KSR Today: Spring Practice returns at the perfect time

Good morning, friends. I am back from Greensboro and beyond ready to move on from Kentucky’s disappointing 2022-23 season. Thankfully, the folks over at UK Athletics have wonderful timing. This morning, spring football practice picks up. Let’s start our rundown there.

Spring Practice Updates are BACK!

Spring practice took a one-week hiatus for spring break, but the pads are popping once again over at the Joe Craft Center. To celebrate, Kentucky opened the gates to the media to watch this morning’s practice. Not long from now, you’ll be blessed with updates from Nick Roush, Adam Luckett, and Drew Franklin, plus the sights and sounds from Steven Peake on our YouTube Channel. What a wonderful distraction from basketball depression.

Kentucky Baseball hosts Eastern Kentucky

How about those Bat Cats! While we were watching the Basketball Cats putter out in Greensboro, the Baseball Cats continued their red-hot start to the season with a sweep of Mississippi State. Kentucky is now 18-2 overall and 3-0 in league play following the series sweep, the Cats’ first in conference since March 2021. Nick Mingione’s squad has won 14 straight and is now ranked, coming in at No. 23 in D1 Baseball’s latest poll and No. 25 in Baseball America’s. It’s the first time Kentucky has been in the Baseball America Top 25 since 2018.

This evening, Kentucky hosts EKU at Kentucky Proud Park. First pitch is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. You can watch live on SEC Network+ or listen on the UK Sports Network. This weekend, the Bat Cats return to SEC play at Alabama, who dropped out of the Top 25 after losing a series 1-2 at No. 2 Florida.

Some important notes from the John Calipari Show

John Calipari did not waste time following Kentucky’s loss to Kansas State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Cats arrived back in Lexington Sunday night, and on Monday, Cal was back on the road to go visit Kentucky signee Justin Edwards. While on the phone with Tom Leach, he shared some important updates:

— Kentucky will represent Team USA in an event in Canada in July: There are going to be a LOT of new faces on next year’s roster. They’ll get somewhat of a head start on gelling as Kentucky represents Team USA in an international event in Toronto for a week in July.

— Player meetings coming next week: Now that the season is over, Stay and Go Season is officially here. We’ll have a little bit of time before the news starts to drop. Calipari said that he will have individual meetings with his players on Wednesday of next week to discuss future plans. Between now and then, they’ll process the end of the season and discuss it with their families.

On Sunday night, Calipari said he expects all six seniors to leave, but hopes remain high that Antonio Reeves will return. When it comes to the freshmen, Cason Wallace is a projected lottery pick, therefore almost certain to leave, while Chris Livingston has a big decision to make. I am all in on Sophomore Chris Livingston, so fingers crossed he runs it back for at least one more season in Lexington.

KSBoard is hopping

Between basketball season ending, stay and go and staffing decisions, and the return of spring practice, KSBoard is the place to be right now. Here’s a quick look at the most recent threads:

Join the conversation by taking advantage of our launch special. Ten dollars until football season gets you access to KSBoard and all the awesome content on KSR+ from Jacob Polacheck and Adam Luckett. In about an hour, you’ll get to see Jacob’s feature on 2024 in-state star Hayes Johnson, who committed to Kentucky in January.