UK Softball: Katie Reed Named SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky softball’s Katie Reed (pictured) collected three esteemed Southeastern Conference honors on Tuesday, May 8 as the junior was named to the 2018 All-SEC Second Team, All-Defensive Team (shortstop) and the 2018 SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year.
In addition, pitcher Grace Baalman was named to the 2018 SEC All-Freshman Team, becoming the 15th player in program history to earn that honor.
Reed, a 2017 National Fastpitch Coaches’ Association All-American, becomes just the second player in Kentucky history to be named the SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year, joining Meagan Aull (Whitt) who won the award back in 2011 for the Wildcats.
The St. Louis native is hitting .366 on the season with a team-leading 42 runs scored. She also has a career-high six home runs on the season, seven doubles, three triples and 31 RBI on the 2018 campaign. She was recognized as the best defensive shortstop in the SEC with a .985 fielding percentage, committing just three errors on the season at short.
Baalman, a freshman from Hardin, Illinois has burst onto the SEC scene this season, racking up a 12-7 record in the circle in her freshman campaign to lead all Kentucky pitchers. She has a 2.49 ERA against the toughest schedule in the SEC and eight complete games with two complete-game shutouts. Baalman was named the SEC Pitcher of the Week back in March for her performance in a sweep against the No. 8 LSU Tigers at John Cropp Stadium.
In addition to Reed’s performance on the field, Reed won SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year thanks to a 4.0 GPA in the classroom with a major of Health and Human Sciences with aspirations of dental school. The Wildcat is also an active member of the Lexington community and the team’s representative for the SAAC committee.
Kentucky opens postseason play on Wednesday, May 9 against seventh-seeded Arkansas in the SEC Tournament opening round at 2:30 p.m. ET. The game will be shown live on the SEC Network with Adam Amin (pxp) and Amanda Scarbrough (color) on the call from Columbia.
Florida’s Amanda Lorenz was named the SEC Player of the Year and Georgia’s Lu Harris-Champer was named the SEC Coach of the Year. Kelly Barnhill was awarded Pitcher of the Year for the second-straight season.
UK Athletics Photo
