Nick Mingione ended last season saying that he believed Kentucky would have a top 10 team this year. The Cats didn't fly that high, even after getting off to an impressive 18-3 start; a start that shortly thereafter crumbled under injuries and a squad that just couldn't put it all together.
At No. 13 Florida most recently, the Cats took the first game, blew a five-run lead in the 8th inning in game two, and then subsequently fell in the deciding contest. These were wins Kentucky desperately needed, as the team is barely hanging on to an NCAA Tournament berth as the season stands.
What's worse, just yesterday, news broke that Kentucky would be cancelling its between-series game against Northern Kentucky. That might not sound like a big deal, but with a statement the NCAA put out, the Cats in a must-win situation this coming weekend.
In a memo to coaches, the Division I Baseball Oversight Subcommittee made it a point that games should only be cancelled for weather-related issues.
Self-Inflicted Wounds
“It is not the intent or spirit of the game to adjust scheduled games in an attempt to strategically impact selection data or metrics,” the memo said. The subcommittee warned that it “will be discussed and could have a negative impact on the subcommittee's evaluation of a team.” And yet, the Bat Cats did just that.
Since that aforementioned 18-3 start, Kentucky has sputtered to a 12-15 conference record in what has been a deteriorating season slate. After a series sweep over Alabama, the Wildcats would lose seven of their next eight series in-conference. Now? Only three games remain.
A Must-Win Series
Starting Thursday, the Cats will welcome the 34-18 Arkansas Razorbacks to Lexington in a series Kentucky simply has to win. Lose two of three, and their NCAA Tournament fate is up in the air as an unfortunate a bubble team. Inversely, win two of three, and Kentucky is comfortably in. In that way, I get why the program would decide to cancel the Northern Kentucky game.
It doesn't do a whole lot if you win, in the end, and it'd be a real disaster if Kentucky lost. The Wildcats have already lost a midweek game to Morehead State (28-23). There's a clear negative precedent there.
In a statement regarding the NKU game, Kentucky's athletic department said, "Our team faced multiple extended delays over the weekend, extensive travel days, and challenging rest and recovery periods. We play a critically important conference series beginning Thursday that demands putting our student-athletes in the best position possible."
All we can do is wait to see if it pays off. The series with Arkansas kicks off at 6:30 ET. If you can't make it out to Kentucky Proud Park, the series will be streamed on SEC Network+.
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