After losing four games in a row, the Wildcats did a complete 180, winning four games in a row and reasserting themselves in every conversation they seemingly left.

Sweeping one of the top ranked teams in the nation surely did not come easy, but the Bat Cats defended Kentucky Proud Park against the Oklahoma Sooners from May 9-11 and later took down Northern Kentucky on May 13 by a score of 6-1.

Now, Kentucky looks ahead to a matchup with Vanderbilt, a top ten team in the nation, and has more than enough momentum to propel itself forward and gain a couple of conference wins to round out the season.

However, one scenario would be extremely daunting for the Wildcats, and that’s leaving Nashville without a single win. Then, that sets up a world where Kentucky will have to go on a deep run in the SEC Tournament to escape being in the bubble trap once again.

In the world of college baseball however, the Wildcats can win just one game this weekend and be “fine” heading into the NCAA Tournament. The Bat Cats are currently projected as a No. 2 seed in Baseball America’s Field of 64 projections.

Whether it’s another solid start from Nate Harris followed by a gem mound performance from Ethan Walker, or a strikeout-filled performance from Ben Cleaver, Kentucky will lean on the pitching staff to take advantage of Vanderbilt’s poor team hitting average (.267), which ranks 217th in the NCAA.

The Wildcats will kick off the series on Thursday, May 15, looking to win 30 games for the fourth consecutive season. First pitch is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. ET and will be streamed live on SEC Network+.

Kentucky softball was selected to compete in the NCAA Championship for the 16th consecutive season under head coach Rachel Lawson, earning an at-large bid.

Lawson and her squad will travel to Clemson, South Carolina, alongside Northwestern and USC Upstate to face off in the NCAA Clemson Regional from May 16-18.

The Wildcats hold the No. 2 seed in the regional and will battle No. 3 Northwestern to open the tournament at 2 p.m. EDT on Friday, May 16, on ESPN+.

With a tournament selection every year since 2009, Kentucky is one of 12 programs in the country to achieve that feat over the past 16 seasons. The Cats join Alabama, Florida, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee, Texas A&M, Texas, Oklahoma, Florida State, UCLA and Washington as the 12 to do so.

All 14 of the Southeastern Conference’s eligible teams were selected to the Women’s College World Series, setting the NCAA record for most teams picked from one league to compete for a national title.

Just over a week ago, the Wildcats were a presumed “lock” for the NCAA Tournament, gearing up to be one of the top seeds. Now, Nick Mingione and the Cats are sitting on the bubble after four consecutive losses.

Western Kentucky took down the Bat Cats 6-4 on April 29, a respectable loss, but Big Blue Nation did not expect a Mississippi State Bulldogs team, who had only seven conference wins and had just fired their head coach, to sweep the Wildcats.

On May 3, the Bulldogs blitzed the Cats, outscoring them 20-9 between both games of Saturday’s doubleheader. The next day, the Wildcats only tallied one run and were swept for the first time since 2023 in a SEC series.

Now, Kentucky looks ahead to its weekend matchup with the No. 16 Oklahoma Sooners, who are facing off for the first time ever against the Wildcats.

To say this series is season-defining is an understatement, considering the Wildcats only have seven more games on the schedule including Oklahoma.

The Sooners are having a very successful first season in the SEC, hanging around the top 15 rankings all season and winning five of their eight conference series thus far.

Having this past week off, and sinking down in multiple hitting and pitching categories for the conference, the Wildcats will have to get at least one win against the Sooners to keep their hopes alive.

With 10 conference wins, Kentucky will need to win at least three of their remaining SEC games to be put in the conversation for a tournament bid.

The remaining schedule:

May 9-11 vs. No. 16 Oklahoma (32-14, 13-11 SEC)

May 13 vs. Northern Kentucky (26-20)

May 15-17 @ No. 11 Vanderbilt (34-14, 14-10 SEC)

All rankings are provided from Baseball America.