Close games have become Kentucky Baseball's signature

Teetering on the edge of its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance, Kentucky Baseball is playing in nothing but close games recently.

Following the Wildcats’ 4-3 walk-off win over Miami (OH) Tuesday night, 14 of their last 19 games have now been contested within three runs or less (5-9). Nick Mingione’s team is currently projected as a No. 3 seed in the Chapel Hill Regional in On3’s Jonathan Wagner‘s latest Field of 64 Projections.

“We’re just rallying around each other,” Ethan Hindle said following Kentucky’s 5-4 15-inning win over Texas last weekend. “We’re a very good squad and are just a bunch of guys who are very selfless. We help each other out.”

Three of Kentucky’s five close wins over the 19-game stretch have been by walk-off fashion. Two of those walk offs have been walk-off bunts, just adding to the reputation that the program has garnered for itself over the past few years. Griffin Cameron‘s bunt led to an overthrow to first which allowed Devin Burkes to score the game-winning run against Texas, and Ethan Hindle‘s bunt popped out of the glove of the Miami (OH) third baseman to allow Kyuss Gargett to score from third.

SAC BUNT FOR THE WIN 😱@UKBaseball BEATS NO. 2 TEXAS AFTER A WILD 15-INNING FINISH 😼 pic.twitter.com/jPVIB0OA64

— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) April 12, 2025

Although they’re in the midst of a brutal stretch in which they’ll have played three top-10 ranked teams (in a three-game series) in the past month, they’re finding ways to steal victories late.

Playing in these close games has been something that Kentucky hasn’t been used to over the past two seasons, as the ‘Cats had just 17 games in 2023 (out of 61 games) and 16 games in 2024 (out of 62 games) decided by two or less runs/went to extra innings. Through just 34 games this season, Kentucky has already played in 17 games decided by two or less runs/went to extra innings.

“Our team has never not believed,” Nick Mingione said after the 5-4 win over No. 2 Texas. “You don’t come back the way we’ve come back. We’ve come back down four in the ninth, so it’s like we have the belief factor. For us to do that and come back and win it, that’s two weekends in a row we had a walk-off (Ole Miss). We hadn’t had any walk-offs all season until the last two weekends. The belief is there. It’s about the execution.”

Knowing this team, there are likely more close games to come this weekend when the ‘Cats travel to Knoxville for a three-game series against No. 2 Tennessee. First pitch in Friday’s series opener is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EST.