MORGANTOWN — Like West Virginia, Kentucky will be making its third consecutive trip to the NCAA tournament.
It’s the first time Kentucky has accomplished that feat.
The difference? While the 24th-ranked Mountaineers (41-14) will walk into the Clemson, S.C. Regional at noon Friday as Big 12 champs, the Wildcats went from 2024 SEC champions and College World Series participant to 13th place in the conference a season later.
How does that happen? Let Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione explain:
“Just to recap, off of last year’s team, our first baseman signed pro,” Mingione began his press conference on Tuesday. “Our second baseman signed pro. Our shortstop signed pro.”
The ninth-year Kentucky coach wasn’t finished.
“Our third baseman signed pro. Our left fielder signed pro. The center fielder went in the portal. Our designated hitter graduated. Our Friday night starter signed pro. Our Saturday night starter signed pro,” he continued.
Mingione still wasn’t finished in his discussion about what the Wildcats (29-24) lost from last season, but you get the picture.
Which sets the picture for Friday’s opening-round matchup between the Mountaineers and Wildcats.
WVU was expected to be in this position. Certainly, after beginning the season with an 18-1 record, the Mountaineers were expected to be in the NCAA tournament. Kentucky was not.
“There were a lot of people who never gave this team a chance to even make the postseason,” Mingione said. “This team had a decision to make. Am I just going to do enough to win that open spot or are we going to be a team?
“I’m super proud of them, because look what’s happened. They’ve become a team.”
The Wildcats became a team while also playing one of the most difficult schedules in the country.
Kentucky played the eighth-toughest schedule in the nation and played 27 Quad 1 opponents this season.
For comparison, WVU has played 29 Quad 1 opponents combined over the past two seasons.
“Even to the last day or minute, there were still some people who did not know or believe if we were worthy or going to make the postseason,” Mingione said. “Here we are now, we’ve completed history. We’ve done something that’s never been done in Kentucky baseball history. We’re playing in our third-straight NCAA regional.”
Make no mistake, Mingione has gone through a rebuilding phase before over his nine seasons with the Wildcats.
The previous ones never ended with an appearance in the NCAA tournament.
“When we’ve lost that many people before, we finished dead last in the SEC,” he said. “Dead last.”
Quick recruiting is how the Wildcats kept their head above water this time.
Cole Hage (.317, 12 HR, 39 RBIs) was a transfer from Columbia, who was an all-Ivy League first-teamer for three seasons.
Shortstop Tyler Bell was one of the top-ranked incoming freshmen, who passed up being the No. 66 overall pick of the 2024 MLB draft by the Tampa Bay Rays in order to play college ball.
He’s hitting .306 with 10 home runs and leads the Wildcats with 46 RBIs.
Luke Lawrence (.299, 35 RBIs) is a transfer from Illinois State. The Wildcats’ anchor on defense — center fielder Carson Hansen —is a transfer from Wisconsin-Milwaukee.
The group came together early in the nonconference season, winning 11 of their first 12 games.
It wasn’t until the start of SEC play that the Wildcats hit a snag.
Kentucky dropped two of three to Georgia and did the same a week later against Auburn.
It went 1-2 against Mississippi and Texas, was swept by Mississippi State, but took two of three against Tennessee.
At the end of the regular season, Vanderbilt — the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament — came away with a sweep of the Wildcats, but those three wins came by a combined four runs.
Kentucky lost just one SEC game by 10 or more runs this season.
“In our league, we proved we could play with anyone,” Mingione said. “When you do that in the Southeastern Conference — when you beat the best teams and you play with the best teams — you’re clearly one of the best teams.”
Playing a team outside of the SEC just might be welcomed by Kentucky. First up is West Virginia.
There is a connection between Mingione and WVU head coach Steve Sabins in that both are graduates of Embry-Riddle University in Daytona Beach, Fla.
“West Virginia is a really balanced team,” Mingione said. “They do a little bit of everything. They have speed. They have power. They steal bases. They can pitch and defend at a really good level.”
