KSR Today: Celebrating your NCAA Lexington Regional champs

DrewFranklinKSR

Good morning, Big Blue Nation. I am low on sleep and already on a third cup of coffee this morning after spending a long and wet weekend with Kentucky Baseball at Kentucky Proud Park. Last night, I was one of the 5,877 people who watched the Wildcats shut out Indiana State, 5-0, to win the NCAA Lexington Regional for a second straight year.

The celebration went on late into the night after the game’s start time was delayed further into the evening due to heavy rain and lightning. Still, we’re up early on a Monday to recap Kentucky advancing to the Supers, winning all three tournament games at Kentucky Proud Park. Sunday night’s 5-0 victory over Indiana State completed the sweep of the Regional.

Mason Moore’s shutout

Kentucky started Mason Moore, the right-hander from Morehead, Kentucky, who shined in last year’s NCAA Regional. Moore shined again in 2024, going six innings and allowing no runs and only four hits to the Sycamores. UK Athletics called the win Moore’s “flu game,” as the junior pitcher skipped Saturday’s game altogether with a stomach bug. He wasn’t even in the stadium to see Kentucky beat Illinois to advance to Sunday.

After bouncing back to shut out Indiana State in his Sunday start, Moore said after the win, “They put two bags of IVs in my arm yesterday. And I actually didn’t watch the game much; I was at the house resting up. They got me right. All thanks to them. And they got me ready for today.”

MVP: Ryan Nicholson

Moore wasn’t the only in-state talent to help Kentucky advance. First baseman Ryan Nicholson, a native of Louisville, Kentucky, won the Regional’s Most Outstanding Player award. Nicholson hit two home runs with four RBI in the series. His Sunday home run nearly landed on the soccer field.

RON SENT THIS BALL TO THE BELL 💣💥💪

💻https://t.co/nKaZbu0Pm8 (@ESPNPlus)#WeAreUK x #RoadToOmaha | @rynicholson25 pic.twitter.com/J09VkP9COy
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) June 2, 2024

Joining Nicholson with postseason accolades: Devin Burkes, Émilien Pitre, Mitch Daly, Ryan Waldschmidt, Trey Pooser, and Mason Moore were named to the Lexington Regional All-Tournament Team.

Grant Smith’s first-inning web gem(s)

The best shortstop in college baseball was fantastic all weekend, along with the rest of the middle of UK’s infield. Here, Smith and Pitre make one of the top plays of the entire weekend, turning a double play to set the defensive tone in the first inning.

GRANT SMITH YOU WIZARD 😱

💻https://t.co/nKaZbu0Pm8 (@ESPNPlus)#WeAreUK x #RoadToOmaha | @grantsmithnm pic.twitter.com/pL4f49Orw1
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) June 2, 2024

Later in the game, Smith made a spectacular catch to add to his highlight reel.

DUH NUH NUH DUH NUH NUH

GRANT SMITH HAS DONE IT AGAIN

💻https://t.co/nKaZbu0Pm8 (@ESPNPlus)#WeAreUK x #RoadToOmaha x #SCTop10 | @grantsmithnm pic.twitter.com/KolVbysxLr
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) June 3, 2024

Nick Mingione took a bath

We’re all still drying off from the weekend, but nobody left KPP as wet as the SEC Coach of the Year.

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Mingione’s postgame press conference

After the postgame celebration, Nick Mingione was joined in the press conference by senior Grant Smith, junior Émilien Pitre, and the winning pitcher, junior Mason Moore.

“Proud of our guys,” said Mingione in his opening remarks. “I’m just so thankful for the BBN. We have a saying in our program that we do not move. And when that weather came in and it started raining, and I looked out there, our fans did the same thing. They didn’t move. They held their ground and they just waited.

KSR’s photo gallery from Kentucky Proud Park

Our photo gallery from Sunday’s fun in the rain is available for browsing here. You can see all of Aaron Perkins’ work from the game over in the Facebook gallery.

Up Next: Oregon State or UC Irvine

Kentucky stays home for the Super Regional next weekend, hosting the Supers for the first time in school history. The Wildcats will welcome either Oregon State or UC Irvine into Kentucky Proud Park. Today, those two schools will settle their Corvallis Regional to decide UK’s next opponent.

Super Regional Ticket Info

Tickets for the Super Regional go on sale today at 9 a.m. over at UKBaseballTix.com. Here’s what we learned in a late-night email from UK Athletics:

After winning the Lexington Regional, Kentucky will host a Super Regional beginning either Friday, June 7 or Saturday, June 8 in a best-of-three series. Exact game dates and times have yet to be determined. All-session tickets will be available starting Monday, June 3 at 9:00 a.m. ET online at UKBaseballTix.com.

All reserved seating is sold out. The Terrace/Berm General Admission areas will include the right and left field terraces, grass berms, and standing room areas. These spaces are first-come, first-serve and do not contain any fixed seats. Fans are welcome to bring their own lawn chairs and/or blankets into the stadium for these areas. Terrace/Berm tickets are not valid for the Outfield Bleachers, and vice versa. The Outfield Bleachers feature general admission seating within that section. Sections 101, 102, 103 and 110 will be held for player-guest and team-guest seating.
UKBaseballTix.com

Myron Medcalf guest hosts today’s KSR

Moving on from baseball: Today, ESPN’s Myron Medcalf is in for Matt Jones as the special guest host of KSR’s morning radio show on Monday. Myron is Matt’s ESPN radio co-host on Sundays, so he will fit in with the regular crew as he starts hosting Mondays for Matt throughout June and July. Ryan Lemond and I will join him from the Lexington studio, with Shannon The Dude producing the show out of Louisville. Tune in from 10 to noon.

Go Cats.