Kentucky works out four arms during Friday morning session
A look at how Kentucky's four pitchers stacked up against UK hitters in an early Fall session.
Kentucky baseball beat the heat Friday morning, working out four pitchers during a pitcher-catcher-hitter session prior to team practice at Kentucky Proud Park. The format gave hitters a chance to face live pitching, with most of the pitchers attacking primarily with fastballs and changeups. Each new batter began with a 1-1 count. There were no live baserunners or defensive alignments, so I took some liberties with the results below, essentially assuming defenders were positioned “straight up” given the circumstances. Here's a breakdown of the pitchers along with a few hitters that stood out:
Kale Hammer, a Seattle University transfer, works from a three-quarter arm slot and mixed a fastball that touched 90 mph with a changeup around 80. The southpaw was at his best when pitching to contact, though he did have to work around a pair of walks. He induced a sharp ground ball to third base from Caeden Cloud on the first pitch of the morning, along with a pair of pop-ups. Owen Lee also squared up a ball that carried to medium-deep center field. Lee, a transfer infielder from Tennessee Tech, worked a walk in his first at-bat and looked comfortable standing in against Hammer in the left-on-left matchup.
Freshman right-hander Logan Sorrel has a classic pitcher's frame, with long levers that make his 6-foot-4 frame look even bigger. He showcased an over-the-top delivery and a big fastball that touched 94 mph, along with a slider in the low 80s. Sorrel went right after hitters and put together an impressive stretch, inducing five consecutive “outs”: F7, F4, K, F8 and a 6-3 putout.
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