Bases Loaded: How Kentucky could replace Tyler Bell
Everything went to plan for Kentucky this weekend in Greensboro — except for one bad injury break. The Bat Cats must move forward without star shortstop Tyler Bell for an unknown period of time. That unknown period could very well be weeks.
The status of Bell’s shoulder injury is currently unknown. Kentucky had to play two full games without the sophomore in the lineup this weekend. Some more will likely be needed. How does UK go about replacing their best player in the lineup? We saw some of the team approach in the first weekend.
Ahead of the first four-game week of the season, KSR’s Bases Loaded is taking a look at what the domino effect of losing Tyler Bell is, who replaces him in the field, who replaces him in the lineup, and how this affects the pitching staff.
A big few weeks could be ahead for Kentucky without Bell. This is how the Bat Cats try to replace him.
Game 1 Recap: Kentucky 13, UNC Greensboro 2
Game 2 Recap: Kentucky 11, UNC Greensboro 3
Game 3 Recap: Kentucky 10, UNC Greensboro 6
Who plays shortstop?
We got our first look at Nick Mingione’s backup plan to Tyler Bell this weekend. True freshman Caeden Cloud replaced Bell in the first game when the blowout was already established. Cloud finished the game 0-1 with a strikeout in his only plate appearance. UK then decided to do some shuffling in the lineup.
Luke Lawrence spent two seasons at Illinois State from 2023-24. The middle infielder spent most of his time at third base as a true freshman before shifting to shortstop as a sophomore. After spending last season at second base, UK will now be asking Lawrence to play shortstop.
The veteran started two games at the position for Kentucky against UNC Greensboro. That left open a hole at second base. Kentucky veteran Ethan Hindle filled that hole after starting a designated hitter in game one. Meanwhile, an expected third base platoon with Hindle and Indiana transfer Tyler Cerny never developed. That job appears to be all Cerny’s moving forward since Hindle will need to spend time on the right side of the infield.
Kentucky has some built in answers. The top bench player (either Cerny or Hindle) will now be in the lineup full-time. That opens up a designated hitter spot that Elon catcher transfer Alex Duffey filled in the doubleheader on Saturday. The biggest positive development that stood out about UK over the weekend was the overall roster depth. That was on full display without Bell.
Luke Lawrence is your new starting shortstop. Ethan Hindle is your new starting second baseman. True freshman Caeden Cloud is now a top backup. UK has a backup plan but the depth is now being stretched.
Who replaces Tyler Bell in the lineup?
Tyler Bell was expected to hit third in Kentucky’s lineup and carry a heavy load for this offense after the preseason All-American hit over .300 in SEC play as a true freshman. Not one person on this team is going to replace him. UK will need a committee approach to replace Bell. But some players are going to be moving up in the lineup and receiving bigger roles. We saw that play out.
Right fielder Ryan Schwartz moved up to No. 3 and first baseman Hudson Brown moved up to No. 4 on Nick Mingione’s lineup card. Each responded with production. Schwartz had a huge first weekend that included going 6-9 at the plate with two doubles, two RBI, three walks, two HBP, and three steals with just one strikeout in 13 plate appearances. Expectations were high for the right-handed swinging sophomore from North Carolina and those are not going away.
Kentucky needs Schwartz to now carry a pretty heavy load for this offense. Ahead of Bell were Luke Lawrence and outfielder Jayce Tharnish. Expectations were also high for these two entering the season. Kentucky will need them to both get on base and hopefully provide some more slugging without Bell available. Lawrence hit a grand slam on Friday. Tharnish showed off his speed on a triple. These two must be table setters for this offense but they also must take on a more run producing role.
Kentucky should also get left-handed swinging Carson Hansen in the lineup soon. The outfielder has 18 career home runs and 100 RBI with a .939 OPS across 423 plate appearances. Hansen could give the lineup some more slugging that will be missing without Bell available.
Some shuffling is needed but Kentucky has some legitimate insurance. Ryan Schwartz owns high upside and will now be plugged into a very important role batting behind Luke Lawerence and Jayce Tharnish in the middle of Kentucky’s lineup.
How can the pitching staff help?
You can’t lose if you score more runs than the other team. There is offense and defense. The best way to master in run prevention is to get strong pitching. That begins with the starting rotation. Kentucky’s first three looked the part this weekend.
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Jaxon Jelkin (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 10 K), Ben Cleaver (4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 7 K, 2 HBP), and Nate Harris (4 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 2 HBP) each cruised in the Tar Heel State over 12 innings with 22 strikeouts and zero walks. Each starter was in ramp up mode for the season and did not record a long outing. That will likely change in the future as we get into the rhythm of the baseball season. One of the biggest positive signs from the weekend was that this starting rotation can be a real strength. Jelkin and Cleaver are each legit strikeout artists and Harris continues to pitch aggressive and smart. This is a group that can take this team somewhere.
Now Nick Mingione and pitching coach Dan Roszel must figure out bullpen roles. There will be some tinkering and experimenting over the first few weeks of the season.
Grand Canyon RHP transfer Connor Mattison (3.2 IP, 3 H, ER, 7 K), EKU RHP transfer Burkley Bounds (2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 5 K, BB), and WKU RHP transfer Jack Bennett (2.2 IP, 1 H, ER, 3 K, BB) all had solid debuts. Mattison and Bennett each have extensive starting experience and could be used in midweek games or as a top backup if something happens to one of the starters. All three righties will get innings this season out of the bullpen. Bounds showed the stuff to potentially become a closer for this program and has multiple years of eligibility remaining.
Unfortunately, it was not all smooth sailing for the bullpen.
Sidearm reliever Ira Austin IV found himself in some big trouble late in the second game on Saturday and Tommy Skelding had some problems in his only outing. Meanwhile, lefty Leighton Harris also got in a jam after a bunt single started a mini avalanche on in Game 3. All three of these players are expected to fill prominent roles but each got off to a rocky start.
The Bat Cats know what they have in the weekend rotation. What we will learn in the coming weeks is what midweek pitching plan is and what pitchers UK will want in the backend of the bullpen for the weekend.
No matter who is in the lineup, UK appears to have some frontline starters who will give this team a lot of chances to win games. That is a promising sign if Kentucky’s star shortstop will be out of the lineup for an extended period. This all starts with the weekend rotation.
On Deck: Morehead State and Evansville
Kentucky’s first four-game week of the season has arrived. The home opener will take place at Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday before another weekend series on the road against a mid-major opponent. This week all games are expected to be streaming on ESPN+.
| Date | Opponent | Venue | Time |
| Feb. 17 (Tuesday) | Morehead State | Kentucky Proud Park | 4 p.m. ET |
| Feb. 20 (Friday) | Evansville | Charles H. Braun Stadium | 4 p.m. ET |
| Feb. 21 (Saturday) | Evansville | Charles H. Braun Stadium | 3 p.m. ET |
| Feb. 22 (Sunday) | Evansville | Charles H. Braun Stadium | 2 p.m. ET |
Morehead State (2-1) will head to Lexington on Tuesday. The Eagles are in year two under head coach Chris Rose and are fresh off a tough 14-win campaign that included an early season 8-2 road loss to Kentucky. The Eagles were picked to finish just above last place in the OVC.
Evansville (0-3) will host Kentucky for a three-game series at Charles H. Braun Stadium this weekend. Head coach Wes Carroll is now in year 18 and led this Missouri Valley program to a Super Regional performance in 2024 before falling back to 17-37 (10-17) in 2025. The Purple Aces started the season with three losses in a three-team series that featured Kennesaw State and Marshall. Carroll’s squad allowed 34 runs across three games. Evansville was picked to finish fifth in the Missouri Valley behind Missouri State, Southern Illinois, Murray State, and Illinois State.
Kentucky will look to gobble up some wins before next week brings the first home weekend series of the season against St. John’s.
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