Is it just me, or does the baseball and softball season fly by? We are in the first week of March, and Kentucky Softball is starting up the SEC portion of its schedule on the road, and Kentucky baseball starts its SEC slate next week. But first, the baseball Cats have one more home weekend, against The Citadel.
Kentucky baseball weekend series with The Citadel preview
The Bat Cats are still without Tyler Bell, who continues to work his way back from a shoulder injury suffered on opening day. But they do have an absolutely dynamic rotation that could carry them through another weekend sweep.
UPDATE: Tyler Bell has been cleared to return to UK baseball.
Today's opener, Jaxon Jelkin, has been nothing short of true ace status. His ERA is 0.55, his whip is 0.62, 3 starts, 3 wins, 25 K's, and a .130 batting average against. He will get the start tonight, and behind him is Ben Cleaver.
Cleaver, who is the probable starter for Saturday whose ERA is also under 1 (0.82). While he is not the strikeout machine that Jelkin has been, opponents are still just hitting .214 against him, which brings us to Kentucky's Sunday pitcher, Nate Harris.
Harris has been the weakest of the 3, and his ERA is just 1.80, so worst is pretty relative. Combined, these 3 have allowed a total of just 5 earned runs.
All 3 games will be televised live on the SEC Network+ through the ESPN app.
Game 1: Friday, 4 PM
Game 2: Saturday, 1 PM
Game 3: Sunday, 1 PM
The Citadel answers with their own pitching staff
Bryce Coulter and Will Holmes both have been kind of hard-luck losers. They are allowing hitters to hit just .216 between them, but they have allowed 12 earned runs and given up 14 walks.
In the weekend series with a ranked Florida State, one game went to extra innings, one was a 2-run nailbiter and the other was a 4-run win by the Seminoles.
Zach Hunt leads the team with 10 RBI and is clearly the bat to watch, but this a team that can get hot.
Kentucky will have to be on its A-game in order to win this series. They have the advantage on paper, but games aren't played on paper, ask Morehead State.
The ladies though will be dealing with a familiar foe, Auburn.
Kentucky softball heads to Auburn for weekend series
Sarah Haendiges, McKenzie Oslanzi, and Hailey Nutter will look to get the Cats on the board in the SEC as they head to Auburn, Alabama, to take on the Tigers. Auburn is 17-6 overall, and 9-2 at home.
The two teams share a common opponent, Oregon. The Cats were run-ruled by the Ducks, while the Tigers knocked off Oregon 10-5. Their 2 home losses were to a ranked Virginia Tech, so in other words, the Lady Cats have their work cut out for them.
Karissa Hamilton, Allie Blum, and Carly Sleeman are all hitting over .400 and will need to continue that hot start against a stingy Tigers pitching staff. Ella Harrison (8-2) anchors the pitching staff, while they will counter Kentucky's hitting with 3 .400 hitters of their own (Kylie Shaw, Alyssa Hastings, McKaela Walker).
On paper, things are evenly matched here, too, but Auburn being at home gives them an advantage. Can the Cats steal a road series to start SEC play? Coverage will happen over at ukathletics.
Game 1: Friday 7 PM
Game 2: Saturday 3 PM
Game 3: Sunday 2 PM