Indiana and Kentucky Baseball Renew Rivalry on Tuesday

Fresh off their 21-3 drumming of Southern Illinois on Sunday, the Bat ‘Cats welcome rival Indiana to Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday for a midweek matchup. It is Kentucky’s final nonconference game before SEC play begins on Friday when Mississippi State makes the trip to Lexington.

Head coach Nick Mingione’s team is surging, having won the last 10 games in a row. The ‘Cats were listed on College Baseball Hub’s Week Four Hot Streak list from Monday after improving to 14-2. The Hoosiers have been very good lately as well. IU has won five games in a row, bringing their record to 10-6 on the season.

Tuesday afternoon’s matchup will mark the 45th-ever meeting between these two teams, with Kentucky holding a 24-20 advantage. The ‘Cats will be looking for revenge this year as Indiana scored 20 unanswered runs last season to win 20-4 in Bloomington. Kentucky has won four of the last five games played in Lexington.

Some notable Indiana baseball alumni include 2x World Series Champion Ted Kluszewski, 1x All-Star Mickey Morandini, and United States World Baseball Classic representative Kyle Schwarber.

Indiana Impact Players

The Hoosiers are led by senior SS Phillip Glasser, who is one of the best players in the Big Ten conference. The senior has been outstanding for Indiana this season, recording a hit in 30 of 63 at-bats for a blistering .476 average. He is Mr. Everything for IU, as he leads the team in runs scored (16), hits (30), doubles (seven), RBI (17), and total bases (45). Senior OF Hunter Jessee (.339) and freshman 2B Tyler Cerny (.333) have also gotten off to great starts, both sporting 300+ batting averages. Jessee is currently in the midst of a 35-game reached base streak, which he hopes to continue on Tuesday.

Indiana’s pitching staff loves to strike batters out. IU posted a program record 600 strikeouts in 2022, which is the second most in Big Ten history. They combine for a 4.17 team ERA and hold an impressive 144:60 K/BB ratio. IU’s ace has been sophomore RHP Luke Sinnard. In 21 innings pitched this season, Sinnard holds a 3.34 ERA and a 3-0 record. Junior RHP Seti Manase has been impressive as well, sporting a 0.69 ERA through 13 innings pitched.

The Hoosiers will be looking for their second consecutive victory over Kentucky on Tuesday.

Kentucky Impact Players

The Bat ‘Cats enter Tuesday afternoon’s matchup smoking hot. Sophomore catcher Devin Burkes and senior 1B Hunter Gilliam have especially been on a roll, both being named Co-Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Players of the Week over the past few weeks. Burkes and Gilliam lead the team with 22 RBIs each, while sophomore 2B Émilien Pitre has a team-best 26 hits and 18 runs scored. A lineup featuring back-to-back-to-back appearances from Burkes, Gilliam, and Pitre has been an opposing pitcher’s nightmare this season.

A common theme for the ‘Cats this season has been their lock-down pitching. The Kentucky pitching staff is ranked No. 14 nationally in ERA (2.44) and No. 9 in strikeout-to-walk ratio (157:43). The UK starting rotation has been much discussed, but the bullpen doesn’t get enough credit. Ryan Hagenow, Jackson Nove, Seth Chavez, and Mason Moore have been outstanding for the ‘Cats out of the bullpen this season. All four have an ERA below 1.00, with Hagenow, Nove, and Chavez having not allowed an earned run in quality innings pitched. The bullpen will be integral for team success once conference play begins.

Tuesday’s first pitch for ‘Cats/Hoosiers is slated for 4:00 p.m. EST at Kentucky Proud Park.