It seems like every single time the Bat Cats take the field, you’re in for a treat of a game that will be down to the wire. Well, that’s because more often than not, the Wildcats are in one score games going into the later innings. 

On seven different occasions this season, Kentucky’s games have been decided by one run. Also, since the start of conference play, the Wildcats have gone into extra innings three times.

This weekend’s past series against one of the top SEC teams was the biggest indicator on how close every Kentucky game can be. 

In a doubleheader against No. 10 Ole Miss on Friday, April 4, Kentucky won game one on the day by a score of 5-4 in the tenth inning.

Kentucky jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead through three, and thanks to a solid outing from Nate Harris, would keep the Rebels off of the board until the fifth inning. 

Ole Miss tallied four runs before the ninth, tying the game and taking advantage of Kentucky’s poor offense. Finally, with the sixth hit of the game, Devin Burkes would laser a ball over the shortstop, winning the game for the Bat Cats.

Game two was a pitchers duel, where the Wildcats would only record four hits. Until the ninth inning, however, the game was tied 1-1. Ole Miss would win 3-1, with 20 of Kentucky’s last 21 batters being retired. 

After playing 19 innings over seven hours of baseball, the Wildcats would take the field the next day, going 12 innings in yet another long, close game. It took over four hours. 

Both teams would score a run each in the eleventh after being tied 2-2, where Ole Miss would rally and take the series in Lexington. 

Kentucky, with a not so impressive 18-11 record, will face No. 11 Louisville on Tuesday, April 8 in one that’s gearing up to be yet another close one that the Cats cannot lose.

Don’t be surprised if these two rivals inch close to midnight under the bright lights. 

On April 4, Kenny Brooks and the Wildcats officially brought in their first transfer of the offseason.

As first reported by Phoenix Stevens of KSR, Josie Gilvin, a 6-foot guard from Western Kentucky University, has decided to play her senior season as a Cat. 

After Brooks saw Gilvin up close and personal on Dec. 28 this past season when Western Kentucky came to Historic Memorial Coliseum, and later taking a visit this offseason just days after inserting herself into the transfer portal, it’s clear that Brooks and his team were interested for quite some time.

In her junior year at WKU, Gilvin averaged 13.1 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game and 2.6 steals per game. Given her size, and her elite shooting (41.3% from three), the Louisville native adds another dimension to Brooks’ offense.

Gilvin not only can do a little bit of everything on the court, but also adds a layer of experience that Brooks sought out for last offseason when constructing his first team at Kentucky.

Hailing from Sacred Heart, Gilvin was an All-CUSA Second Team honoree and started all 32 games for the Lady Hilltoppers last season. She helped lead her team to a 23-9 record, finishing third in the conference.

The transfer guard took to her Instagram to not only show off her new number, but tell Big Blue Nation how happy she is to be in the blue and white.

Obviously, as the offseason continues, we’ll learn more about Gilvin’s role on the team and where exactly she fits in.

She is officially the ninth member of the 2025-26 roster and the Wildcats will have six scholarships to work with going forward. 

Kentucky baseball is coming off of a series win on the road against Texas A&M, and now, will play a “must win” series against the Ole Miss Rebels on Friday, April 4 (doubleheader) and Saturday, April 5. 

Last weekend, the Wildcats averaged over 10 runs a game against the Aggies, led by Tyler Bell, who won SEC Freshman of the Week. He went 8-13 with seven RBIs.

At this point of the season, the Bat Cats have got to ride their momentum and not fall any further down in the SEC rankings. They currently hold a 17-9 season record and a 4-5 conference record. 

The Rebels are only three spots ahead of Kentucky with a 6-3 conference record, making this series a good time to take a jump and dish out a statement that the Wildcats are a team to fear when you see them on your schedule. 

Ole Miss is a team that lacks identity, and is still separated from the best teams in the conference. With a rainy weekend in Lexington, a type of environment Kentucky typically thrives in, the pitching and fielding will have to be on point for the Wildcats to secure this series. 

As a whole, the pitching staff allowed 24 runs on 27 hits against Texas A&M, walking 20 batters as well. In the SEC, it’s hard to play a game of back-and-forth, but hey, it worked in College Station right? 

Obviously it’s one game at a time for Nick Mingione and his team, but the upcoming schedule is daunting, so the wins have got to come now. 

On Tuesday, April 8, the Wildcats will face the No. 14 Lousiville Cardinals on the road, followed by a weekend series against No. 3 Texas in Lexington.

After that, they play a very winnable game against a 15-13 Miami Redhawks team on Tuesday, April 15, but then will face the No. 1 team in the nation, the Tennesee Volunteers in enemy territory the following weekend. 

All rankings are provided from Baseball America.

On Friday, when the first pitch is thrown at 3 p.m. ET, it will be a muggy 70 degrees with the rain sprinkling down on Kentucky Proud Park. No matter what, rain or shine, you can bet the Wildcats are gonna come to play.

On the morning of April 3, wishing for the rain to go away, Kentucky Sports Video dropped a weekend recap video from the Texas A&M series.

Unfortunately, Mother Nature had her own say on the Bat Cats taking the field on April 3 for the first game of the series, causing the team to schedule a doubleheader for Friday.

Make sure to follow our Twitter (X) (@KyInsider) for all weather updates this weekend.