KSR Today: The College World Series begins, NBA Finals end?

The road to Omaha has already taken place, the Bat Cats cruising through the Lexington Regional and Super Regional en route to the College World Series. Now, it’s time to see if they can create some magic during their run in Omaha starting this weekend.

The CWS officially begins today, North Carolina set to take on Virginia in game one starting at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN, followed by Tennessee vs. Florida State in game two at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN. Kentucky will watch things unfold from the stands at Charles Schwab Field on Friday before making its CWS debut on Saturday in a head-to-head battle vs. NC State at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Win that one and the Wildcats would play again Sunday at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN, a loss sending them to the losers’ bracket in the double-elimination event, that win-or-go-home matchup taking place at 2 p.m. ET on ESPN.

Easy enough, right? If not, here’s the complete bracket to follow along as game action begins this afternoon:

Nick Mingione wants Bat Cats to soak in every minute

This has never been done in the history of Kentucky baseball, a run unlike anything this program has ever seen. It’d be easy to let this moment overwhelm and consume a bunch of new kids on the block, more star-struck than hungry to leave Omaha with a national championship.

Head coach Nick Mingione wants his team to experience a little bit of both, understanding the magnitude of this journey and what it means while also focusing on the top priority: bringing home the hardware. Fortunately for the Bat Cats, their leader has been there and knows how to tune out the noise, Mississippi State finishing as the runner-up in the 2013 College World Series with Mingione on staff.

“I just remember coming here and just thinking about there’s a lot of things going on, and rightfully so. This is the mecca of college baseball,” he said ahead of Saturday’s matchup. “I remember just reflecting and talking to some folks that have been here since then just about how to try to stay focused on the task at hand.

“It is a very similar message to our team. You’ll be pulled in a lot of directions, but we have to keep the main thing the main thing. This team has done a great job of that all year, but to be able to stay focused on the task at hand, and that’s to try to bring Kentucky its first-ever college baseball national championship.”

We certainly like the sound of that.

Kentucky takes early Jello Shot Challenge lead at Rocco’s, now sits in third

It’s a tradition unlike any other, baseball fans flocking to Omaha to not only watch their teams compete in the College World Series, but also represent them well on the Jello Shot Challenge leaderboard at Rocco’s. The goal is simple: order more $5 shots than any other school in Omaha by the end of the CWS, a tally measuring both fan turnout, but also their passion — it ain’t easy guzzling down jello shots all week long.

And after one night at Rocco’s, Big Blue Nation proved once again it’s here to compete. All of those concerns about Kentucky fans not traveling for baseball were immediately thrown away, taking an early lead on the first leaderboard released at 8 PM before finishing in third to close out the night with 279 total shots by midnight — $1,395 worth.

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Take a look at the current standings:

Tennessee – 348
North Carolina – 284
Kentucky – 279
NC State – 209
Florida State – 171
Texas A&M – 165
Virginia – 88
Florida – 77

Jealousy kicked in for the Vols after starting off the day in fifth place, taking 266 shots in a span of four hours to take the lead. Just couldn’t handle the sight of BBN making an early statement during our first trip to Omaha.

Time to regroup and head back to Rocco’s better than ever on Friday, folks.

Follow KSR at the College World Series

KSR the show may not be headed to Omaha this weekend, but the website will be well-represented. KSR baseball beat writer Daniel Hager and videographer Steven Peake hit the road on Friday to capture all the action and excitement for Kentucky’s first College World Series appearance. They’ll be sharing all of their adventures on the site, social media, and special editions of “Bat Cat Beat” and Rapid Reactions on the KSR YouTube Channel, so make sure you’re following and subscribed to keep up with the Cats.

Can Boston close out the NBA Finals?

As our resident Celtics fan here at KSR HQ, I understand that these NBA Finals have not lived up to the hype. Kyrie Irving was a no-show in Games 1 and 2 while Luka Doncic’s temper tantrums and pathetic defense let the team down in Game 3, paving the way for Boston to take a commanding 3-0 lead in the series against the Mavericks. No team has ever come back from down 3-0 in a single playoff series, let alone in the Finals. Can Dallas be the first?

Unlikely, but they’ll give it their best shot starting tonight in Game 4, that matchup taking place in Dallas at 8:30 p.m. ET on ABC. It’s a win-or-go-home situation for the Mavs while the Celtics are on the cusp of closing out the playoffs with a historic 16-2 finish that includes back-to-back sweeps in the Eastern Conference Finals and Finals.

We’ll see what happens tonight.

It’s Sources Say Takeover Day on KSR

Fridays are guest host days on KSR with Matt Jones on vacation this summer, today being a special one for me personally. It’s Sources Say Takeover Day, Shawn Smith joining me from 10 a.m. to noon ET for our third straight year hosting the show.

We’ll be talking about the ins and outs of Mark Pope’s debut roster in Lexington, who could take the 13th scholarship, preseason accolades and shark attacks. Oh, and Wake Forest transfer Andrew Carr will be joining us at 11:40 a.m. ET to talk about the move-in process and life as a Wildcat in his first days on campus.

We’re thrilled and grateful for the opportunity. Give us a listen on 630 WLAP this morning.