Much-deserved praise after a much-needed series victory.
Following their series win against No. 24 Tennessee, the Kentucky Wildcats saw Tyler Bell and Braxton Van Cleave receive weekly SEC accolades. Bell was named SEC Co-Player of the Week, while Van Cleave took home Freshman of the Week honors. The pair powered an offense that put up 30 runs across three games and consistently kept pressure on Tennessee’s pitchers.
Bell, a sophomore from the Chicago area, posted a team-leading .538 average and a 1.831 OPS, with a team-high 16 total bases. He also paced the squad with three doubles and six runs, and tied for the team lead in hits (seven) and homers (two). Over the weekend, he homered from both sides of the plate.
Van Cleave, an outfielder from Arlington, Texas, went 7-for-14, collecting multiple hits in all three games—including a career-best three on Sunday. He also launched a 429-foot home run.
Kentucky has likely moved to the right side of the NCAA Tournament bubble, but with only seven regular-season games remaining, they’ll need to maintain this level of play to stay there.
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