The Kentucky baseball team has reeled off eleven straight wins to start the season with a 15-2 record.
The Wildcats hammered Indiana 12-2 in seven innings tonight at Kentucky Proud Park.
Hunter Gilliams, the reigning National Player of the Week, doubled, hit a three-run home run and drove in another five runs in the win.
LEXINGTON, Ky. – Now you’re just showing off, Hunter Gilliam.
The reigning National Player of the Week doubled, hit a 413-foot three-run home run and drove in another five runs as Kentucky run-ruled Indiana 12-2 in seven innings at Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday. The Wildcats (15-2) have won 11 consecutive games and open Southeastern Conference play on Friday night.
Gilliam, fresh off two National Player of the Week and co-SEC Player of the Week honors, continued to be nightmare fuel for pitchers. In the last six games he is 16-for-2 (.640) with six runs, six doubles, a triple, one home run, 16 RBI, two walks and an HBP for the week. He has reached base safely in all 17 games this season, has an 11-game hit streak and had multiple hits in six straight games.
The Cats avenged a 20-7 loss in Bloomington last season, dropping a six-run sixth inning as they held an opponent to three or fewer runs for the 13th time in 17 games, striking out 11 of 21 Indiana batters.
NOTES
UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his seventh season at the helm and now owns a 191-131 career record.
Kentucky is 124-38 in non-conference games under Coach Mingione.
UK is 77-33 in the month of March under Coach Mingione.
UK pitchers have struck out 168 through 17 games.
UK has held its opponents to three runs or fewer in 13 of 17 games.
UK has scored in 316 of 322 games under Coach Mingione.
UK has scored 33 runs in the past 16 innings.
UK drew six hit by pitch, including two by Ryan Waldschmidt.
First baseman Hunter Gilliam has started 130 consecutive games at the collegiate level.
He has reached safely in all 17 games this season and owns an 11-game hit streak.
He has a team-high nine multi-RBI games and eight multi-hit games.
He was 3-for-4 with two runs, five RBI, a double and three-run home run.
In the last six games he is 16-for-2 (.640) with six runs, six doubles, a triple, one home run, 16 RBI, two walks and an HBP for the week.
Infielder Grant Smith has started all 133 games of his collegiate career.
He went 2-for-4 with a two-run single.
Catcher Devin Burkes was 2-for-3 with three runs and an RBI.
He had the game-winning, walk-off single in the seventh.
Infielder Emilien Pitre has reached base safely in 15 consecutive games.
Catcher Chase Stanke notched his 100th career hit.
ON DECK
Kentucky begins Southeastern Conference play vs. Mississippi State on Friday night at 6:30 p.m. ET at Kentucky Proud Park. The game will be streamed on SECN+. The radio call will be on the UK Sports Network.
Follow along with the Cats on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.
