A 2-2 record last week keeps Kentucky baseball in the top 25, but they finish the regular season against the No. 4 team in the country.
The Wildcats split their four games last week, taking down Tennessee Tech, 9-2, in a non-conference battle, before losing two of three against the Tennessee Volunteers.
Despite losing the series, Kentucky baseball does return home with some momentum, following a 10-0 shutout in the last game with the Vols. The bats were moving for the Cats, who hit five home runs in the win. Eight hits on the Tennessee side didn’t translate to any runs. Five Wildcats pitchers helped out in the win.
The focus now shifts to the final week of the regular season, where Kentucky baseball has a chance to improve their SEC Tournament seeding. The opposite can happen to, so it’ll be crucial for the Wildcats to come away with at least one win against a very good Gators team.
Kentucky baseball schedule for week of Mon., May 15:
- Thur., May 18: vs. No. 4 Florida (40-12, 18-9) at 6:30 p.m.
- How to watch: SEC Network Plus
- Fri., May 19: vs. No. 4 Florida at 6:30 p.m.
- How to watch: SEC Network Plus
- Sat., May 20: vs. No. 4 Florida at 2 p.m.
- How to watch: SEC Network Plus
- Arkansas (19-8 in SEC)
- Florida (18-9)
- LSU (17-9)
- Vanderbilt (17-10)
- South Carolina (15-11)
- Kentucky (15-12)
- Auburn (14-13)
- Tennessee (14-13)
- Alabama (13-14)
- Texas A&M (12-15)
The Wildcats will have their hands full with one of the SEC’s top-ranked teams nationally. Florida is 4th in the D1Baseball.com Top 25 poll, which features seven SEC teams. Only Arkansas is ranked higher, at No. 2.
Kentucky will be at home for this series, which should help their chances. The Gators are only 9-6 on the road this season. Meanwhile, Kentucky baseball has a 24-4 home record, making Lexington one of the toughest places to come away with a win as the road team.
There are also major implications for the SEC Tournament. The top four teams all receive first-round byes in the double-elimination tournament. Here’s how the mess of the standings looks as of Wednesday:
The two most important series Kentucky needs to keep an eye on is Vanderbilt/Arkansas. There is still a chance the Wildcats can sneak into the top four seeds.
If UK can sweep Florida and an Arkansas sweep of Vanderbilt. That would vault the Cats above the Commodores. Kentucky would also need South Carolina to lose one game against Tennessee, which is more than possible.
The SEC baseball tournament starts on May 23 in Hoover, Alabama. We will update you throughout the postseason.