Nick Mingione discusses atmosphere at SEC Tournament

The SEC Tournament just wrapped up a record-breaking weekend down in Hoover. While Kentucky didn’t get to spend much time there, head coach Nick Mingione agreed that it was another very successful outing for the conference.

Mingione addressed the spirit down inside Hoover Met. Stadium even though the Wildcats only played one contest there. He complimented the league for handling it so well. He also applauded the numerous fans from each baseball program that came out to support their teams.

“Our league does the best job of our conference tournament. There’s a lot of people that nail every detail,” Mingione said. “What about the grounds crew? The job they did on the field? And then all the people that showed up? They could have easily sat at home. It’s raining, it’s wet. And they didn’t. They came out.”

“That’s one of the neat things about this tournament is the people. And our league, they are the best; and the fans, we have the best fans,” said Mingione. “For the fans to come out? I know that means the world to them. And they need to keep being there for them because these are 18- to 24-year-olds.”

The SEC Tournament set a new record for attendance with 171,288 fans watching the 17 games that were played over the course of the week. They watched as Vanderbilt went 4-1 to advance and officially win the tournament title. The Commodores were able to do so over tenth-seeded Texas A&M who impressed many in their six appearances.

As for Mingione’s Wildcats, their candle got snuffed out quickly as they were eliminated in a 4-0 shutout against Alabama. Now, after Mingione’s highly regarded words towards the people this week in Hoover, UK will now return to Lexington and await the news on their NCAA fate on Monday.

More on Kentucky’s opening round loss to Alabama in the SEC Tournament

Kentucky had to wait an extra hour due to rain on Tuesday but that extra preparation time didn’t seem to help. The Wildcat bats came out flat as they were shut out by Alabama 4-0, sending the ‘Cats back to Lexington following just one game at the SEC Tournament in Hoover.

Alabama’s Andrew Pinckney was the star of the opening game. He did absolutely everything in his power to will Alabama to the next round. The second-team All-SEC selection finished 2-4 on the night with a home run, a double, and three RBI. Along with his stellar play at the plate, Pinckney made two huge defensive plays in right field. One of them actually prevented a needed Wildcat run.

With the loss, Kentucky’s hopes of hosting a Super Regional are all but dashed. Hosting a Regional at Kentucky Proud Park is still up for grabs, though, as postseason play is expected to make its way to Lexington for the first time since 2017.