Nick Mingione addresses chirping with Alabama dugout during review
The Alabama vs. Kentucky baseball game at the SEC Tournament on Tuesday night got heated following a literal bang-bang play at the plate in the bottom of the second inning.
After Kentucky catcher Devin Burkes was thrown out at the plate by Alabama right fielder Andrew Pinckney, the play at the plate went to video review. As it did, Kentucky coach Nick Mingione was seen barking back and forth with a couple Alabama coaches.
He explained the sequence following the game.
“Yeah, I was trying to figure out where I was supposed to be because normally on a replay you’re supposed to be in the box, and then I was going back, and then I was going back and forth, and there was some chirping going out and things like that,” Nick Mingione said. “That’s all. It’s a competitive game. I mean, people are going to have emotions and things like that. I thought the umpires did a good job.”
The video review confirmed the out at the plate, which came after Burkes barrelled into Alabama catcher Mac Guscette.
Guscette held onto the ball to record the out, but he was shaken up in the process, undoubtedly part of what made Nick Mingione’s trip in front of the Alabama dugout contentious. Guscette would end up OK and was able to close the game out.
The play sparked the Crimson Tide, which cruised to a 4-0 victory on Tuesday night to eliminate the Wildcats.
Pinckney’s throw home was the highlight of the night, though it certainly wasn’t his only highlight. He also blasted a two-run home run, as well as an RBI double, bringing home three of Alabama’s four runs in the game.
He also made a spectacular catch on a full sprint on a ball hit well down the right field line.
“I told the umpire, I said, JJ, this is pretty amazing what we’ve just seen,” Nick Mingione said, tipping his cap to the Alabama star. “He took a run off the board by throwing us out at the plate, he hit a two-run home run, so he’s plus three in my book, I don’t know, and then made a great diving play down the line.
“It was a pretty special performance and one I know he’ll remember forever.”
With its time at the SEC Tournament now done, Kentucky will sit back and wait to find out where it’s headed for postseason play.
The Wildcats finished the year with a 36-18 overall record and a 16-14 mark in SEC play. D1Baseball.com had Kentucky hosting an NCAA Regional as the No. 10 national seed in its latest projections of the Field of 64.