2023 NCAA Baseball Tournament Preview: Lexington Region
For only the third time in program history, the University of Kentucky will be hosting a regional to begin postseason play in NCAA baseball. On Memorial Day, we learned of Kentucky’s path to Omaha.
The Wildcats are the No. 12 overall seed and will be the favorite to move out of the region at Kentucky Proud Park. The double-elimination format will begin on Friday with a doubleheader. After doing some research, KSR is diving into the entire field in the Lexington region.
Find out more about the four teams participating in the Big Dance. Kentucky seems to have received a very fair draw from the selection committee.
Schedule
Friday, June 2
- Game 1: Ball State vs. Kentucky (Noon ET | SEC Network)
- Game 2: Indiana vs. West Virginia (7:00 p.m. ET | ESPN+)
Saturday, June 3
- Game 3: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 (1:00 p.m. ET | TBD)
- Game 4: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 (7:00 p.m. ET | TBD)
Sunday, June 4
- Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4 (1:00 p.m. ET | TBD)
- Game 6: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 4 (7:00 p.m. ET | TBD)
Monday, June 5
- Game 7 (if necessary): Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 (7:00 p.m. ET | TBD)
Kentucky Wildcats
- Record: 36-18 (16-14)
- RPI: 2
- Non-conference record: 20-3
- Last 10 games: 5-5
- Quadrant 1 record: 18-16
Kentucky is back in the postseason for the first time since 2017. Nick Mingione’s club finished the year with a winning record in SEC play and had the No. 1 strength of schedule in college baseball making this resume one of the best in the field. The Bat Cats have won games with balance.
Kentucky ranks No. 23 in ERA (4.33), No. 26 in WHIP (1.35), No. 11 in on-base percentage (.420), and No. 2 in fielding percentage (.984). Pitching, defense, and plate discipline have won this team a bunch of games. UK’s lineup does not have a ton of power, but they make pitchers throw strikes and can typically hang around due to pitching balance.
WKU transfer Jackson Gray is a top player to watch this weekend. The left-handed hitting centerfielder is great on defense and ranks No. 14 overall in on-base percentage (.514).
West Virginia Mountaineers
- Record: 39-18 (15-9)
- RPI: 24
- Non-conference record: 24-7
- Last 10 games: 4-6
- Quadrant 1 record: 14-10
For the third time in 11 seasons, head coach Randy Mazey has led West Virginia to the NCAA Tournament. The Mountaineers received an at-large bid out of the Big 12 Conference and are still searching for their first-ever super regional berth.
WVU struggled down the stretch, but this a team that can do damage on the mound and at the plate. The Mountaineers rank No. 24 in ERA (4.35), No. 18 in steals per game (2.12), and No. 21 in on-base percentage (.414). Sophomore J.J. Wetherholt is one of the best offensive players in college baseball ranking No. 2 in batting average (.443), No. 13 in slugging percentage (.778), and No. 17 in on-base percentage (.512). Wetherholt has 15 home runs and 35 stolen bases. The Big 12 Player of the Year will be the best player in Lexington.
WVU played a weak non-conference schedule (No. 128) and enters the NCAA Tournament having lost five games in a row.
Indiana Hoosiers
Record: 41-18 (16-8)
RPI: 30
Non-conference record: 24-8
Last 10 games: 6-4
Quadrant 1 record: 8-12
For the seventh time in the last 10 full years, Indiana baseball has received an invite to the postseason. Head coach Jeff Mercer has led the Hoosiers to another NCAA Tournament with the Big Ten program drawing the No. 3 seed in the Lexington regional.
Indiana reeled off over 40 wins this season, but that was mostly due to a bad schedule. The Hoosiers played in 17 Quadrant 4 games against sub-150 competition and went undefeated. However, IU was just 8-12 in Quadrant 1 games against top-50 competition. Kentucky owns a run-rule victory over Indiana while the Hoosiers also dropped a series to Auburn and split with Indiana State.
Devin Taylor (.317/.439/.661) and Brock Tibbitts (.372/.465/.605) are two players to watch at the plate. Each has an OPS over 1.00 with a combined 26 home runs and 123 RBI.
Ball State Cardinals
Record: 36-21 (19-11)
RPI: 101
Non-conference record: 14-10
Last 10 games: 6-4
Quadrant 1 record: 2-7
The MAC champions are heading to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2006. Former Michigan head coach Rich Maloney is in his second stint in Muncie. The experienced head coach led the Cardinals to a conference tournament title after a second-place finish in the MAC during the regular season.
Ball State played two close games against Indiana in the regular season. Decker Scheffler (.388/.464/.617) leads the way at the plate with 24 extra-base hits and 49 RBI. Trennon O’Donnell heads the rotation (14 starts, 2.98 ERA, .219 opponent batting average) and could be a tough challenge for Kentucky in the opening round.
Discuss This Article
Comments have moved.
Join the conversation and talk about this article and all things Kentucky Sports in the new KSR Message Board.
KSBoard