Travis Smith Named SEC Co-Freshman of the Week

Kentucky put redshirt freshman Travis Smith under the bright lights of Friday-night baseball in the SEC for the first time over the weekend, sending the Walton, Ky. native out to the mound in the Wildcats' series-opener against South Carolina.

The decision to do so came after Smith threw five of the best innings of his young career in a loss to Louisville in the midweek. UK was in need of a reliant pitcher on Fridays, and it had faith that the youngster was ready for the challenge.

It was right, as he hurled a career-high six innings, allowing one earned on four hits, striking out five while walking three. He worked around jams, throwing 83 pitches, 51 of which were strikes. A solo home run was the only damage allowed, as he induced seven ground outs and six fly outs, propelling the Cats to a 7-3 win.

"A lot of confidence coming out of that Louisville game," Smith said after his stellar performance. "Just going back out there and doing it again. I wasn't trying to strike anybody out, to be honest, I just let them hit it."

"So happy for him," head coach Nick Mingione added. "You can see this, and I know you sensed it, our guys love that guy and rally behind him. They were so excited for him, they were happy he got the start."

As a result, Smith has been named Southeastern Conference Co-Freshman of the Week alongside Georgia pitcher Jarvis Evans. In Smith's last two starts, both of which came against Power 5 opponents, he's thrown 11.0 IP, allowing eight hits and two runs, walking five while striking out 13.

His fastball has routinely touched 97 mph, making for a nice pairing with a couple of wipeout off-speed pitches, keeping hitters off-balance. Kentucky may have found a new ace as it hits the final stretch of the regular season.

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