PREVIEW: Kentucky hosts No. 9 Ole Miss at KPP

For the third time in four conference series this season, Kentucky will face a ranked opponent when No. 9 Ole Miss makes the trip to Kentucky Proud Park this weekend.

Due to Thursday’s postponement, Friday will feature a doubleheader with the series finale still occurring on Saturday.

Kentucky, which lost both of its first two SEC series of the season (No. 3 Georgia and No. 16 Auburn), earned its first conference series victory of the season last weekend when it won two of three at struggling Texas A&M. Ole Miss opened SEC play with a series loss to No. 2 Arkansas, but bounced back and swept Missouri and took two of three from Florida last weekend.

Last season, then No. 15 ranked Kentucky swept No. 22 ranked Ole Miss in Oxford. The ‘Cats dominated, as they outscored the Rebels 37-13 over the three-game span. The swept was capped off by a monster 15-1 win (seven innings) in the series finale.

No. 9 Ole Miss Rebels (22-6, 6-3)

After missing the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons since winning the College World Series in 2022, it looks as if Mike Bianco’s team is on the right path to make their return this season. The Rebels are currently projected as the No. 15 overall seed in D1Baseball’s Midseason Field of 64 Projections.

When looking at their all around statistics however, the Rebels don’t jump off the page. Their .298 team batting average ranks 11th in the SEC and their 5.11 team ERA ranks 14th in the SEC. So how has this garnered a No. 9 national ranking and a 6-3 record through nine conference games? Home runs.

Ole Miss ranks fourth in the conference with 58 team home runs (seventh in NCAA), compiled by 12 different players. Junior third baseman Judd Utermark leads the way with 10 (T-6th in SEC), followed by senior outfielders Mitchell Sanford and Ryan Moerman who have hit nine.

Kentucky fans should recognize the names of Moerman and senior outfielder Isaac Humphrey, as both players transferred from schools that played the ‘Cats last season. Moerman was a member of the Fighting Illini team that played in the 2024 Lexington Regional, and Humphrey played three seasons at Louisville. In three career games played in the Kentucky/Louisville rivalry, Humphrey went 6-12 at the plate with a double, a home run and three RBI.

📍Lexington, KY pic.twitter.com/KzA1TC3sPz

— Ole Miss Baseball (@OleMissBSB) April 2, 2025

Ole Miss’ pitching, especially its starting rotation, has struggled to recover from the loss of ace left-hander Liam Doyle to Tennessee this offseason. The trio of junior left-hander Hunter Elliott and senior right-handers Riley Maddox and Mason Nichols boast a combined 4.87 ERA in 88 2/3 innings pitched.

Maddox particularly has struggled, as he currently sits at 3-2 with an inflated 7.27 ERA. He lasted just 1 1/3 inning last weekend against Florida, where he allowed four hits and four earned runs with three walks before being pulled.

Against SEC competition (nine games), the Rebels are averaging 9.6 runs per game while allowing 8.5. It could be another high-scoring series this weekend at Kentucky Proud Park.

Kentucky Wildcats (17-9, 4-5)

Kentucky enters this weekend series among “The Last Four In” in D1Baseball’s Midseason Field of 64 Projections. A series victory over the ninth ranked team in the country would be a major addition to its tournament resume.

A major cog in the machine that is Kentucky Baseball right now is sophomore left-hander Ben Cleaver, who is opening eyes all across the SEC and all of College Baseball. Cleaver has started in three of Kentucky’s four conference wins and is making SEC batters look silly. Entering this weekend’s series, Cleaver currently boasts a 2.50 ERA with 42 strikeouts in 36 innings. His 2.50 ERA ranks fifth among SEC arms and first among freshmen in the conference.

The “Slim Reaper” will start in the series finale on Saturday.

Speaking of the starting rotation, a change was made last weekend to have senior right-hander Scott Rouse replace junior left-hander Ethan Walker as the Thursday/Friday starter. In his first start at Kentucky, Rouse allowed five hits and six earned runs in four innings pitched against the Texas A&M lineup. He’ll start Thursday’s series opener, and will look to have a more efficient second outing.

Rain, rain go away… (and we will let you know about any weather related adjustments as they become available).

In the meantime, @UKSportsVideo gives you a look back at the Texas A&M weekend. pic.twitter.com/lNyaEWEvmB

— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) April 3, 2025

Offensively, the ‘Cats boast a .290 team batting average, which ranks 12th in SEC. They are led by senior outfielder Cole Hage (.363 average) and freshman shortstop Tyler Bell, who was named SEC Freshman of the Week after a major performance against Texas A&M. Bell was an extremely hard out for the Aggies pitching staff, as he went 8-13 at the plate with three doubles, a home run and seven RBI over the three-game span. He boosted his season batting average to .347, which now ranks fifth in the conference among freshmen.

At least one team has touched double-digits in five of Kentucky’s nine SEC games, so expect the Rebels and ‘Cats to score runs in bunches this weekend.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Ole Miss leads 54-39

Friday, April 4, 2025 (Kentucky Proud Park – 3:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: RHP Scott Rouse (3-0, 4.68 ERA, 25.0 IP) vs MISS: LHP Hunter Elliott (5-0, 3.12 ERA, 34.2 IP)
Friday, April 4, 2025 (Kentucky Proud Park – 7:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: RHP Nic McCay (3-0, 3.58 ERA, 32.2 IP) vs MISS: RHP Riley Maddox (3-2, 7.27 ERA, 26.0 IP)
Saturday, April 5, 2025 (Kentucky Proud Park – 2:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: LHP Ben Cleaver (3-1, 2.50 ERA, 3.60 IP) vs MISS: RHP Mason Nichols (2-0, 4.82 ERA, 28.0 IP)

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