Season ends in heartbreak: Kentucky collapses late in elimination loss to West Virginia
Kentucky baseball's 2025 season came to a stunning and painful close on Sunday night, as the Wildcats blew not one, but two separate five-run leads in a gut-wrenching 13–12 elimination loss to West Virginia in the NCAA Regional.
After jumping ahead 6–1 and later reclaiming a 12–7 lead in the eighth inning, Kentucky's bullpen unraveled in dramatic and all-too-familiar fashion, surrendering two six-run innings — including a decisive rally with two outs in the bottom of the eighth. The Mountaineers capitalized on Kentucky’s collapse to advance to the Super Regionals, while the Wildcats are left wondering how a promising postseason unraveled so quickly.
A game of hghs and lows
The Wildcats were locked in early at the plate. Hudson Brown and Devin Burkes each blasted home runs as part of a 13-hit, 12-run outburst. Burkes, who has played his last game as a Wildcat, delivered one of his best games in a Kentucky uniform, going 2-for-3 with three RBIs and a walk. Brown added three RBIs of his own, while Cole Hage and Patrick Herrera each drove in multiple runs.
Kentucky looked poised to force a deciding game in the regional after building leads of 6–1 and 12–7. But in what has become an unfortunately familiar script under head coach Nick Mingione, the bullpen faltered under pressure — and it did so catastrophically.
After surrendering six runs in the fourth inning to erase a five-run cushion, the Wildcats regained momentum with another offensive surge. But the eighth inning would spell doom. With two outs and no one on, the Cats fell apart, giving up six runs — most of them charged to reliever Tommy Skelding — and turning a 12–7 advantage into a 13–12 deficit they would not recover from.
Pitching Woes Resurface
The numbers are staggering. Kentucky used nine different pitchers in the game. James McCoy recorded just two batters before exiting. The staff combined to issue seven walks and allowed 12 hits, with nearly every arm used failing to hold a lead. Skelding was charged with four earned runs in just 1.2 innings of work.
While the offense did its part, Kentucky’s pitching — particularly the bullpen — was the Achilles’ heel once again. It’s the second straight postseason where command issues, poor sequencing, and late-inning mismanagement cost the Wildcats dearly. The inability to shut the door with the season on the line speaks volumes about the program’s most pressing area of concern.
Looking ahead
For the second consecutive year, a promising Kentucky squad ends its season with a sense of “what could’ve been.” Nick Mingione’s team had the pieces — a balanced lineup, top-end athleticism, and stretches of dominant play — but inconsistency on the mound, and questionable late-game decisions, proved too much to overcome.
Now the spotlight shifts to the offseason. Mingione must address a bullpen that has been a liability for two seasons running. Whether through the transfer portal or internal development, the Wildcats simply cannot afford another campaign defined by blown leads and bullpen meltdowns.
Kentucky finishes the season with a record of 38–21. West Virginia, meanwhile, moves on — battle-tested and surging — as the Wildcats head back to Lexington with only hard lessons and heartbreak to show for a game they should have won.