Kentucky Baseball: Super Regional Preview
By Tyler Reeder
The Kentucky Baseball team will play in a Super Regional baseball series. Never have those words been used to describe a series for any Kentucky Baseball team, until this year.
After dropping their second game of the opening regional to North Carolina State, the Kentucky Baseball team clawed their way back through the loser’s bracket. Needing three straight wins, two of which had to come against the Wolfpack, Kentucky concluded their history making feat by closing out the Lexington regional in dramatic fashion. In the early hours of Monday morning, it was finally finished. A 10-5 victory, clinching the school’s first ever Super Regional bid in what most thought was an improbable year.
First year head coach Nick Mingione saw it differently, however. From the beginning, after the former Mississippi State assistant coach accepted the head position at Kentucky, he believed. Even echoing talk of Omaha, the host site for the College Baseball World Series at his introductory press conference. While the Wildcats aren’t quite to Omaha just yet, they now stand a mere series away from that accomplishment. In their path however, is a familiar foe.
The Super Regional
When the Kentucky baseball team awakes this Friday morning ahead of their first Super Regional game, they’ll be reminiscing of a team which has already graced the schedule this regular season. With Kentucky falling just shy of a national seed of their own, the bracket sees the wildcats travel a short 80-mile trip to Jim Patterson Stadium to take on, you guessed it…The Louisville Cardinals.
The two teams have squared off twice this season. In a home and away series, wesaw the home team win each game, culminating in a 1-1 split.
In the first regular season game, the two fought to a nail biting 5-3 decision with Louisville coming out on top. However, the Wildcats had a chance late after scoring 3 runs in the top of the ninth inning. Unfortunately, the finish would see Zach Reks getting caught stealing second, an attempt to get the tying run in scoring position. This would end the game with the go ahead run standing with bat in hand at the plate.
The second game of the season series saw the Cardinals travel to Cliff Hagan Stadium. With each team being ranked in the top 10, this was a marquee late season non-conference game. Kentucky would go on to amass 11 total runs on just 14 hits, and roll to an 11-7 victory over the redbirds. Freshman Zach Thompson, who started each of the regular season games for the Wildcats, had much more success this time around. He would leave the game after striking out seven batters in five innings of work.
It’s going to be a good one, folks.
The impending Super Regional matchups are set to bring similar drama witnessed in the prior regular season games. Kentucky ranks 7th in the nation in team batting average, sporting a .319 on the season. On the other side, Louisville brings one of the top pitching rotations into the fold, allowing a slim 2.88 ERA on the year, good for 3rd in the nation.
The Pitchers
Individually speaking, the series will present fans with some of the nation’s top young talent. The Cardinals have a potential top 1st round selection in Brendan McKay. McKay, a tremendous two-way player, will come into the matchup with a team best 2.31 ERA, having allowed only 25 earned runs in 97.1 innings of work. He also has a team tying 17 home runs on the season…batting.
The Kentucky staff also sports some talented young arms. Sean Hjelle ranks top three in the nation with 11 wins, three losses and three no decisions in 17 appearances. The towering 6-foot-11 Sophomore brings excellent release to the mound for his size, while also offering a knee buckling breaking ball.
The Position Players
In terms of position players, Kentucky also brings some of the better individual bats to the matchup. The Wildcats bring two top 50 batting averages to the plate with Tristan Pompey (.368) and Evan White (.368), and one of the nation’s RBI leaders in Riley Mahan (67) along with 15 home runs. Louisville also supports another excellent bat to go along with McKay, in Drew Ellis. Ellis will bring a team leading .362 batting average paired with 17 home runs on the season.
For Kentucky to come away with the series win and their first trip to College Baseball World Series they will need to keep bats hot, and Louisville off the attack. The Cardinals have become known over the past few years for being very good at managing every type of game situation, but most times the situation is playing with an early led. Head coach, Dan McDonnell is a great recruiter. He knows how to win. Louisville has been to three College World Series since McDonnell has taken over the reins in 2006.
Game time and television details
Kentucky has found a good one in head man Nick Mingione and the team has quickly bought into his beliefs. Mingione has shown the fans, and especially the players that anything is possible with a little trust and demanding work. The Cats will continue to work starting this Friday, June 9th at Noon EST on ESPN2 for Game One. Game Two will be played at Noon EST, Saturday on ESPN. The rubber match (Game 3) if needed, will be aired at Noon EST on Sunday on either ESPN or ESPN2.
Tune in to watch history, and hopefully the Cats continue their spectacular run all the way to Omaha.