Alabama Athletics
Andrew Pinckney's Two-Way Playmaking on Display in SEC Tournament
HOOVER, Ala. — There were a lot of areas in which the Kentucky Wildcats struggled on Tuesday night during their loss to the Alabama Crimson Tide in the first round of the SEC Tournament.
One was not so much an area. He was an individual player.
Crimson Tide right fielder Andrew Pinckney's talent isn't a secret. It's why he was voted second-team All-SEC this season. He put it on full display in a two-way masterclass against the Wildcats to help his team move on to double-elimination in Hoover, Ala.
The Crimson Tide's 4-0 shutout sets up meeting with top-seeded Florida, a matchup that seems ideal for Pinckney.
"[He's] one of the best in the league for a reason," Kentucky starting pitcher Darren Williams said.
Pinckney first robbed Williams of critical run support in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, designated hitter Reuben Church flew out to deep right, where the Crimson Tide star was camped. Waiting to test his arm at third was catcher Devin Burkes.
Burkes got a good jump. It didn't matter.
Pinckney's throw sailed through the evening air and found Mac Guscette's glove without even taking a hop.
The next inning, he sprinted into foul ground and lunged after a ball that looked for all the world like it was going to drop to the ground — and caught it.
In the top of the fourth inning, Pinckney turned on a hanging pitch to get Alabama on the board 2-0. He added a third RBI before his night was over in a 2-for-4 showing.
"I told the umpire — this is pretty amazing what we've just seen," Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione said. "He took a run off the board by throwing us out at the plate, he hit a two-run home run, so he's plus three in my book [...] It was a pretty special performance, and one I know he'll remember forever."
For his part, Pinckney said he isn't worried about being the best player in the tournament, even though he made several plays during the first-round game that are likely to remain highlights for years.
"I'm not really worried about everybody else," Pinckney said. "[I'm] just trying to be the best version of myself every day and make my teammates proud, make my coaches proud and make my parents proud. If they're happy and we win, then I'm happy."
How proud should the Crimson Tide fan base be of the redshirt junior who has already earned his degree? One of the best ways Crimson Tide interim head coach Jason Jackson describes his star player is as follows: if video games had a create-a-human-being mode akin to create-a-player, the ideal candidate would be Pinckney.
"He can kind of put you on his back, right, and there's a lot of players like him in this tournament," Jackson said. "There's some superstars. You just can't say enough about him as a person either."
See Also:
Alabama Baseball Moves On in SEC Tournament with Win Over Kentucky
Hunter Furtado Could Be the Missing Piece in Alabama Baseball’s Postseason Rotation
Saban Talks Quarterbacks, SEC Spring Meetings at Nick's Kids Charity Event
