The Kentucky Baseball All-Quarter Century Team

Selecting All-Quarter Century Teams has been a popular feature in sports media throughout the spring and early summer. The Athletic currently has a good series going with its various MLB writers, but a Baltimore Orioles writer for MLB.com is where I first got this idea back in March. I waited until the season ended to focus on this piece, primarily because it required a significant amount of time and research.

Narrowing down players over the past 25 years is difficult. Some positions were loaded with options, while others had just a couple of good choices. Even then, a couple of the players who showed up as a selection for a certain position might not have had as good of a career as some of the honorable mentions at other positions. That’s just how it goes in an exercise like this.

The challenge is outlining the parameters. There were a few players who were selected high in the MLB draft or had good MLB careers, but their overall college stats or accolades did not match those of other players in the program. Generally speaking, I put a lot of stock in players who were All-SEC and All-American types or left the school among the statistical leaders for either a season or a career.

Unfortunately, there were a couple of guys around 2020 who probably had a good chance to make it as an honorable mention had their season not been cut short. Outfielder John Rhodes, in particular, might’ve been the best freshman in the country through 17 games in 2020. But since SEC play had not begun yet, it was hard to compare him to others on the list. Austin Schultz is another who could’ve finished with a good case had his sophomore year not been canceled in March.

Not everyone will agree with a list like this. There are good cases to be made for many players, but at the end of the day, a decision has to be made.

With that said, here’s the Bat Cats Central Kentucky baseball All-Quarter Century Team.

Utility: AJ Reed (2012-14)

Reed, the easiest selection on this list, is the most decorated player in school history. Reed’s tremendous two-way season in 2014 led to him becoming the only Kentucky player to be consensus National Player of the Year and just the second to win SEC Player of the Year. Playing in the dead ball era, Reed still smashed an NCAA-leading 23 homers in 2014 and drove in 73 runs while hitting .336. On the mound, he went 12-2 with a 2.09 ERA. His 12 wins tied for the second most in school history for a season, and his 2.09 ERA remains in the top-10 in program history.

But his excellence was not limited to his final year at Kentucky. Reed was First-Team All-SEC all three of his seasons as a Wildcat and was selected as both a Freshman All-American and Freshman All-SEC in 2012. The list of his accolades could go on, but simply put, Reed had the best career in Kentucky baseball history.

Honorable mention: Luke Heyer (2017-18)

Designated hitter: Ryan Strieby (2006)

Strieby was a first baseman at Kentucky, but because the options at first base were so loaded, he’s the DH on this list. How good was Strieby at Kentucky? He was inducted into the school’s Hall of Fame in 2023 despite playing just one season. A junior college transfer, Strieby hit 20 home runs and drove in 77 en route to becoming the program’s first SEC Player of the Year and helping the Wildcats win their first SEC regular season title in 2006.

Honorable mention: TJ Collett (2017-21)

Catcher: Sean Coughlin (2006-07)

Another junior college transfer under former head coach John Cohen, Coughlin left Kentucky as one of the most prolific hitters the program has seen. Coughlin earned Second-Team All-SEC honors in 2006 and reached All-American status in 2007. His 73 RBIs in 2007 are third most for a single season in school history. His career .630 slugging percentage is sixth all-time, while his .434 on-base percentage is tied for 10th. Coughlin finished his career with 30 homers over two seasons.

Honorable mentions: John Wilson (1998-2000), Luke Maile (2010-12), Kole Cottam (2016-18)1

First base: Evan White (2015-17)

What a run Kentucky had at first base in the mid-2010s. Replacing AJ Reed was a near-impossible task, but White left Kentucky as one of the best players regardless of position in school history. A first round pick of the Seattle Mariners in 2017, White was a Freshman All-SEC selection in 2015 and earned Second-Team All-SEC honors in 2016 and 2017. He excelled as a hitter, finishing in the top five in career batting average (.356), hits (233) and doubles (51), but he was an extremely talented defensive player. White was a three-time SEC All-Defensive Team selection and a Rawlings Gold Glove winner in 2016 and 2017. While this story is about individual success, he was the best player on Kentucky’s first Super Regional team in 2017, a watershed moment for the program.

White’s freshman season coincided with my first season covering the baseball program for the Kentucky Kernel. He was among the first group of players I covered in their career from start to finish — and that probably plays a role in this — but White remains my favorite Kentucky athlete I’ve covered.

Honorable mentions: Ryan Nicholson (2024), Hunter Gilliam (2023)

Second base: Emilien Pitre (2022-24)

This was the most difficult position to pick on the list.

Ryan Wilkes played in the third most games in school history, earned All-SEC Freshman honors in 2005 and was First Team All-SEC and All-SEC Defense in 2008. He also won a Rawlings Gold Glove in 2008 while hitting .374. John Shelby homered 33 times in his career and was twice selected Second-Team All-SEC. His younger brother, JaVon, was Freshman All-SEC in 2014 and First-Team All-SEC in 2015 and led the team in homers in his final two seasons. Riley Mahan moved from shortstop to second base in 2017 and produced one of the best offensive seasons of any second baseman in school history, slashing .336/.392/.618 with 23 doubles, 15 home runs and 67 RBIs.

But ultimately, I liked Pitre here. Playing on the best team in school history, Pitre earned All-American honors from multiple publications and made All-SEC Defensive Team in 2023 and 2024, his lone two years as a starter. His 47 walks in 2024 are the fifth most all-time in a single season and his 26 stolen bases are the 11th most, and he’s also top-10 all-time in stolen bases. An excellent two-way player, Pitre finished with a career slash line of .307/.429/.519 and was selected by the Tampa Bay Rays in the second round of the 2024 MLB Draft.

Honorable mentions: Ryan Wilkes (2005-08), John Shelby (2004-06), JaVon Shelby (2014-16), Riley Mahan (2015-17)

Shortstop: Andy Green (1997-2000)

Most of his career took place in the late 1990s, but Andy Green still did enough during his senior year in 2000 to earn the nod. The school’s all-time leader in games played, Green collected 89 hits, 18 doubles, 11 home runs and 45 RBIs while stealing 27 bases in 2000. A Lexington native, Green remains the school leader for a career in games started, at-bats, hits and runs scored. Green was inducted into the UK Hall of Fame in 2015 and served as the manager of the San Diego Padres from 2016-19.

Honorable mentions: Chris Wade (2007-08), Ryan Ritter (2022-23), Tyler Bell (2025)

Third base: Thomas McCarthy (2011-12)

This was one of the tougher pulls on the list since third base is not quite as strong as some of the other positions. But in 2011, McCarthy became the program’s first First-Team All-SEC selection at third base since Jim Lett in 1973. McCarthy finished with 153 hits over two seasons and was a fantastic player for the Wildcats’ 2012 team, which set a school record at the time with 45 wins.

Honorable mentions: Max Kuhn (2012-14), Mitchell Daly (2025)

Outfield: Collin Cowgill (2005-06, 2008), Sawyer Carroll (2007-08), Austin Cousino (2012-14)

Cowgill, now the first base coach for the Cincinnati Reds, earned All-American honors in 2008 after solidifying one of the greatest offensive seasons in school history. The Tates Creek High School alum slashed .361/.483/.687 with 15 doubles and 19 home runs and finished near the top of the record books in several single-season and career records. His 80 runs scored in 2008 are the most in program history, and he was top-10 in home runs, total bases and walks. For his career, Cowgill finished fourth in runs (166) and in walks (116), fifth in home runs (37) and eighth in on-base percentage (.441).

Cowgill was joined on the All-American list in 2008 by Sawyer Carroll. Carroll, another excellent JUCO pickup by Cohen, doubled 23 times and drove in 56 runs in 2007, but he had a sizable power increase in 2008. He still doubled 22 times, but Carroll’s homers increased from three in 2007 to 19 in 2008. He hit .419 in 2008 with 98 hits, which is the most by any player this century. He is the school leader for RBIs in a season with 83 and second in total bases and slugging percentage. Carroll and Cowgill are both in the UK Athletics Hall of Fame.

And Cousino, currently the program’s recruiting coordinator, had the best freshman season in school history in 2012. The Dublin, Ohio, native was the 2012 SEC Freshman of the Year — the only one in program history — and Second-Team All-SEC. He slashed .319/.408/.515 with 20 doubles, nine homers and 41 RBIs. Among freshmen, Cousino is still the leader in runs scored (61), hits (83) and total bases (134). He’s second in doubles (20) and home runs (9) and third in stolen bases. But he was also an excellent defender for his career, earning All-SEC Defensive Team honors each year at Kentucky and twice winning a Rawlings Gold Glove. Cousino represented Kentucky with Team USA in 2012 and 2013.

And true to the team he coaches today, Cousino wasn’t afraid to reach base via hit-by-pitch. He is the school leader for career HBP with 47.

Honorable mentions: Keenan Wiley (2007-10), Ka’ai Tom (2014-15), Tristan Pompey (2016-18), Ryan Waldschmidt (2023-24)

Weekend rotation: Chris Rusin (2006-09), Sean Hjelle (2016-18), Zack Thompson (2017-19)

Rusin and Hjelle are the only two First-Team All-SEC selections among starting pitchers for Kentucky this century. Rusin is second in career wins (23) and fourth in games started. His 302.1 career innings are the third most in program history, and he finished his career second behind Scott Downs on the career strikeout list. Rusin went on to appear in 189 games in Major League Baseball.

Hjelle, the 6-foot-11 hurler, turned into an ace in his first year in the rotation. After earning Freshman All-American honors as a reliever in 2016 — he is fifth on Kentucky’s list for saves in a single season with eight — Hjelle converted to the Friday night starter in Nick Mingione’s first year. Hjelle was flat-out dominant, finishing 11-4 with a 3.89 ERA and 102 strikeouts. He was the 2017 SEC Pitcher of the Year, the only player in program history to achieve that honor.

Thompson originally signed with former head coach Gary Henderson but remained committed to Mingione. It was a battle to get him to campus, but he ultimately turned down an offer from the Tampa Bay Rays after being selected in the 11th round. It turned out to be a fantastic decision. Thompson was a Freshman All-American in 2017 and Second-Team All-SEC selection in 2019. Though the 2019 team won just seven SEC games, Thompson recorded a 2.40 ERA and struck out 130 hitters, coming up just shy of Joe Blanton’s record of 133 in 2002. Thompson finished fourth on the school’s strikeout list with 268 and is the leader in wins for a freshman with eight. The St. Louis Cardinals selected him in the first round of the 2019 MLB Draft.

Honorable mentions: Joe Blanton (2000-02), Greg Dombrowski (2005-08), James Paxton (2007-09), Alex Meyer (2009-11), Corey Littrell (2011-13), Dustin Beggs (2015-16)

Relievers: Trevor Gott (2011-13), Tyler Guilfoil (2022)

A pair of Lexington natives bring it home. Gott, another Tates Creek alum, and Guilfoil, who attended Lafayette, had different paths to reach this list. Gott is the school’s all-time saves leader with 23 and held the single-season record during his playing days. He recorded 12 saves on the 2013 team and had nine on the 2012 team. His career ERA of 2.30 is the second-lowest in school history, and he ranks in the top 10 in appearances.

Guilfoil only spent one season at Kentucky after transferring from Lipscomb, but he was phenomenal. Guilfoil earned All-American and First-Team All-SEC honors after striking out 80 batters over 51 innings and posting a 1.59 ERA. He has the highest strikeout per nine inning rate in school history at 14.12 and is second in hits per 9 at 4.80.

Honorable mention: Andrew Albers (2005-08), Logan Salow (2014-17), Mason Moore (2022-24)