Photo: Regina Rickert
Over the last three years, Kentucky catcher Greg Fettes has been AJ Reed’s roommate.
When the two were freshmen, they stayed in the dorms together and for the last two years, they shared an apartment.
Fettes had a front-row seat for one of the most historic seasons in the history of college baseball, as Reed led the nation in homers, slugging and OPS, while leading the SEC in pitching wins.
“Watching AJ from his freshman year, to last year, I felt like a proud dad or brother,” Fettes said. “It was unreal what he has done the last few years. Coming in with him, watching him changing his body, it was really cool to see. AJ is a humble guy, he was never different towards me. I wasn’t playing that much and he was great to me. We are still great buddies and we talk all the time. AJ is a friend I will have for my whole life.”
Now that AJ has graduated to the Houston Astros organization, Fettes will be one of the several UK returnees that coach Gary Henderson will be looking at to help fill a monstrous void. Not only must UK replace the irreplaceable bat of Reed in the lineup, the Wildcats also have to replace the leadership of fifth-year senior catcher Micheal Thomas.
Thomas made a Henderson-era record in starts behind the plate as a senior in 2014, keeping talented back-up catchers Zach Arnold and Greg Fettes from a large amount of playing time. The relationship between Thomas and Henderson was unique, as the two were extremely close and connected after half a decade of working together.
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“Micheal was here for five years and as a catcher you have to be Hendo’s second man,” Fettes said. “With MT being with Hendo so long, he knew exactly what he was going to call and they were on the same wavelength. Hendo is in the dugout but the catcher is on the field, you have to talk to pitchers and know what to say. That is something I’ve learned over the last four years. “
Fettes, a former star out of Detroit, Michigan, joined the UK roster in 2012 and used it as a redshirt season while he firmed up his 6-foot-2, 230-pound frame. A powerful right-handed hitter with good arm strength, Fettes has always had the tools to produce but the backstop position is improved mainly by repetition and experience.
“I feel like I could be the best pitcher in the world,” Fettes said about what he learned from Henderson in four years. “And I’m not even a pitcher but I feel like I could go out there and pitch because I’ve learned so much about pitching. I’ve learned so many things from him, from how to see how the pitcher is feeling, or how to calm a pitcher down, being able to spot what they might be doing wrong, or right, with each pitch.”
Over his four year career, Fettes – a 43rd round pick of the Detroit Tigers out of high school – has hit .250 in 22 starts, with five doubles, three homers and 14 RBI.
In 2013, Fettes became the first catcher in UK history to earn freshman All-SEC honors after ripping his three homers in league play.
Now as a seasoned performer, and without his roommate in 2015, Fettes will be relied on to help lead a youthful UK club.
“Coming in, sitting on the bench and redshirting, having to watch, it was tough on me at first but it motivated me to get my reps in,” Fettes said. “I improved on the things I needed to improve on because I need to be ready to help this team.”
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