Worse game manager Mingione or Stoops?

[Basil Cat]

Stoops breakdowns are well documented. But Mingione wow , position player who has modest stuff to pitch in an elimination game? Watching a freshman walk in runs late in the game ???
When the cameras showed Mingione face during the meltdown, he had the same lost look Stoops has. But Mingione just like Stoops was making excuses in the off season talking about this is a rebuild year. There are NO rebuild years in the SEC in the NIL era !

I’m sure someone will be along to tell me how great making post season 3 straight years is. And how I should be happy.

 

[SeanCain]

Stoops breakdowns are well documented. But Mingione wow , position player who has modest stuff to pitch in an elimination game? Watching a freshman walk in runs late in the game ???
When the cameras showed Mingione face during the meltdown, he had the same lost look Stoops has. But Mingione just like Stoops was making excuses in the off season talking about this is a rebuild year. There are NO rebuild years in the SEC in the NIL era !

I’m sure someone will be along to tell me how great making post season 3 straight years is. And how I should be happy.

Nah…go ahead and vent. We’re all upset how the games against WVU turned out. Beating yourself twice is not the best look. They are going to have to figure out pitching, defense and hitting next year. Very disappointing.

 

[backinky2018]

I'd go with Ming. I'm fine with some of the base running outs b/c that is how we play. Same with bunting, though I think sometimes we adhere to that strategy way too often.

My issues are:

-Not taking into account time and score. Why were we attempting (slow) Hudson brown to steal second in the top of the 8th inning after he had just worked a great AB? He was thrown out by a mile, and if it weren't for that Devon's homer was a two run blast and we would have been tied instead of trailing.

-Constantly taking unnecessary risks and running ourselves out of big innings. Remember the double steal earlier in the game where Hage was thrown out at third? Might we have wanted that run at the end? It's hard to say that this is always wrong b/c we get some benefit from it too (often times, our steal of second results in a run when we get a single with two outs). but is it really edgy and "Kentucky baseball" if we do the same thing every single time no matter the circumstances?

-Bunting with some of our best hitters even when they're followed up by cold or bad hitters. How m any times have we used Hansen or Hage to bunt and then set up buys like Burke and Cameron who couldn't buy a hit this year?

I normally don't have a huge issue with his pitching decisions but last night was an abomination. We keep putting relievers in with 3-1 and 2-0 counts when we're just trying to get one out? Why wait so long on Byers? His nickname is "the fireman" for christ's sake.

I give him grace b/c he has taken UK baseball to new heights but some of the decisions are very puzzling

 

[Comebakatz3]

Being upset that McCoy pitched is silly. McCoy has been a two way player and has come in and done fine in some high leverage situations. He was slated this year to be more of a pitcher, but we needed him more at 1B and he still pitched and had a sub 2.50 ERA. 2 way players are not at all uncommon in college baseball and one of UK's best players ever was both a 1B and a pitcher. UK has a few other guys including a possible incoming freshman that could be two way players. College baseball has 11.7 scholarships to spread around to something like 40 players. If you can get a guy that gives you the ability to pitch as well as to hit then those guys are extremely valuable and McCoy is one of those guys.

As far as a rebuilding year... yes, this certainly was one. UK had a really good mix of youth to go with some older transfers. Mingione didn't entirely sell out on winning now and he built for the future. This is a great thing. UK will return 3 of its top 5 hitters from this year and will return 2 of their three weekend starters with a 3rd starter coming off an injury and that kid was slated to be our ace. Without his injury, our season might also haved looked much different. Of pitchers that threw over 10 innings in 2025, we return 6 of our top 7 with ERAs from a James McCoy team low of 2.46 to freshman Nate Harris having a 4.25. Those 6 returners pitched around 235 innings out of 499 total for us. So, if we can keep them from transferring we have a really solid base of pitchers to work around next year. Despite this, we still made the NCAA tournament, which is still a solid year. Sure, it isn't Omaha, but making the NCAA tournament is a success. Miss State won the CWS in 2021 and they missed the tournament entirely for 2 years in a row after that, with the year afterwards having a losing record. So, it isn't out of the ordinary to have some ups and downs and this team did a decent job of reloading and getting back to the NCAA tournament. Next year, if things stay together, this team can be real dangerous.

 

[jeffky]

 

[Seamhead_Ninja]

-Not taking into account time and score. Why were we attempting (slow) Hudson brown to steal second in the top of the 8th inning after he had just worked a great AB? He was thrown out by a mile, and if it weren't for that Devon's homer was a two run blast and we would have been tied instead of trailing.

-Constantly taking unnecessary risks and running ourselves out of big innings. Remember the double steal earlier in the game where Hage was thrown out at third? Might we have wanted that run at the end? It's hard to say that this is always wrong b/c we get some benefit from it too (often times, our steal of second results in a run when we get a single with two outs). but is it really edgy and "Kentucky baseball" if we do the same thing every single time no matter the circumstances?

The thing is, we don't know what the actual call was. Players miss signs. Players swing through a pitch on a called hit and run, which makes everyone look terrible. Or a guy doesn't leave on time on an attempt. There's just so much more to it than we we see.

 

[backinky2018]

-Not taking into account time and score. Why were we attempting (slow) Hudson brown to steal second in the top of the 8th inning after he had just worked a great AB? He was thrown out by a mile, and if it weren't for that Devon's homer was a two run blast and we would have been tied instead of trailing.

-Constantly taking unnecessary risks and running ourselves out of big innings. Remember the double steal earlier in the game where Hage was thrown out at third? Might we have wanted that run at the end? It's hard to say that this is always wrong b/c we get some benefit from it too (often times, our steal of second results in a run when we get a single with two outs). but is it really edgy and "Kentucky baseball" if we do the same thing every single time no matter the circumstances?

The thing is, we don't know what the actual call was. Players miss signs. Players swing through a pitch on a called hit and run, which makes everyone look terrible. Or a guy doesn't leave on time on an attempt. There's just so much more to it than we we see.

Fair enough, though I have a really hard time believing a guy like Hudson Brown (not the fastest guy we've ever seen) just decided to take off for second of his own volition.

 

[Crazycat68]

I'd go with Ming. I'm fine with some of the base running outs b/c that is how we play. Same with bunting, though I think sometimes we adhere to that strategy way too often.

My issues are:

-Not taking into account time and score. Why were we attempting (slow) Hudson brown to steal second in the top of the 8th inning after he had just worked a great AB? He was thrown out by a mile, and if it weren't for that Devon's homer was a two run blast and we would have been tied instead of trailing.

-Constantly taking unnecessary risks and running ourselves out of big innings. Remember the double steal earlier in the game where Hage was thrown out at third? Might we have wanted that run at the end? It's hard to say that this is always wrong b/c we get some benefit from it too (often times, our steal of second results in a run when we get a single with two outs). but is it really edgy and "Kentucky baseball" if we do the same thing every single time no matter the circumstances?

-Bunting with some of our best hitters even when they're followed up by cold or bad hitters. How m any times have we used Hansen or Hage to bunt and then set up buys like Burke and Cameron who couldn't buy a hit this year?

I normally don't have a huge issue with his pitching decisions but last night was an abomination. We keep putting relievers in with 3-1 and 2-0 counts when we're just trying to get one out? Why wait so long on Byers? His nickname is "the fireman" for christ's sake.

I give him grace b/c he has taken UK baseball to new heights but some of the decisions are very puzzling

S ton of outs/runs were given away. Hope it was missed sign on the Brown deal. If hit and run why no swing even though ball in the eyes? Loved this team though can’t wait for next year.

 

[Crazycat68]

Read that article in KSR about Portal? They indicate that Hage, McCay, Gregersen and Rouse could come back. Don’t believe this to be true or maybe I read it wrong which is very highly likely.

 

[Crazycat68]

I'd go with Ming. I'm fine with some of the base running outs b/c that is how we play. Same with bunting, though I think sometimes we adhere to that strategy way too often.

My issues are:

-Not taking into account time and score. Why were we attempting (slow) Hudson brown to steal second in the top of the 8th inning after he had just worked a great AB? He was thrown out by a mile, and if it weren't for that Devon's homer was a two run blast and we would have been tied instead of trailing.

-Constantly taking unnecessary risks and running ourselves out of big innings. Remember the double steal earlier in the game where Hage was thrown out at third? Might we have wanted that run at the end? It's hard to say that this is always wrong b/c we get some benefit from it too (often times, our steal of second results in a run when we get a single with two outs). but is it really edgy and "Kentucky baseball" if we do the same thing every single time no matter the circumstances?

-Bunting with some of our best hitters even when they're followed up by cold or bad hitters. How m any times have we used Hansen or Hage to bunt and then set up buys like Burke and Cameron who couldn't buy a hit this year?

I normally don't have a huge issue with his pitching decisions but last night was an abomination. We keep putting relievers in with 3-1 and 2-0 counts when we're just trying to get one out? Why wait so long on Byers? His nickname is "the fireman" for christ's sake.

I give him grace b/c he has taken UK baseball to new heights but some of the decisions are very puzzling

Just now realized that that would have been a 2 run Jack. Man that was very costly. This team could play with anyone and get beat by anyone.

 

[Seamhead_Ninja]

Read that article in KSR about Portal? They indicate that Hage, McCay, Gregersen and Rouse could come back. Don’t believe this to be true or maybe I read it wrong which is very highly likely.

They do not have any eligibility remaining.