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Kentucky baseball: Previewing Super Regionals vs. LSU

By Mat Mlodzinski

UK baseball ran a lap around Kentucky Proud Park to thank fans as they celebrated a 4-2 victory against Indiana during the NCAA Regional final in Lexington Ky. on June 5, 2023. The win earned UK a spot in the upcoming Super Regional in Louisiana.
UK baseball ran a lap around Kentucky Proud Park to thank fans as they celebrated a 4-2 victory against Indiana during the NCAA Regional final in Lexington Ky. on June 5, 2023. The win earned UK a spot in the upcoming Super Regional in Louisiana. /
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Kentucky baseball is one of 16 teams still alive in the 2023 Division I Baseball Tournament. Up next is an SEC foe in a best-of-3 series.

Kentucky baseball only took one loss in the Regionals, taking down Indiana in a winner take all game to move on to the Super Regionals. The Wildcats played the Hoosiers three times in the first round, taking two of those games.

Now, the Wildcats find themselves facing a familiar team. Kentucky will meet LSU in the Super Regionals, which consists of a best-of-3 series. It’s one of three inter-conference matchups in this round. Florida vs. South Carolina and Virginia vs. Duke are the other two.

Kentucky and LSU met earlier in the season in a three-game series in Baton Rouge. The Tigers took the series, with the Wildcats taking the middle game, 13-10. This series will be a traditional postseason setup, with games one and three (if necessary) at LSU, and game two in Lexington.

Key for Kentucky baseball: Keeping LSU off the bases

LSU is the 5th overall seed in the D I Baseball Tournament for a reason. The Tigers are one of the best hitting and scoring teams in the country. To this point in the season, LSU has scored the fifth most runs in the country (566), and 18th most hits (644). The Tigers have a team batting average of .314. There are virtually no bad spots in their lineup.

Home runs are a big part of LSU’s secret to scoring in bunches. The Tigers have 126 as a team – tied for third in the nation with the Florida Gators. For comparison, Kentucky baseball has 51 homers on the year, the least of any of the teams left in the tournament.

In Kentucky’s lone win over LSU in the regular season, the Wildcats scored 13 runs and went yard once. However, that’s not the best recipe for success in a series. That regular-season series in April was proof. The Tigers scored 33 total runs to the Wildcats’ 25. Trying to keep up with LSU in a high-scoring game isn’t a good idea.

Luckily for Kentucky baseball, pitching is usually a strength. The Wildcats have a team ERA of 4.17, good for 12th in the country and 3rd among SEC teams. It should be noted that LSU baseball also has an above-average pitching staff, but the Wildcats are better suited for a low-scoring pitching matchup, than a slugfest.

Kentucky baseball schedule for Super Regionals:

  • Sat., June 10: at 5. LSU (46-15) at 3 p.m.
    • How to watch: ESPN / ESPN+
  • Sun., June 11: vs 5. LSU at TBD
    • How to watch: ESPN+
  • Mon., June 12: at 5. LSU at TBD
    • How to watch: ESPN+
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