SEC Baseball Weekly Honors: Week 12

Co-Player of the Week

 Luke Mann, Missouri

Luke Mann logged SEC bests of nine hits, five home runs and 27 total bases last week. He homered in each of Mizzou’s four games to help the Tigers average just under 12 runs per game while logging a 3-1 week, including an SEC series win over Ole Miss. Mann matched a career-best with four hits vs. Kansas, doubling three times and homering to lift the Tigers to a 9-7 win, then he homered two more times in MU’s come-from-behind victory in game one of its series with Ole Miss, moving into third place on the Tigers’ career home runs list in the process. Mann went deep for the third straight game in the second contest-a 13-3 run-rule victory over the Rebels, before blasting a grand slam in the series finale.

 Calvin Harris, Ole Miss

Calvin Harris became the first SEC player to ever hit four home runs in a conference game and just the third SEC player to do it in any game with his performance against Missouri on Saturday. He is also now just the fourth player in SEC history to have 16+ total bases in a single game. His four home runs and 16 total bases set new Ole Miss single-game records in both categories and his 10 RBI tied an Ole Miss single-game record that has stood since 1947. All marks were career-highs for Harris, and he also set a new career-high with four runs scored in the season finale. Harris led the SEC in runs scored, RBI, and home runs and was second in total bases on the week.

Pitcher of the Week

 Paul Skenes, LSU

Paul Skenes defeated Auburn on Friday night, working a season-high 7.1 innings and allowing no runs on six hits with one walk and a career-high 15 strikeouts. He became the first LSU pitcher to record 15 strikeouts in a game since Tyler Jones fanned 15 at the University of New Orleans on May 17, 2011. Skenes’ outing marked the most strikeouts by an LSU pitcher in an SEC game since April 24, 2009, when Anthony Ranaudo fanned 15 against Auburn in Baton Rouge. Skenes improved to 9-1 on the year, and he leads the nation with 139 strikeouts. He is also No. 1 in the SEC in ERA (1.73), innings pitched (72.2) and opponent batting average (.165).

Co-Freshman of the Week

 Jarvis Evans, Georgia

After Saturday starter Charlie Goldstein had to leave the game after facing the first batter due to injury, Jarvis Evans got the call to enter the game and provided to toss 5.1 innings with seven strikeouts, both career-highs, to lead Georgia to a 3-1 win over No. 18 Tennessee and snap the Vols nine-game winning streak. Evans earned the win over Vols, tossing 75 pitches and allowing just one run on three hits as the Vols were averaging 12 runs a game during their streak. He made two appearances on the week, getting a Tuesday start against Kennesaw State where he pitched 3.2 innings and struck out a then career high six in a no decision. For the week, Evans went 1-0 with a 3.00 ERA, pitching nine innings with three walks and 13 strikeouts and allowing three runs on five hits.

 Travis Smith, Kentucky

Travis Smith made his first career SEC start on the mound and picked up the win over No. 3 South Carolina with 6.0 innings, four hits, one run, three walks and five strikeouts. It was the eighth quality start by a UK pitcher in 2023, and he is the first freshman to start an SEC game for UK since Ryan Hagenow in 2021. In his last two starts, Smith has allowed just two runs (solo home runs) with 13 strikeouts in 11.0 IP.