After Regional Loss, Indiana will no longer play Kentucky in Baseball

Kentucky’s border rivalry with Indiana has essentially gone dormant. The foes played annually on the gridiron from 1978-2005. The storied hardwood series between the Hoosiers and the Wildcats stretched from 1979 through 2012. This week the rivalry was reignited on the diamond, but that spark was too much for the Hoosiers to handle.

The two largest crowds in Kentucky baseball history were in the stands at Kentucky Proud Park for Saturday night’s showdown and the decisive game seven on Monday night. The Hoosiers won the first, but Kentucky got the last laugh, clinching the school’s second ever regional championship with a 4-2 win in an electric atmosphere.

The Wildcats and Hoosiers faced each other four times this season. Kentucky went 3-1 and outscored Indiana 35-15, including a 12-2 mid-week win at Kentucky Proud Park in March. After Monday night’s loss, Indiana head coach Jeff Mercer was asked if the momentum of this rivalry could turn into a regular season weekend series in 2024.

“No, Kentucky canceled the series last year. Kentucky and Indiana is no longer a series. They called and canceled it. It’s done,” Mercer said.

“It’s the last time we’re playing unless we play in the postseason. They asked if we want to come down here. I’m not coming down here without a return trip. So it’s done.”

Kentucky played Indiana in Bloomington in 2022. The Wildcats lost 20-7.

Mercer’s tenuous response should not be surprising. The coaches went back and forth throughout the regional tournament. An Indiana player was ejected for bringing a prop onto the field Saturday night. One of the Indiana coach’s kids allegedly was asked to leave the dugout by umpires after UK made officials aware, adding more fuel to the fire between the programs that boiled over into the postgame handshake line on Sunday. There was no postgame handshake line Monday night.

Mingione with some words with the IU Assistant

Look at the end as Mitch is READY TO GO!!!! pic.twitter.com/VZQfGLC1HG

— Matt Jones (@KySportsRadio) June 5, 2023

Hear from Kentucky After Regional Victory

After the win Nick Mingione was not asked about continuing the series with Indiana. If neither side wants to play one another, it’s foolish. Few fans of either school would say baseball is their favorite sporting event to attend, yet this rivalry brought out the best in everyone (well, except for the team that kept losing). The best thing for each program is to run it back next season and re-inject some energy into the programs, instead of calling the whambulance, taking your ball and going home, just because you got your feelings hurt in a loss.

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