Nick Mingione reveals team motivation ahead of rematch against Hagen Smith

Kentucky was tasked with a matchup against Arkansas and star pitcher Hagen Smith on Thursday for their second game of the SEC Tournament. A tall task especially considering Hagen’s effectiveness on the mound against the Wildcats during the regular season.

The SEC Pitcher of the Year that many consider the best left-hander in the country tossed 14 strikeouts versus Kentucky during their matchup on May 3. But after scoring two runs in the first inning to take an early lead in the game, the Wildcats seem to have an answer for the Razorback ace.

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The Wildcats’ early lead is crucial in the midst of their elimination game in Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, which Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione discussed at the top of the third inning.

“I mean if you told me we’d be up 2-0 starting into the third against these guys I would say sign me up,” Mingione said. “So far so good, like the way our guys are competing.”

Mingione was asked what the message was to his team ahead of their rematch with Smith given how well he played last time when facing Kentucky’s lineup. Pulling back the curtain on how a boxer from the past played a role in the Wildcats’ motivation in the batter’s box.

“Here’s what we did, Coach Ammo (Nick Ammirati), one of our many great coaches that we have that I’ve hired, he is amazing. And he asked our guys today, does anybody know who Buster Douglas is? And we had a guy if you can believe that, Ryan Hagenow, of course. What a stud,” Mingione said.

Douglas was famous for knocking out heavyweight champion and boxing legend Mike Tyson in 1990 in a moment that shocked the world and handed Iron Mike the first loss of his career. As the Wildcats looked to take a page out of Douglas’ book in their strategy against Smith.

“They asked him how did you do it? And he said the same punches I was hitting him with in the second (round) I was hitting him with in the 10th (round) and eventually got him. And any time you have an absolute stud like this, so the message was, hey man you gotta get in there and you gotta fight,” Mingione said. “And I challenged our positional players, I made everybody that faced him last time to stand up. And I said okay, you’re gonna face him for a second time, what are you going to do different?”

“I don’t care, he might strike us out 14 more times, but when he’s gonna strike us out, differently. And I said alright, show me, and I made them tell the whole team what they were gonna do and how they were gonna do it differently,” Mingione explained.

The message clearly worked for Kentucky’s offense, with Smith being pulled off the mound following two innings after giving up two runs. But the Buster Douglas mentality was also spread to the team’s pitchers as well.

“And then I paired up a pitcher with them and I said alright pitchers you’re in a fight with them, you are in the ring with them, and he’s going to tell you and you’re going to repeat back to him what he’s gonna do,” Mingione added. “And we went down the line and it was awesome. It was 7:10 in the morning and we’re having fun and they’re nose to nose with each other and challenging each other and that was the message.”

It’s safe to say the morning motivation worked for Kentucky, with starting pitcher Trey Pooser allowing just three hits in a shutout performance through five innings. As Kentucky will look to hang onto a 6-0 lead over Arkansas that they’ve built entering the sixth inning.