Nick Mingione explains the importance of Big Blue Nation to Kentucky's success

Kentucky baseball coach Nick Mingione knows the fans have played a big role in the team’s record-setting season. The Wildcats won a school record 22 SEC games on their way to earning the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament.

They went on to roll through Regional play with three straight wins to advance to Super Regionals for only the third time in program history (all under Mingione). However, this will mark the first time that UK has hosted a Super Regional in Lexington.

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That should provide a fun atmosphere for fans at Kentucky Proud Park over the next few days as the Wildcats aim to beat Oregon State and make their first College World Series. Speaking in a press conference prior to the start of the series, Mingione showered praise on the UK fans.

You’ve heard me say a ton that I want to do things that have never been done before, and for whatever reason, I just maybe view myself as a builder,” he explained. “I think one of my spiritual gifts is the gift of encouragement. I can tell you that there’s been a lot of time, effort and energy and intentional effort have gone into everything we’ve done, from the way we have little kids stand on the field with our players for the National Anthem, the way our players literally go in the stands and meet the fans right there, face to face, after the game. We don’t put the barrier of the net in the way.

“It’s been very intentional the way we’ve gone about everything. We have given them access. We have done fan days. We have visited children’s hospitals. We’ve been to the veterans’ hospital. We have over the course of time since I’ve been here, we’ve even delivered season tickets to our fans. My first two years that’s what we did. We went out and met the fans and gave them their season tickets and introduced ourselves and invited them to come to the park, so everything we’ve done has been intentional.”

The fans have certainly responded, breaking the single-game attendance record this season when 7,304 people showed up for a matchup against Tennessee in April. The total attendance for all three games of that series was 21,023, shattering the previous record of 12,815.

A large part of the growing interest is due to the way Mingione has built the program up in his eight seasons at the helm. He has led UK to three NCAA Tournament appearances, including a Super Regional appearance in 2023.

The home field advantage will be a key factor as the Wildcats hope for a different result this season, and Mingione made sure to thank the fans for their continued support.

“For us to thank them, to have them make sure they know how appreciated they are, it is, because we’re trying to build something to where every year that someone goes, man, hey, what are we doing on a Friday night in April or May, let’s go watch the Cats play, and it becomes part of the rhythm, and Lexington, Kentucky, in the state of Kentucky, you know this, it has a track — not only record, but it has a rhythm to it. It has a rhythm to it,” he said. “You know, we all know what happens in March, and then we know April comes and it’s Keeneland. Well, why can’t Kentucky baseball be May and June and into — so we’re trying to kind of build our way and get into the rhythms of what this city and this state has been through for so many years, and that takes time.

“If somebody doesn’t feel appreciated, maybe they may not come back. But to hear myself and the players and everybody else thank them, I just think that goes a long way because when our hearts are filled with gratitude, that is us at our best, everybody, for whatever situation we’re going through in life, it doesn’t matter, practice, game. When we can find the way to find the good in it and just be thankful, through the good and the bad, through the hard times and the great times, I think people appreciate that. That’s how I want our players to be, and that’s how I want to be.”

The first matchup in the best-of-three series between Kentucky and Oregon State is set for 6 p.m. ET on Saturday.