Bat 'Cats eliminated in first round of SEC Tournament

After an exciting regular-season finale win at No. 2 Vanderbilt this past weekend, the UK Baseball team travelled to Hoover, Alabama to begin their SEC Tournament run today against the No. 6 seed Florida. With the Wildcats’ NCAA Tournament hopes hanging in the balance, it was an important one. Unfortunately, missed opportunities on offense and a couple of key defensive errors haunted the Wildcats, who lost 4-1.

Kentucky and Florida faced off earlier this month in an intense series in Lexington. The ‘Cats won the opener and were only one strike away from claiming the series, but a controversial no-call on the final strike led to a Gator rally and win.

The ‘Cats had a promising start after leadoff batter Austin Schultz was hit by a pitch and TJ Collett doubled with no outs. Florida pitcher Tommy Mace dug in and struck out the next three Kentucky batters, leaving Schultz and Collett stranded.

Sean Harney got the start for Kentucky – and it probably wasn’t the one he had hoped for. Florida’s leadoff hitter Jacob Young hit a bomb off Harney’s first pitch, giving the Gators a quick 1-0 lead. Harney struggled to find his groove afterwards, hitting and walking consecutive Gators. Florida pushed another run home before a fly out to John Rhodes was finally able to close the inning.

The ‘Cats squandered more opportunities in the second. After a Zeke Lewis double and Cam Hill single put runners on the corners, Lewis was caught stealing at home after an impressive defensive play by the Gator shortstop. Chase Estep struck out swinging next, ending the inning with no Kentucky runs.

After stranding another two runners in the fourth, Kentucky finally found the board in the fifth. John Rhodes doubled down the left field line to score Schultz, cutting the Florida lead to 2-1. Ryan Ritter had the chance to tie or take the lead with the bases loaded and two outs, but fouled out to the Gator first baseman to end the inning.

.@j_rhodes6 with the RBI double to get us going!

📺 https://t.co/A9P6ipcZiE pic.twitter.com/fdpIBnvDBr

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) May 25, 2021

A Gator RBI single in the bottom of the fifth extended their lead to 3-1 and prompted a Kentucky pitching change. Daniel Harper entered the game for Harney with the bases loaded and only one out. Florida scored again on a fielder’s choice before the inning ended, giving them a three-run lead heading to the sixth inning.

Florida loaded the bases again in the bottom of the eighth after Cole Daniels came in to relieve Harper. After only four pitches, Daniels was quickly replaced by Holt Jones as the ‘Cats looked to limit the damage and give their offense a chance in the top of the ninth. A pair of outs ended the inning with no additional Florida runs as the ‘Cats looked for an offensive spark in their last chance.

A deep single from Rhodes brought the tying tun to the plate in the top of the ninth. A wild pitch moved the Wildcat runners to second and third, but the middle of the lineup couldn’t get it done. Pinch hitter Oraj Anu grounded out to end the game, and presumably the season.

Though the ‘Cats boast one of the best defenses in the SEC, they recorded two crucial errors today. The offense struggled converting as well. Though they had 11 hits, they couldn’t find any big ones and left 14 runners on base.

Wildcat head coach Nick Mingione was careful when discussing Kentucky’s post-season future. “Who knows, I’ve seen crazier things,” Mingione said. “Our resume is what it is.”

Mingione signed a contract extension in early March that would keep him in Lexington through the 2025 season. If UK terminates his contract prior to June 30, 2021, he would receive 50% of his salary for the next three years. Kentucky has not made the NCAA tournament since 2017.

After doing some math, it appears that Kentucky would owe Nick Mingione an $862,500 buyout if a firing came now or after the 2022 season. The number drops to $575,000 in 2023.

— Adam Luckett (@AdamLuckettKSR) May 25, 2021

After today’s loss, the ‘Cats are now 29-23 on the season (12-19 SEC). Though anything could happen, this was considered a must-win game for Kentucky to make it into the NCAA tournament. Selections are scheduled to release on Monday.