TicketsCINCINNATI – Cincinnati redshirt senior infielder Kerrington Cross has been named the Big 12 Conference Player of the Year, the league office announced on Tuesday.
He is joined by sophomore catcher Jack Natili (second team All-Big 12), freshman infielder Quinton Coats (all-freshman team), redshirt senior pitcher Kellen O'Connor (honorable mention All-Big 12), sophomore pitcher Nathan Taylor (honorable mention All-Big 12), and junior outfielder Landyn Vidourek (honorable mention All-Big 12) as Bearcats who received postseason honors.
Cross was also a unanimous first team all-conference selection, the only unanimous selection this season.
Cross becomes the fifth player in program history to win a conference player of the year award, joining 1995 Great Midwest Conference MVP Chris Holt, 2008 BIG EAST Player of the Year Josh Harrison, 2015 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Ian Happ, and 2022 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Griffin Merritt.
Below are capsules for each of Cincinnati's six postseason award honorees:
// KERRINGTON CROSS: PLAYER OF THE YEAR/FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG 12
Cross is now a three-time all-conference honoree after earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors last season and All-AAC accolades in 2023. He is the first three-time all-conference selection for Cincinnati Justin Glass (2011-12, 14)
A Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist as well, Cross is hitting .414 with 12 home runs, 49 RBI, 61 runs scored, 44 walks, 15 stolen bases, a .538 on-base percentage, and a .681 slugging percentage. He leads the Big 12 or ranks among the league leaders in several categories including batting average (1st), on-base percentage (1st), OPS (1.219, 1st), slugging percentage (3rd), hits (79, 3rd), runs scored (3rd), and walks (T-3rd).
As it stands, he would be the sixth player in school history to hit .400 in a season and the first since Lance Durham hit a school-record .427 in 2009. The others to accomplish that feat are Kevin Youkilis (1999, 2001), Mark Gabbard (1993), Tony Elsbrock (1991), and Mike Kinnett (1985). It would also be the 20th occurrence of a Big 12 player hitting .400 in a season. The last was West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt in 2023.
When Cross' UC career is finished, he will rank among the career leaders in school history in nearly every major offensive category. He ranks third all-time in runs scored (217), tied for fourth in hits (217), fourth in home runs (41), fourth in triples (11), fifth in RBI (169), third in total bases (440), third in walks (148), and fifth in stolen bases (62) His 214 career games played rank eighth all-time in program history.
// JACK NATILI: SECOND TEAM ALL-BIG 12
Natili has started 42 games behind the plate for UC and has had a terrific year at the plate. He is hitting .328, which ranks third on the team, and has eight home runs, 12 doubles, 47 RBI, and 27 walks. Natili earned Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Week honors last week after hitting .556 (10-for-18) in games at Oral Roberts and TCU. He has been on a tear since the calendar flipped to May, and is hitting .452 with three home runs, 15 RBI, and a .521 on-base percentage this month.
// QUINTON COATS: ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Coats burst onto the scene on April 13 vs. Arizona State, hitting a game-tying, two-out home run in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings, where UC eventually won to clinch the series. That game sparked an incredible stretch for the freshman, who is hitting .351 with four home runs and a .597 slugging percentage since that date. Since taking over at the starting first baseman a month ago, he has logged eight multi-hit games.
// KELLEN O'CONNOR: HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG 12
O'Connor has made 11 starts and four appearances out of the bullpen, proving to be one of the most valuable pitchers on Cincinnati's staff. He has 53 punchouts in 63.1 innings pitched while walking just 19, and threw a complete game at Texas Tech on April 6, the first by a UC pitcher since 2022. The outing in Lubbock one of four six-plus inning appearances this season for O'Connor, and each of his last two starts have gone through six. This past weekend vs. Kansas State, he pitched the ninth inning in both of the Bearcats' victories, earning his first save of the season on Thursday.
// NATHAN TAYLOR: HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG 12
Taylor has been Cincinnati's workhorse this season, making 13 starts and leading the team with 74.0 innings pitched and 75 strikeouts. He has seven starts of at least six innings this season, including a career-long eight-inning start at Kansas on May 2. Taylor logged 11 K's in a start at UNLV on Feb. 22, third-most by a Big 12 pitcher in a game this season. He was an honorable mention and all-freshman team selection last season.
// LANDYN VIDOUREK: HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG 12
Vidourek has been able to do it all this season and ranks among the team leaders with 14 home runs, 47 RBI, 55 runs scored, 10 doubles, 42 walks, and 37 stolen bases. He ranks seventh in the Big 12 in runs scored. Vidourek is 37-for-38 on stolen base attempts this season, which ranks second among all Power Four players. His 37 stolen bases are third-most in a season in school history, and he is the first Bearcat with 30-plus steals in a season since Tony Campana (44), Jamel Scott (35), and Josh Harrison (32) all hit that benchmark in 2008.
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For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
He is joined by sophomore catcher Jack Natili (second team All-Big 12), freshman infielder Quinton Coats (all-freshman team), redshirt senior pitcher Kellen O'Connor (honorable mention All-Big 12), sophomore pitcher Nathan Taylor (honorable mention All-Big 12), and junior outfielder Landyn Vidourek (honorable mention All-Big 12) as Bearcats who received postseason honors.
Cross was also a unanimous first team all-conference selection, the only unanimous selection this season.
Cross becomes the fifth player in program history to win a conference player of the year award, joining 1995 Great Midwest Conference MVP Chris Holt, 2008 BIG EAST Player of the Year Josh Harrison, 2015 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Ian Happ, and 2022 American Athletic Conference Player of the Year Griffin Merritt.
Below are capsules for each of Cincinnati's six postseason award honorees:
// KERRINGTON CROSS: PLAYER OF THE YEAR/FIRST TEAM ALL-BIG 12
Cross is now a three-time all-conference honoree after earning honorable mention All-Big 12 honors last season and All-AAC accolades in 2023. He is the first three-time all-conference selection for Cincinnati Justin Glass (2011-12, 14)
A Golden Spikes Award and Dick Howser Trophy semifinalist as well, Cross is hitting .414 with 12 home runs, 49 RBI, 61 runs scored, 44 walks, 15 stolen bases, a .538 on-base percentage, and a .681 slugging percentage. He leads the Big 12 or ranks among the league leaders in several categories including batting average (1st), on-base percentage (1st), OPS (1.219, 1st), slugging percentage (3rd), hits (79, 3rd), runs scored (3rd), and walks (T-3rd).
As it stands, he would be the sixth player in school history to hit .400 in a season and the first since Lance Durham hit a school-record .427 in 2009. The others to accomplish that feat are Kevin Youkilis (1999, 2001), Mark Gabbard (1993), Tony Elsbrock (1991), and Mike Kinnett (1985). It would also be the 20th occurrence of a Big 12 player hitting .400 in a season. The last was West Virginia's JJ Wetherholt in 2023.
When Cross' UC career is finished, he will rank among the career leaders in school history in nearly every major offensive category. He ranks third all-time in runs scored (217), tied for fourth in hits (217), fourth in home runs (41), fourth in triples (11), fifth in RBI (169), third in total bases (440), third in walks (148), and fifth in stolen bases (62) His 214 career games played rank eighth all-time in program history.
// JACK NATILI: SECOND TEAM ALL-BIG 12
Natili has started 42 games behind the plate for UC and has had a terrific year at the plate. He is hitting .328, which ranks third on the team, and has eight home runs, 12 doubles, 47 RBI, and 27 walks. Natili earned Big 12 Player and Newcomer of the Week honors last week after hitting .556 (10-for-18) in games at Oral Roberts and TCU. He has been on a tear since the calendar flipped to May, and is hitting .452 with three home runs, 15 RBI, and a .521 on-base percentage this month.
// QUINTON COATS: ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Coats burst onto the scene on April 13 vs. Arizona State, hitting a game-tying, two-out home run in the bottom of the ninth to send the game to extra innings, where UC eventually won to clinch the series. That game sparked an incredible stretch for the freshman, who is hitting .351 with four home runs and a .597 slugging percentage since that date. Since taking over at the starting first baseman a month ago, he has logged eight multi-hit games.
// KELLEN O'CONNOR: HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG 12
O'Connor has made 11 starts and four appearances out of the bullpen, proving to be one of the most valuable pitchers on Cincinnati's staff. He has 53 punchouts in 63.1 innings pitched while walking just 19, and threw a complete game at Texas Tech on April 6, the first by a UC pitcher since 2022. The outing in Lubbock one of four six-plus inning appearances this season for O'Connor, and each of his last two starts have gone through six. This past weekend vs. Kansas State, he pitched the ninth inning in both of the Bearcats' victories, earning his first save of the season on Thursday.
// NATHAN TAYLOR: HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG 12
Taylor has been Cincinnati's workhorse this season, making 13 starts and leading the team with 74.0 innings pitched and 75 strikeouts. He has seven starts of at least six innings this season, including a career-long eight-inning start at Kansas on May 2. Taylor logged 11 K's in a start at UNLV on Feb. 22, third-most by a Big 12 pitcher in a game this season. He was an honorable mention and all-freshman team selection last season.
// LANDYN VIDOUREK: HONORABLE MENTION ALL-BIG 12
Vidourek has been able to do it all this season and ranks among the team leaders with 14 home runs, 47 RBI, 55 runs scored, 10 doubles, 42 walks, and 37 stolen bases. He ranks seventh in the Big 12 in runs scored. Vidourek is 37-for-38 on stolen base attempts this season, which ranks second among all Power Four players. His 37 stolen bases are third-most in a season in school history, and he is the first Bearcat with 30-plus steals in a season since Tony Campana (44), Jamel Scott (35), and Josh Harrison (32) all hit that benchmark in 2008.
// FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For up-to-the-minute updates, follow @GoBearcatsBASE on X/Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.