PREVIEW: Kentucky and Oklahoma to clash in First Round of SEC Tournament

No. 12 seed Kentucky and No. 13 Oklahoma will clash for the fourth time this season in the second game of the 2025 SEC Tournament on Tuesday.

Kentucky hosted the Sooners for the first time ever just two weekends ago, where it earned its first and only conference sweep of the season. Over the three-game span, the ‘Cats outscored Oklahoma 19-10 and single handedly knocked them out of the top-25 rankings.

Since Nick Mingione took over at Kentucky prior to the 2017 season, it is 5-9 in the event with its best finish coming in 2022 (SEC Tournament Semifinals). Since then, the ‘Cats has been eliminated in the First Round on three separate occasions (2018, 2021 and 2023).

Oklahoma Sooners (33-19, 14-16)

After opening SEC play 13-11, the Sooners lost five of their final six conference games and slunk down to the No. 12 seed in the SEC Tournament with a 14-16 record.

This week will mark Oklahoma’s first ever appearance in the Hoover Met, a far cry from years of Big 12 Tournaments in Arlington.

It was announced on Monday that two Oklahoma players were selected to the All-SEC Teams in junior right-hander Kyson Witherspoon and junior catcher Easton Carmichael. Witherspoon finished with a 2.48 ERA in 14 starts this season (first in SEC) and Carmichael led his team with a .321 average and 14 home runs.

Witherspoon however is unlikely to start against Kentucky on Tuesday, as he threw 107 pitches in Oklahoma’s 7-4 loss last Thursday. It is still unknown who head coach Skip Johnson will deploy on the mound.

As a team, Oklahoma is hitting for a .278 batting average (161st in NCAA) with a 4.58 team earned run average (37th in NCAA). It won five of its 10 SEC series this season (South Carolina, Mississippi State, No. 11 Vanderbilt, Missouri and No. 24 Ole Miss) and holds solid non-conference victories over No. 10 Oregon State, Oklahoma State, Virginia and Texas Tech.

Heading into the SEC Tournament, Oklahoma is a projected No. 3 seed in the Fort Worth Region (D1Baseball).

Kentucky Wildcats (29-23, 13-17)

Kentucky entered the Oklahoma series two weekends ago in desperate need of a series victory and it delivered in a big way, sweeping the Sooners out of Lexington and back to Norman. That weekend, the opposing Sooners never even held a lead after a complete inning. It was likely the Wildcats’ most COMPLETE series of the season.

Facing an Oklahoma team that boasted a 4.31 team earned run average (then ranked 26th in NCAA), the ‘Cats hit for a .289 team average over the three-game series and enjoyed big performances from Ryan Schwartz, James McCoy and Luke Lawrence.

Schwartz had one of the best performances of the season in the second game, as he went 3-3 at the plate with a double and four RBI. The freshman swiss army knife however has been ruled OUT for Tuesday’s game as he remains in concussion protocol.

With the regular season finally coming to a close, Kentucky finished with a .270 team batting average (210th in NCAA) and a 4.49 team ERA (31st in NCAA). The ‘Cats were led by senior outfielder Cole Hage (.322 AVG, 12 HR), Freshman All-SEC shortstop Tyler Bell (.311) and senior third baseman Patrick Herrera (.297). Bell, who received the honor on Monday, is the first Wildcat to be named Freshman All-SEC since 2016.

When it comes to who Nick Mingione will deploy on the mound on Tuesday, it is likely to be freshman right-hander Nate Harris. Harris, who last started on Thursday and threw just 60 pitches, boasted a 4.22 ERA (second in SEC among freshmen) in 53 1/3 innings pitched this season. He allowed just five hits and two earned runs in 4 2/3 innings in his start against Oklahoma on May 9.

The ‘Cats are currently a consensus No. 3 seed in the latest Field of 64 Projections, and can absolutely cast off any doubt of being left out of the NCAA Tournament with a win on Tuesday. If they lose however, a 29-24 (13-17) Kentucky team still remains likely to make its third consecutive appearance in the Big Dance (first time ever).

ALL-TIME SERIES: Kentucky leads 3-0

Probable Starters

Tuesday, May 19, 2025 (Hoover Metropolitan Stadium – Approx 2:30 p.m. EST) SEC Network
UK: RHP Nate Harris (4-2, 3.65 ERA, 49.1 IP) vs OU: TBA

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