KSR Today: Kentucky Baseball in Super Regional, Belmont Stakes, and Joey Hart visit

Operator, won’t you put me on through? I gotta send my love down to Baton Rouge! Lyrics from Garth Brooks’s ’90s country classic have been on repeat in my head all morning thanks to Kentucky baseball playing there in the NCAA Super Regional.

I’m not really a modern-day country fan, but the day I got that In Pieces CD as a kid, I grew attached to Garth Brooks. I even took his Chris Gaines phase seriously.

With Baton Rouge replaying over and over in my brain, I Googled what ole Garth was up to. Evidently, he has a residency in Las Vegas and shows have been extended into 2024. That is one of those concerts that I might not pay for, but if I had a good blackjack run, and Caesar’s Palace comped me tickets, I’d be there wearing a freshly-purchased flannel.

Ca – a – aaaaalin’ Baton Rouge!

Alright, let’s get to the news before I head over to YouTube and listen to the Night Court theme on repeat to get this song out of my head.

Kentucky baseball faces LSU in the NCAA Super Regional

With a jam-packed Kentucky sports-related TV schedule today, start your afternoon off right by tuning into ESPN at 3:00 p.m. when the Bat ‘Cats battle the Bat Tigers of LSU. Kentucky advanced out of the Lexington regional in dramatic fashion last weekend with wins over Ball State, West Virginia, and two over Indiana.

They will face the No. 5 seed, LSU, who was ranked the best team in the nation most of the season. Kentucky lost two out of three in the regular season series matchup earlier this year.

The KSR team gave their predictions on what will happen, Coach Minigone talked about his thoughts, and now the only thing left to do is play the games. If Kentucky can overcome the odds and win the series, they’ll head to Omaha for the College World Series.

Belmont Stakes takes place today

Assuming no more horses die between now and 7:02 p.m., and the apocalyptic haze over the Northeast subsides, the final leg of the Triple Crown, the Belmont Stakes, will take place shortly after the conclusion of the Kentucky-LSU baseball game.

Mage, the Derby winner, is out after coming up short in the Preakness. However, the original Derby favorite, Forte, is back and ready to run on a no-longer-bruised foot. He is the morning line favorite, but it is hard to say how his injury and extended race absence will affect his performance.

For me, I’ll be placing a few bucks on the Preakness winner, National Treasure. That doesn’t come from any scoop or inside racing knowledge. It just worked out for me in the Preakness so I figure I will run it back.

If you want actual analysis, check out Nick Roush’s Belmont preview.

Kentucky basketball hosts some key recruits

As part of the ongoing effort to solidify a basketball roster in flux, Kentucky is hosting three-star shooter, Joey Hart, this weekend. The prospect from Indiana would essentially serve as a replacement for CJ Fredrick, who left Kentucky for Cincinnati earlier this offseason. The former UCF commit arrives on campus today, following a visit to Indiana earlier in the week.

While the agenda is not published, if Somto Cyril‘s visit is any indication, Hart could be in store for some good breakfast. The 2024 big man (who is most certainly big), is eligible for reclassification to 2023 and could make this year’s very young team that much younger. He, Calipari, and Orlando Antigua were spotted at First Watch as the coaching staff looks to pursue all options.

Speaking of options, Creighton transfer Arthur Kaluma is expected to visit Kentucky next week as well. The 6’8″ forward is the No. 2 prospect in the transfer portal and would be huge for a roster in need of some experience.

Kentucky football has some important visitors as well

Summer camp for Kentucky football has been heating up at Kroger Field this week leading into a big weekend of official visits. Kentucky expects a long list of recruits, including current commits Cutter Boley (QB), Aba Selm (IOL), and Hayes Johnson (OT), plus some of the top targets on the board in Jonathan Daniels (OT), Jacob Smith (EDGE), Brian Robinson (EDGE), Cameron Keys (CB), Damarion Witten (TE), Antwan Smith (EDGE), Willie Rodriguez (TE), Cam Dooley (ATH), and Fred Johnson (OT), among others.

The hope is to get a commitment or two, maybe three, to join the 2024 recruiting class in Lexington.

Jamal Murray is one game away from winning an NBA championship

For those wondering where the wildfires taking place up north started, they actually began from how hot Canada’s favorite son, Jamal Murray, has been in the NBA playoffs. He did America a favor last night and cooled off a bit to let the smoke dissipate, but remained warm enough to help the Denver Nuggets win Game 4 by a score of 108-95 and take a commanding 3-1 series lead.

Murray finished Game 4 with 15 points, 12 assists, and three rebounds, which makes him the only player in NBA history to record at least 10 assists in their first four Finals games.

Bam Adebayo did all he could for the Heat. He finished with 20 points, 11 rebounds, and steal, and a block which came by way of some ‘Cat-on-‘Cat crime in the 3rd quarter with an unbelievable chase down on Jamal Murray.

The combination of Murray and Nikola Jokic is unstoppable right now. Look for Denver to close this one out on Monday.

Kentucky Track and Field athletes compete in NCAA championships

As a nightcap to a big day, the Kentucky Women’s Track and Field will compete in the NCAA Championship Finals late this evening. Kentucky qualified for five Finals events after performing great in the semifinals on Thursday, which included a tremendous outing from Masai Russell in the hurdles and a personal best for Karimah Davis in the 200-meter dash. The action will go down in Austin, Texas.

Let’s go Track ‘Cats.

EVENT	TIME (central)	PARTICIPATING WILDCATS
Women’s 4×100 Meter Relay	8:02 p.m.	Victoria Perrow, Anthaya Charlton, Masai Russell, Karimah Davis, Shadajah Ballard, Tamiia Fuller
Women’s 100H	8:42 p.m.	Masai Russell
Women’s 400H	9:27 p.m.	Masai Russell
Women’s 200m	9:37 p.m.	Karimah Davis
Women’s 4×400 Meter Relay	10:21 p.m.	Karimah Davis, Megan Moss, Tamiia Fuller, Dajour Miles, Masai Russell