The regular season ended with a gut punch. The SEC Tournament opener was a dud. And now, the waiting is finally over.
Kentucky baseball finds itself on the NCAA Tournament bubble after dropping three heartbreakers at Vanderbilt to close the regular season and following that up with a tough loss to Oklahoma in the opening round of the SEC Tournament. The Wildcats now sit at 29–24 overall and 13–17 in SEC play — a résumé that could go either way on Selection Monday.
So, Big Blue Nation, here’s how to tune in and find out whether the Cats will be dancing in June — or staying home.
📺 How to Watch the NCAA Baseball Selection Show
- 📅 Date: Monday, May 26
- 🕛 Time: Noon ET
- 📺 Channel: ESPN2
Streaming Services:
Hulu + Live TV: Offers ESPN2 in its channel lineup.
ESPN+: If you're an ESPN+ subscriber, you can watch the show directly through the service.YouTube TV: Includes ESPN2 in its core package.
Sling TV: Their Orange plan includes ESPN2.
FuboTV: Another option for streaming ESPN2, with a focus on sports coverage.
This is the moment every bubble team dreads and every fan refreshes Twitter during — the unveiling of the 64-team NCAA baseball tournament field.
💡 How the NCAA baseball tournament works
The tournament is broken into three stages:
Regionals
- 16 four-team pods hosted by national seeds.
- Format: Double-elimination.
- One team advances from each pod.
Super Regionals
- Seeded teams and matchups
- Format: Best-of-three series.
- The higher-seeded team hosts.
- One team advances from each Super.
College World Series (Omaha)
- The final eight teams compete.
- Format: Double-elimination until the final two battle in a best-of-three championship.
Kentucky made it all the way to Omaha in 2024. In 2025, the Wildcats are just hoping to get an invite back to the dance.
📊 Where Kentucky stands on the bubble
Despite the late-season skid, Kentucky’s RPI sits at 38th nationally — a metric that typically helps bubble teams. But bid stealers and late conference tournament runs by underdogs have complicated things.
Here’s where major outlets currently project the Wildcats:
D1Baseball:
- One of the last four in.
- Projected as a 3-seed in No. 11 seed Clemson’s regional.
- See full projection →
On3 Sports:
More optimistic.
- Has UK safely in as a 3-seed in No. 10 Coastal Carolina’s regional.
- View On3 bracket →
Baseball America:
- Less kind to the Cats.
- Has UK as the first team out after several automatic bid surprises.
- See projection →
⏳ The bubble watch is on
The Wildcats are no strangers to tournament drama, but this time, they’re not fighting for a national seed — they’re fighting to keep their season alive. Kentucky's late struggles might’ve pushed them to the edge, but their overall résumé, highlighted by an RPI in the top 40 and a history of recent postseason success, gives them a puncher’s chance.
So which expert will be right? Will Kentucky sneak in as a low 3-seed? Or will the heartbreak from Hoover extend into full-on offseason mode?
One thing’s certain — Big Blue Nation will be watching.
Don’t miss the moment.
📺 Monday, Noon ET on ESPN2
The fate of Kentucky’s baseball season will be decided.