PREVIEW: Kentucky heads to Belmont for second straight road series

After starting its 2025 campaign on an odd note, Kentucky takes its 1-1 record to Belmont this weekend for its second straight road series to open the season. Both series have/will have been played in Nashville.

Kentucky opened its season with a doubleheader, which it split against Lipscomb. The Sunday series finale was then cancelled due to weather, cutting the Wildcats’ opening three-game stretch short.

The weather in Nashville this weekend looks much more promising however, as sun is forecasted along with (slightly) above freezing temperatures. After that disappointing loss to the Bisons last Friday, Nick Mingione and his staff would really like to head to Lexington with a 4-1 record for their home opener against Evansville on Tuesday.

Belmont Bruins (0-4, 0-0)

It’s been an extremely disappointing start to the 2025 season for the Belmont Bruins, which finished with a 26-32 (12-15) record last season. The Bruins have dropped their first four games (three to Georgia State and one to Tennessee Tech), but have lost the last three games by two runs, three runs, and two runs respectively.

Belmont is coached by Dave Jarvis, who is in the midst of his 28th season as the head coach of the Bruins. In that time, Jarvis has compiled a 763-710-2 record with two Atlantic-Sun Tournament Championships (2011 and 2012), an Atlantic-Sun Regular Season Championship (2012) and two NCAA Tournament appearances (2011 and 2012).

The Bruins lost their top four hitters from last season, but returned their two most seasoned starting pitchers in right-handers Will Pryor and Joe Ruzicka. Kentucky will likely face Pryor on Friday and Ruzicka on Saturday.

In his first start this season (Georgia State), Pryor allowed six hits and five earned runs in just 2 2/3 innings pitched. Ruzcicka, who was a 2024 All-MVC Honorable Mention, followed him on Saturday. In four innings of work, the righty allowed just three hits and one earned run.

Starting shortstop Pete Daniel, who played in 57 games and made 56 starts as a freshman last season, is off to a hot start at the plate. In 19 at-bats, Daniel has notched eight hits (.421 AVG) with four RBI. Belmont has struggled with its home run differential, as the Bruins have hit just two long balls and given up 10 in their first four games this season.

Daniel, along with right fielder Ty Allen (.412 AVG, 2 2B, 1 HR, 5 RBI) have shined as Belmont’s most impactful offensive players early this season.

Belmont was picked to finish eighth in the Missouri Valley Conference (ten teams) by D1Baseball.

Kentucky Wildcats (1-1, 0-0)

Following a dominant 11-0 win over Lipscomb in their season opener, nobody expected the Wildcats to nearly be shutout in their 3-1 loss in the second game of the doubleheader.

An abundance of good came from game one however, as it gave Wildcat fans their first looks at big-time contributors in Columbia transfer left fielder Cole Hage and South Dakota State transfer right-hander Nic McCay.

Hage was unbelievable in his first game as a Wildcat, going 4-5 at the plate with a three-run home run and three singles. On the day overall, the Columbia transfer garnered hits in five of his nine at-bats. He was just one of two Wildcats to notch a hit in the second game.

Nic McCay also showed why he could anchor Dan Roszel’s pitching staff, as he completely shut down the Lipscomb offense. In five innings, McCay allowed just two hits and no earned runs with four strikeouts. Radford transfer right-hander Scott Rouse relieved McCay for the final two innings of game one, allowing just one hit and no runs.

Seven of Kentucky’s nine offensive starters notched at least one hit in the 11-0 drumming, with Memphis transfer center fielder Will Marcy and freshman shortstop Tyler Bell the only players held hitless. Through his first two collegiate baseball games, Bell is 0-6 at the plate, but just narrowly missed a two-run XBH as Lipscomb’s center fielder robbed him on the warning track.

Sophomore left-handed pitcher Ben Cleaver made his first career start in game two and threw 72 pitches in just 3 2/3 innings. All three of Lipscomb’s runs were scored in the third inning, and it took two relief pitchers to get out of the jam. Preseason All-SEC Second Team selection Robert Hogan struggled, walking the lone two batters he faced.

Senior left-hander Jackson Nove however shined out of the bullpen, striking out five of his 11 batters faced in three innings of work. Nove was by far the biggest standout of the second game and looks to have really elevated his game in the offseason for his final season of college baseball.

Kentucky should use this weekend as an opportunity to make a statement, as Belmont is hitting for just a .275 team average with an 8.44 team ERA through its first four games of the season. We’ll see a continued effort to keep giving younger players such as Ethan Hindle and Kyuss Gargett some playing time as the Cats look to shake off that rough second game and head back to Lexington with a 4-1 record.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Kentucky leads 4-0

Friday, February 21, 2024 (E.S. Rose Park – 5:00 p.m. EST)
UK: RHP Nic McCay (1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5 IP) vs BEL: RHP Will Pryor (0-1, 16.87 ERA, 2 2/3 IP)
Saturday, February 22 2024 (E.S. Rose Park – 2:00 p.m. EST)
UK: LHP Ben Cleaver (0-1, 7.36 ERA, 3 2/3 IP) vs BEL: RHP Joe Ruzicka (0-0, 2.25 ERA, 4 IP)
Sunday, February 23, 2024 (E.S. Rose Park – 2:00 p.m. EST)
UK: LHP Ethan Walker (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 0 IP) vs BEL: RHP Jake Timbes (0-0, 0.00 ERA, 2 IP)

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