MARTIN, Tenn. – Ben Upton, primarily a designated hitter on the University of Tennessee at Martin baseball team, was voted to the 13-man Ohio Valley Conference All-Freshman team by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors.
A 6-1, 208-pound native of Kingwood, Texas, Upton becomes the ninth player in UT Martin baseball history to earn OVC All-Freshman accolades. Upton made a splash early in the season and his hot bat kept him as a mainstay in the middle of the Skyhawk lineup in 2014.
He emerged as a hero in the Eastern Michigan series on Feb. 21-23, scoring and driving in at least one run in all three games. He also had another remarkable series at Morehead State on April 17-19, hitting .462 (6-for-13) with a pair of round trippers and seven RBI’s. Overall, Upton capped off his debut season with a .267 batting average, five home runs and 28 RBI’s in 150 at-bats spread over 43 games (39 starts).
Against OVC foes, he tallied a team-high three homers and 21 RBI’s in 28 contests. Upton led the Skyhawks with nine multi-RBI games this season, including a career-high four RBI effort against SIU Edwardsville on May 2. In fact, seven of his multi-RBI outings came against OVC pitching.
He also pieced together 10 multi-hit performances – including a trio of three-hit games (against Eastern Michigan on Feb. 23, at Morehead State on April 19, against Eastern Illinois on May 16). Despite the fact that he is a left-handed batter, Upton posted the second-best batting average on the team against southpaw pitchers, hitting at a .333 clip (10-for-30). He also excelled in the clutch, accumulating a .333 batting average (19-for-57) with runners in scoring position.
In addition to his designated hitter duties, Upton also showed flawless defense in 2014. He played in six games at first base and boasted a 1.000 fielding percentage (no errors) in 46 chances.
Featured Image: (University Relations)
