KSR Today: Celebrating Kentucky's first-ever NCAA Super Regional trophy and trip to Omaha
On very little sleep this Monday morning, the celebration continues after Kentucky won its first-ever NCAA Super Regional, beating Oregon State, 3-2, late last night in Lexington. With the sweep of the Beavers, the Wildcats now head to Omaha to play for the College World Series championship for the first time in school history.
Get ready, Omaha. The Big Blue Nation is coming your way later this week. But first, we soak in the history made by winning the Supers.
A record crowd for #KPPAfterDark
7,558 fans filled Kentucky Proud Park to see Kentucky punch its ticket to Omaha. A new record was set by the turnout, breaking a day-old record from Saturday’s first game of the series. Fans lined up several hours before the gates opened to race to claim a seat. By 9 p.m., the place was rocking and ready to make history. After midnight, that crowd left with a UK memory they won’t forget.
The steal(s) and the slide
Before the game, Nolan McCarthy told his teammate, Robert Hogan, that he felt a Pete Rose slide coming Sunday night. Then, in the seventh inning of a tie game, McCarthy stole third and then home, scoring the go-ahead run to put Kentucky on top.
After the game, Hogan, who struck out three batters after McCarthy’s run, said, “All of a sudden I see him dive. I was, like, oh, my gosh, he just did the Pete Rose dive. That was awesome.”
Official box score
Nick Mingione’s postgame press conference
“My heart is filled with gratitude,” Mingione said in his opening comments. “So proud of these players, coaches, staff, former players, former coaches, former staff members that have just poured so much into this program.
“Thankful for our fans. Big Blue Nation was unbelievable these last three weeks. Even dating back to the last regular season series of the year, just absolutely incredible. Our fans really showed out. This is my plea to get them to come to Omaha, create that same environment.”
Hear more from Mingione, Devin Burkes, Nolan McCarthy, Robert Hogan, and Cameron O’Brien below.
KSR’s photo gallery from the scene
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Get your championship gear at Kentucky Branded
More Kentucky football camping
At Kroger Field, Kentucky hosts another Wildcat Day One camp today, welcoming young high school football talents and prospective student-athletes into a non-contact, skill-teaching camp. The summer showcase also doubles as an evaluation opportunity for the coaching staff. Last Monday, a baseball commit earned an offer from Vince Marrow to be the school’s first two-sport athlete in several years. Several other recruits were either offered or marked as players to watch moving forward. What will today bring? Stay tuned; KSR will let you know after another football camp in Lexington later today.
Monday with Myron
Coming up at 10 a.m., Myron Medcalf returns to the KSR airwaves as the host of Mondays with Myron and the KSR crew. Last week, Myron swooned KSR’s listeners with his best Al Green impersonations while introducing Merry Mondays to the summer schedule. Today, he and the guys will talk about UK Baseball heading to Omaha and more. Tune in.
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