Kentucky Baseball had a painful, twisty SEC slate. The Bat Cats won only two of 10 total weekend series (Alabama, Tennessee), and finished 13-17 in conference play overall, which is the exact same record as last season. And with as much talent as this team has, and as highly-touted as they were coming into the year, seeing them end up in that same spot is discouraging.
Now, following the end of another up-and-down regular season, the Cats' path to an SEC Tournament title and a possible NCAA Tournament berth have been revealed.
If the Bat Cats want to win the SEC, they'll need to win five games in just six days against the best conference in the country. Things get started today, as No. 13 Kentucky takes on No. 12 Vanderbilt at approximately 1:00 PM.
If Kentucky wins there, No.5 Florida, then No. 4 Alabama, and then potentially No. 1 Georgia all await them. The Wildcats have played Florida tough on the road, losing that series 2-1, but the blue and white did manage to sweep Alabama on the road. Still, the Dores are never an easy out, and the golden stripes are never an easy out.
The Cats' History With Vanderbilt
Earlier this season, Vanderbilt came into Kentucky Proud Park and stole two games and a series from the Cats. Kentucky did get the opening win, 5-2, but lost the remaining two contests to a combined 21-13 tally.
Game two of that series specifically saw Kentucky use nine pitchers, something that has become all too common for the team as the bullpen continues to struggle despite the pitching staff being reworked.
To be fair, the offense didn't do the pitchers many favors, either. Kentucky left 30 men on base over the course of those three games (including a massive 16 LOB in game three).
Vandy's Braden Holcomb was 6-of-13 for 4 doubles, while Kentucky was paced by Ethan Hindle, who was 4-of-10. The Cats will need better consistency from the pitching staff, but they need the hitters to step up in clutch situations too.
A Mirror Image Season
Last season, similarly, the Cats seemed to be inable to score when they could pitch well, and couldn't pitch well when they managed to score. That imbalance again haunted the Cats this season, who scored six or more runs 17 times in SEC play, but won only eight of those games.
And once again, Kentucky is firmly on the NCAAT bubble heading into SEC Tournament play. A win over Vanderbilt probably guarantees the Cats a chance at a regional. I don't have to say what happens if the Wildcats lose.
DIBaseball has Kentucky as the 3rd team in the "last four in" in their projection. On3 and Baseball America both have Kentucky as a three-seed.
It's not hard to see the importance of this series to Kentucky's waning season. The SEC Tournament will be broadcast live on the SEC Network; just tune in and cheer on the Cats!
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