PREVIEW: Kentucky and Morehead St. to clash in in-state matchup

Kentucky and Morehead State will clash on Wednesday afternoon in the first of five in-state matchups for the Wildcats this season.

Wednesday’s game was originally scheduled to be the 2025 Kentucky Proud Park home opener, but it was pushed back a week due to weather. Instead, Kentucky’s home opener came against Evansville on Tuesday. It was a historic one, as the Wildcats exploded for 24 runs in a 24-3 mercy-rule victory.

Morehead gave Kentucky a scare last season, as the Eagles led 5-2 heading into the bottom of the eighth inning. The Wildcats however scored seven runs in the inning, holding off Morehead State for the 9-5 victory.

Morehead State Eagles (4-2, 0-0)

Morehead State heads to Kentucky Proud Park on Wednesday as one of the Ohio Valley Conference’s strongest representatives. Over the past two seasons, the Eagles are 33-17 in conference play and are projected to finish second in the OVC this season by D1Baseball.

It’s been a good start to the season for coach Chris Rose, who is in his first season as head coach at Morehead State. Rose, who had been on the coaching staff for three seasons entering 2025, was appointed as their new head coach after former head coach Brady Ward resigned this offseason to accept a coaching position in the Miami Marlins organization.

The Eagles are 4-2 in their first six games, including two wins over Arkansas State and St. Bonaventure. Their clash with Kentucky is just one of two against SEC teams this season (Kentucky and South Carolina).

Three players are hitting for at least a .333 average with at least 20 at-bats, giving the Eagles a nice trio in their lineup. Following those three players however, the fourth-best average on the team is .250. As a team, Morehead is hitting for a .242 team average and boasts a 3.71 team ERA.

Junior shortstop Andy Cisneros, redshirt sophomore outfielder Hayden Robbins and grad catcher Hunter Thomas are the three offensive players Kentucky will have to look out for. This trio has combined for 24 of Morehead’s 48 hits this season (50%).

On the pitching side, sophomore right-hander Bradley Poynter will likely get the start on the mound for the Eagles. He was phenomenal in Morehead’s 11-1 win over Arkansas State last Monday, as he held the Wolves to just four hits and an earned run in seven innings.

Kentucky Wildcats (5-1, 0-0)

After a concerning start to the season for the Kentucky offense, the runs and hits have begun to pour in. The ‘Cats totaled 24 runs and 17 hits in Tuesday’s win and have now scored 45 runs and compiled 36 hits over the span of their last three games (all wins).

Along with what has been a dominant pitching staff so far this season, Kentucky’s lineup has shown that it can once again be special. Senior catcher Devin Burkes looked to be back to his old self on Tuesday, as went 4-5 at the plate with three doubles and four RBI. It was his first four-RBI game since May 14, 2023 vs. Tennessee. 

Burkes isn’t the only player emerging, as three of Kentucky’s players with at least 15 at-bats are now hitting for more an above .300 average. Left fielder Cole Hage, who has reached base safely in 18 of his first 26 at-bats this season, and shortstop Tyler Bell have shined as offensive standouts through six games.

Wednesday’s game is Kentucky’s second in two days. After an off day on Thursday, the ‘Cats bounce back for a weekend series against Hofstra. That’s five games in six days for Nick Mingione’s team, but he didn’t sound too concerned.

“We’ve got to be smart about guys and their bodies,” Mingione said following Kentucky’s win over Evansville. “They gotta take care of themselves. Our strength coach has done awesome with them. As long as they stay focused and locked in, a lot of guys are gonna have opportunities to play.”

On the pitching side, Kentucky will likely feature more young arms, such as freshmen left-handers Leighton Harris and Logan Grubb and right-hander Zak Spurrier. Two freshmen and one redshirt freshmen arms saw game action in Tuesday’s mid-week game.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Kentucky leads 50-27

Wednesday, February 26, 2025 (Kentucky Proud Park – 4:00 p.m. EST)
UK: TBA vs MSU: TBA

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