Shortstop Tyler Bell and ace pitcher Jaxon Jelkin of the University of Kentucky baseball team have each earned ABCA/Rawlings NCAA Division I First-Team Midwest All-Region honors, the American Baseball Coaches Association announced on Tuesday. The recognition comes as Kentucky's baseball season ended in the NCAA Tournament Super Regional against West Virginia earlier this month.

Bell, a sophomore from the Chicago area, demonstrated resilience after sustaining an injury in the season opener that sidelined him for 14 games. Despite the missed time, he ranked third on the team with a .343 batting average during the regular season, recording 49 runs, nine doubles, one triple, nine home runs and 29 RBIs. His on-base percentage of .510 made him the first UK player since 2008 to reach base safely in more than half of his plate appearances. In conference play, Bell batted .333 with 23 runs and 18 RBIs.

Jelkin, a pitcher from Omaha, Nebraska, proved indispensable to Kentucky's postseason run. The right-handed starter compiled an 8-3 record with a 4.08 earned run average, striking out 106 batters in 97 innings while holding opponents to a .243 batting average. He made seven quality starts and completed at least seven innings seven times during the season. Jelkin was only the second UK pitcher in 15 years to surpass the 100-strikeout threshold.

The Wildcats finished the regular season with a 31-21 record before competing in the NCAA tournament. Kentucky reached the Super Regional in Morgantown, West Virginia, where they fell to the host West Virginia Mountaineers. First Team All-Region selections are eligible for ABCA/Rawlings All-America honors, which will be announced on June 12 ahead of the College World Series in Omaha, Nebraska.