Bat 'Cats Travel to Nashville for Weekend Series with No. 5 Vanderbilt

A tough stretch will get even tougher this weekend when the No. 15 ranked Wildcats travel to Nashville for a clash with No. 5 Vanderbilt. After winning 21 of 22 games between February 26-April 7, the ‘Cats have suddenly lost seven of their last 10 games. With postseason play on the horizon, Nick Mingione’s squad is suddenly trending in the wrong direction.

After being projected to host their first NCAA Tournament Regional since 2017 most of the season, the ‘Cats find themselves as a No. 2 seed in the Morgantown Regional with West Virginia, Virginia Tech, and Central Michigan in D1Baseball’s Latest Field of 64 Projections. Kentucky still remains at No. 2 in the RPI, however, but a few more losses may bring that down as well.

It’s tough to say a series against the fifth-ranked team in the country on the road is must win, but the ‘Cats really need to pick off a game from the Commodores this weekend. After this weekend, Kentucky has No. 3 South Carolina, No. 24 Tennessee, and No. 4 Florida lined up to finish off the regular season. The ‘Cats aren’t in jeopardy of missing the SEC or NCAA Tournament as of right now, but a turbulent end to the season may put a bit of pressure on Mingione and the crew.

Vanderbilt Impact Players

This weekend’s series is a must-win for the Commodores as well.

Vanderbilt has lost four games in a row — a disappointing midweek loss to Indiana State and a weekend sweep to Tennessee, including a 17-1 thrashing on Saturday. Even after that loss, the ‘Dores are outscoring SEC opponents 156-94 this season. RJ Schreck has been Vanderbilt’s best player this season, slashing .366 with 10 home runs and 45 RBI. Schreck has been even better against SEC opponents, ranking third in the SEC with a .412 batting average and RBI (30).

Enrique Bradfield Jr. has emerged as one of the best base runners in the country, leading the SEC with 11 stolen bases in league play. Bradfield Jr. is 26-30 on the season on the basepaths, good enough to be named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List. Vandy’s starting SS Jonathan Vastine was named to the Brooks Wallace Award watch list alongside Kentucky SS Grant Smith.

The ‘Dores will be throwing three left-handed pitchers against the ‘Cats this weekend, a nightmare for the Kentucky offense.

Eight of Vanderbilt’s 10 losses this season were started by LHP. Carter Holton, who was also named to the Golden Spikes Award Midseason Watch List, will start the series opener on Friday night. Holton is 4-0 on the season with a 3.20 ERA. Hunter Owen and Devin Futrell will round out Saturday and Sunday, respectively. Futrell has been one of the best pitchers in the SEC this year, boasting a 6-2 record with a 2.50 ERA. Futrell leads the conference with a 2.34 ERA (against SEC opponents) and has allowed just four walks, also tops in the league. Owen is 3-0 with a 3.33 ERA. Combined, the trio owns a 2.99 ERA with 147 strikeouts over 141.1 innings (gulp).

Vanderbilt leads the all-time series vs. Kentucky 152-150-5. The ‘Dores are 10-2 against the Wildcats in the regular season since 2018.

Kentucky Impact Players

Quietly, Jackson Gray has emerged as one of Kentucky’s best offensive and defensive players. Gray now ranks second on the team in batting average (.360) and is tied for second in hits (50). Alongside his hot streak at the plate, Gray has consistently put himself in consideration for a Gold Glove Award at the end of the season. Gray is 86-87 on the season in putouts with zero errors, holding a 1.000 FLD%.

Émilien Pitre still reigns as Kentucky’s batting leader, holding a .365 average on the season. He is tied with Gray for second in hits (50) and leads the ‘Cats in doubles (12). Although Hunter Gilliam has cooled off at the plate recently, he still leads the team in hits (52), home runs (eight), and total bases (87). The ‘Cats are batting a cumulative .296 on the season.

Tyler Bosma and Zack Lee will start for Kentucky this weekend with Friday night’s pitcher TBA (although it is likely to be Logan Martin). Bosma and Lee have been solid for the ‘Cats this season. Bosma is 3-2 with a 3.89 ERA and Lee is 4-2 with a 4.33 ERA. After back-to-back quality starts, Bosma has the lowest ERA for a Kentucky starter. The Wildcats’ bullpen came back to bite them in Tuesday’s 7-0 loss to Louisville, as Kentucky’s seven relief pitchers gave up nine hits and six earned runs in a combined 4.0 IP of relief.

A series sweep this weekend might drop the ‘Cats out of the Top 25 completely, so it is instrumental they grab a game. In this crazy conference, anything can happen.

Making our way to the famed “Music City” this weekend. pic.twitter.com/HxxhJ8WSDu

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) April 28, 2023

Game 1: Friday, April 28th, 2023 (Hawkins Field – 7:00 PM)
UK: TBD vs VAN: LHP Carter Holton (4-0, 3.20 ERA, 45.0 IP)
Game 2: Saturday, April 29th, 2023 (Hawkins Field – 3:00 PM)
UK: LHP Tyler Bosma (4-2, 4.33 ERA, 43.2 IP) vs VAN: LHP Hunter Owen (3-0, 3.33 ERA, 46.0 IP)
Game 3: Sunday, April 30th, 2023 (Hawkins Field – 3:00 PM)
UK: RHP Zack Lee (3-2, 3.89 ERA, 41.2 IP) vs VAN: LHP Devin Futrell (6-2, 2.50 ERA, 50.1 IP)