Kentucky is firmly on bubble heading into SEC Tournament

Kentucky baseball has not made the NCAA Tournament since a deep run to the Super Regional in 2017. Nick Mingione’s club has some work to do in Hoover this week at the SEC Tournament to end that postseason drought.

Baseball America has released a projected NCAA Tournament field, and Kentucky is not in the dance as of right now. However, the Bat Cats are among the next four out. Let’s check out how the bubble stands.

• Last Four In: San Diego, Iowa, NC State, Louisiana Tech
• First Four Out: Kennesaw State, Clemson, Old Dominion, Alabama
• Next Four Out: UTSA, Penn, Kentucky, Louisiana

For the second season in a row, Kentucky will enter the SEC Tournament needing to go on a run to clinch an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Last year, Mingione’s club went one-and-done at The Hoover Met dropping a first-round game to Florida. The Wildcats are hopeful to change their luck this year when the Bat Cats face Auburn in the nightcap on Tuesday.

When digging into bubble watch, seeing how the ACC Tournament unfolds for both Clemson and NC State will be critical. Meanwhile, Alabama is also ahead of Kentucky. The Wildcats could benefit from the Crimson Tide bowing out early during the SEC Tournament.

Kentucky has made a strong charge to end the year owning series wins over top 25 teams Tennessee and Auburn. The Wildcats also own a series win over No. 8 TCU. However, there are just not enough quality wins with a weak non-conference slate weighing down the resume.

The SEC Tournament is a huge opportunity for Kentucky baseball, and the Bat Cats need to go on a deep run to get back into the big dance.