A trio of University of Kentucky football stars, including All-American Randall Cobb, will throw ceremonial pitches before Thursday night’s season opener for the Lexington Legends.

The Legends take on the Charleston RiverDogs at 7:05 p.m. Thursday night at Whitaker Bank Ballpark. Cobb will take the mound about 15 minutes before game time, as will his former UK teammates DeQuin Evans and Chris Matthews.

Cobb was named a first team All-American in 2010 by Associated Press, ESPN.com and Sports Illustrated.com. He broke the Southeastern Conference record for single-season all-purpose yards with 2,396. He led SEC receivers with 63 catches in conference games, and had 84 receptions overall, including seven touchdown catches. He rushed for 446 yards and five touchdowns in the 2010 season, and he also threw three touchdown passes and scored a touchdown on a punt return. He is Kentucky’s all-time leader in touchdowns with 37, and is in the top five in several other statistical categories.

Matthews was named second team all-SEC by Phil Steele’s College Football. He led the Wildcats with nine touchdown catches in 2010. He was second on the team with 61 receptions and averaged a team-high 15 yards per catch. He caught 12 passes in Kentucky’s 31-28 victory over 10th-ranked South Carolina, a game in which the Wildcats were down by 18 points at halftime.

Evans battled injuries in his senior season, but was named SEC defensive lineman of the week after the Wildcats defeated Vanderbilt. In his junior year, he had five tackles and two sacks in Kentucky’s win over Louisville. He started every game in 2009, and led the team with 12.5
tackles for loss and six quarterback sacks.

“We’re really pumped about having these UK football stars here at Whitaker Bank Ballpark to help us open our season,” said Legends General Manager Andy Shea. “This is a baseball facility, but we’ve had basketball players, football players, coaches and other sports figures as our guests, and we’re glad to have stars from other sports that our Legends fans will enjoy
seeing.”

For ticket information, call (859) 422-7867 or go online to lexingtonlegends.com.