigan State (39), at Florida (26), at Ole Miss (19) and vs. Mississippi State (10). UK also has midweek wins over No. 14 Indiana, No. 13 Louisville and No. 29 Austin Peay.

UK ranks throughout the SEC stats, with Kyle Barrett ranking 10th in average (.352) and second among SEC freshmen. A.J. Reed ranks ninth in slugging (.524), third in RBI (52) and fourth in homers (13). Austin Cousino leads the league with 21 HBP, also ranking 13th in steals. Max Kuhn ranks third in the SEC in walks (36). Trevor Gott ranks fifth in the SEC with 12 saves, with Walter Wijas checking in ninth in appearances (27).

 

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SEC Tournament Seeding

#1 Vanderbilt (.897)

#2 LSU (.767)

#3 Arkansas (.621)

#4 South Carolina (.586)

#5 Mississippi State (.533)

#6 Ole Miss (.500)

#7 Alabama (.483)

#8 Florida (.467)

#9 Texas A&M (.448)

#10 Auburn (.433)

#11 Kentucky (.367)

#12 Missouri (.333)

 

Tuesday, May 21

Game 1 9:30 a.m. #6 Ole Miss vs. #11 Kentucky [FSN]

Game 2 TBD #7 Alabama vs. #10 Auburn [FSN]

Game 3 4:30 p.m. #8 Florida vs. #9 Texas A&M [CSS]

Game 4 TBD #5 Mississippi State vs. #12 Missouri [CSS]

 

Wednesday, May 22

Game 5 9:30 a.m. #3 Arkansas vs. Winner Game 1 [CSS]

Game 6 TBD #2 LSU vs. Winner Game 2 [CSS]

Game 7 4:30 p.m. #1 Vanderbilt vs. Winner Game 3 [CSS]

Game 8 TBD #4 South Carolina vs. Winner Game 4 [CSS]

 

Thursday, May 23

Game 9 9:30 a.m. Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 [SPSO]

Game 10 TBD Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 [SPSO]

Game 11 4:30 p.m. Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 [SPSO]

Game 12 TBD Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 [SPSO]

 

Friday, May 24

Game 13 3:00 p.m. Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11 [CSS]

Game 14 TBD Winner Game 10 vs. Loser 12 [CSS]

 

Saturday, May 25

Game 15 Noon Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 11 [ESPNEWS]

Game 16 TBD Winner Game 14 vs. Winner Game 12 [ESPNEWS]

 

Sunday, May 26

Game 17 3:30 p.m. Winner Game 15 vs. Winner Game 16 [ESPN2]

 

All Times Central

FSN - Fox Sports South, Sun Sports, Fox Sports
Southwest, Fox Sports Houston

SPSO - SportSouth, Sun Sports, Fox Sports
Southwest, Fox Sports Houston

CSS - Comcast/Charter Sports Southeast

 

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Junior Corey Littrell worked his ninth quality start to win his 21st career game and Kentucky got a three-run homer in the ninth from freshman Zack Storm, posting a 5-1 win at Missouri to conclude the regular season, on Saturday afternoon at Taylor Stadium.

Kentucky (30-24, 11-19 Southeastern Conference) battled the Tigers in the series finale and regular-season finale on Saturday, with UK getting single runs in the fourth and sixth, allowing a lone Missouri run in the fifth inning. Storm, a native of London, Ky., gave UK a four-run lead with his first career home run as a three-run job in the ninth inning.

Littrell (6-5) worked seven innings, allowing six hits and one run, walking four and striking out seven. It marked his ninth quality start of the year and the 23rd of his decorated three-year career. Littrell now has 21 career wins in his career, taking sole possession of sixth place in UK history and sits just three wins shy of the program mark.

UK sophomore Chandler Shepherd worked a shutout eighth inning for his fifth hold of the year. Shepherd worked six hitless innings in three appearances on the week, allowing just a two-out walk on Saturday. Junior Trevor Gott took over in the ninth, getting the final three outs.

UK collected 13 hits in the game, getting a three-hit game from junior J.T. Riddle and two-hit games from Paul McConkey, Zac Zellers and Micheal Thomas. UK also got hits from Matt Reida - starting in leadoff for the first time in his career - A.J. Reed, Kyle Barrett and Storm.

Missouri (18-31, 10-20 SEC) starter Griffin Goodrich worked four innings, allowing five hits and one run, not issuing a walk and striking out one. John Miles (0-3) worked 1.1 innings, allowing three hits and one run, striking out two. Breckin Williams, Ryan Phillips and Jace James worked in relief.

UK will return to action at the SEC Tournament, starting on Tuesday in Hoover, Ala., at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium. It will mark the first back-to-back appearances in the SEC Tournament for the Wildcats since 1998-99, as UK fell in the tourney semifinals in 2012, the best finish in UK history. UK will open the tournament for the second consecutive year, playing the opener at 10:30 a.m. ET against the No. 6 seed.

 

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University of Kentucky 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 Kentucky 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 over Virginia Tech at John Cropp Stadium.

Kentucky (40-18) now advances to the regional finals on Sunday against either Notre Dame, Virginia Tech or Marshall depending on results from the rest of day two action from the Lexington Regional. The regional final will begin Sunday at 1 p.m. ET. If UK drops the first game of the regional final, a winner-take-all game two will be played at 3:30 p.m. ET on Sunday.

The win for Kentucky 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 was fantastic in the circle for the second straight game, throwing 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 245.1 innings pitched. So far this weekend, Nunley is an impressive 2-0 with a 0.47 ERA, striking out 10 batters in 15 innings pitched while opponents are hitting just .140 against her.

Offensively, Kentucky was paced by Smith and fellow junior first baseman Lauren Cumbess. Smith went 2-for-3 in the game with her third home run of the season and two RBI, while 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 a run scored, while sophomore catcher Griffin Joiner was 1-for-3 with a run scored.

 

 

 

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Chelsea Oswald has added to her already-impressive collection of awards both on and off the track as she was named Southeastern Conference Track and Field Women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year on Friday.

Oswald was named 2013 SEC H. Boyd McWhorter Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year recipient earlier this season. The McWhorter Award goes to the conference's top scholar-athlete across all sports.

Oswald was also named First Team All-SEC as she won two conference championships - at 5,000 and 10,000 meters - last weekend at the SEC Meet.

She set the SEC 10K record, and was fewer than two seconds off the conference 5K record.

Oswald is an NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship recipient and also the recipient of the NCAA Elite 89 Award, which goes to the competitor with the highest grade point average at each of the NCAA Championships. She won the award for the indoor season.

Oswald has been a member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll, the Athletics Director's Honor Roll and the Dean's List each semester of her collegiate career. She has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout her college career, and was a 2012 USTFCCCA All-Academic selection.

She has maintained a 4.0 grade point average throughout her college career, as she recently graduated with a degree in Biology.

Oswald was a 2012 cross country All-American and 2013 indoor track and field All-American in the distance medley relay and at 3,000 meters. She was First Team All-SEC for the 2012 cross country season as she was Bronze Medalist at the Conference Championship.

The Medina, Ohio native was selected to the 2013 SEC Track and Field Community Service Team.

The league office announced all the 2013 Outdoor Track and Field Awards on Friday, with five Wildcats picking up some form of All-Conference accolades.

 

Raymond Dykstra, Andrew Evans and Matt Hillenbrand all earned Second Team All-SEC accolades as each of the three was runner up in their respective events (Javelin, Discus and 1,500 meters) the SEC Championships.

Evans and Dykstra were both All-SEC selections last season. Hillenbrand was First-Team All-SEC for the 2013 Indoor Season as he was the conference mile champion.

MacKay Wilson was named to the Freshman All-SEC Team as his sixth-place performance in the 3,000-meter steeplechase at SECs was the highest finish by a freshman in that event.

First Team All-SEC honors go to the first-place finisher in each of the 21 events per gender at the SEC Championships. Second-place accolades go to each event runner-up. Freshman All-SEC status is awarded to the top freshman finisher in each event.

Kentucky will next compete at the NCAA Championship East Preliminary Rounds May 23-25 at Irwin Belk Track in Greensboro, N.C., hosted by North Carolina A&T State University.

Kentucky will send 27 entries (14 men and 13 women) to the NCAA East Preliminary Rounds.

 

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