Luke Heyer and Kole Cottam Named First Team All-SEC
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UK Athletics[/caption]
Kentucky's big week in Hoover got off to a good start on Tuesday when their leading power threats gained All-SEC honors. Luke Heyer (DH/Utility) and Kole Cottam (First Base) were named First Team All-SEC following their breakout seasons at the plate and in the field. Heyer and Cottam finished tied atop the SEC leaderboard with 18 home runs this season.
Heyer was the breakout star of the SEC in 2018. The senior third baseman hit three home runs last season as a utility player off the bench before being named the starting third baseman prior to the 2018 season. In his first year as a full-time starter, Heyer led the league in home runs (18), RBIs (57), and total bases (140). Heyer was named SEC Player of the Week and National Player of the Week twice in 2018. The voters for All-SEC put Heyer at the utility spot on the First Team list, which is a good fit for the senior. Heyer did not commit an error in conference play while splitting time between third base and right field.
UK Athletics[/caption]
Kentucky's big week in Hoover got off to a good start on Tuesday when their leading power threats gained All-SEC honors. Luke Heyer (DH/Utility) and Kole Cottam (First Base) were named First Team All-SEC following their breakout seasons at the plate and in the field. Heyer and Cottam finished tied atop the SEC leaderboard with 18 home runs this season.
Heyer was the breakout star of the SEC in 2018. The senior third baseman hit three home runs last season as a utility player off the bench before being named the starting third baseman prior to the 2018 season. In his first year as a full-time starter, Heyer led the league in home runs (18), RBIs (57), and total bases (140). Heyer was named SEC Player of the Week and National Player of the Week twice in 2018. The voters for All-SEC put Heyer at the utility spot on the First Team list, which is a good fit for the senior. Heyer did not commit an error in conference play while splitting time between third base and right field.
Both Heyer and Cottam were in the conversation for SEC Player of the Year, but Florida's Jonathan India beat out the two UK sluggers for the award. Cottam was probably closest to winning the award thanks to his dominant performance in conference play. The junior first baseman/catcher hit ten home runs (tied for first in the SEC) and drove in 25 runs (sixth) in conference games this season. Cottam took over at first base following the departure of Evan White last season. The Tennessee-native committed three errors this season and finished with an impressive .994 fielding percentage. Perhaps the biggest reason Cottam landed on the First Team was his knack for driving in runs in big situations. Cottam had two series-winning hits and homered in eight of the team's ten conference series in 2018.Huge year from @lukeheyer2, who was voted First-Team All-SEC as the DH/UTIL. Nuuuuke led the SEC with 18 HR and 57 RBI with an OPS of nearly 1.200! He ranks amongst the national leaders in all power categories. #WeAreUK pic.twitter.com/EYnQ01yTyx
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) May 21, 2018
UK and their All-SEC sluggers will take the field on Tuesday against Auburn in the SEC Tournament First Round at 2 ET. The game will be available on SEC Network.Congrats to @kole_cotton13 on being voted First-Team All-SEC at 1B!
He hit .346 with 18 HR, 49 RBI and OPS of 1.085. Led the SEC in league play with 10 HR and homers in 8 of 10 SEC series. #WeAreUK pic.twitter.com/SbnFVqSfyk — Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) May 21, 2018
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