The bracket is set. Kentucky Baseball, earning the No. 13 overall seed, will face No. 12 Vanderbilt (32-24, 14-16 SEC) in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Tuesday, May 19.

Nick Mingione’s squad finished the regular season with a 31-20 overall record and a 13-17 conference record, going 1-2 in the final series against the Arkansas Razorbacks, who ultimately earned the No. 7 overall seed in the tourney.

These two teams clashed back on April 17-19, where Vanderbilt came into Kentucky Proud Park and stole both game two and three from the Wildcats. Kentucky scored a total of 18 runs in the series, but it let up 23 runs of its own.

In the series-opening win, pitcher Jaxon Jelkin tossed 105 total pitches through eight innings, only allowing two runs and six hits between the 31 batters he faced.

A time is yet to be announced, but it is confirmed that the Bat Cats and the Commodores will play in game two, taking place after game one between No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 16 Missouri at 9:30 a.m. ET.

Kentucky is currently on the “safe” part of the NCAA Tournament bubble, but a win in Hoover, Alabama would have the Wildcats as locks to make yet another appearance in the big dance.

Big Orange gets peeled for a second straight year.

It’s frankly been a struggle for Kentucky (29-16, 11-13 SEC) this season in more ways than one – from injury and illness being placed on the Cats’ best batters to only winning one conference series this year (a sweep vs Alabama).

It’s been concerning on whether or not Wildcats could make the postseason again. Luckily for Big Blue, Tennessee (31-17, 11-13 SEC) came to town, and when Tennessee and Kentucky meet to play sports, it almost never goes well for the team in orange.

Game 1: Kentucky Wins 9-2

The series opener between the Bat Cats and Ball Vols in Lexington was a game of polar opposite pitching performances. Kentucky wasn’t the team struggling on Friday night, as they won 9-2 in dominating fashion.

For Tennessee, starting pitcher Tegan Kuhns allowed a season-high 10 hits and a season-high six earned runs in his six innings. Ben Cleaver delivered his best pitching performance of the season for Kentucky, throwing seven shutout innings and allowing just four hits.

With Cleaver’s season opus, the Wildcats were able to break out and score their nine straight runs without interruption, including a two-run homer from Ethan Hindle and a three-runner from Braxton Van Cleave.

Game 2: Kentucky Clinches Series, Wins 12-2

I was able to cover Saturday’s game in person, and while the skies remained cloudy throughout all nine innings, it didn’t stop the Cats from shining again as they run-ruled the Vols 12-2 to clinch their second straight series win in the bitter rivalry.

Those sparks of rivalry angst started to show itself immediately after a fastball to the wrist of Tyler Bell spawned a heated exchange between Nick Mingione and the umps.

Miraculously, it wouldn’t stop Bell from launching a two-run homer just two innings later to break out of the pitching duel that jumpstarted the match.

Hudson Brown also broke through with a homer that put Big Blue Nation in a frenzy. The designated hitter had missed 12 games due to illness, but it only took two at-bats to bomb it to the big screen.

Tennessee would quickly start to shift the momentum, as their first three hits of the day would result in two doubles, a home run, and two scores.

It’d prove worrying for Big Blue as the bright orange in the stands started to get louder, but a wack pitching performance from the Vols in the sixth inning would break the doors wide open for the Cats to run with the wind like the horses at Churchill.

An easy run-in from Tyler Bell in the eighth stamped in a Kentucky run-rule win, giving the Cats their second series win in the SEC this year.

Game 3: Tennessee Wins 10-9

First-year Vols head coach Josh Elander emphasized his frustrations in Saturday’s postgame after getting outscored by the Cats 21-4 in the first two games. With that massive concern in mind, Tennessee delivered in the final game with a strong offensive showing, highlighted by two homers from Levi Clark, including a three-run homer in the ninth inning.

Kentucky made it scary for Big Orange after a home-run combo from Bell and Van Cleave cut the deficit to one, but it wouldn’t be enough as Tennessee would be able to close the series on a narrow victory.

What’s Next?

With the regular season coming to an end, Kentucky needs a few more wins to solidify their postseason entry. The Bat Cats will head to Gainesville to take on No. 25 Florida from May 8-10, come back to Lexington to face Northern Kentucky, and close the season at home vs No. 22 Arkansas from May 14-16.

For updates on the rest of Kentucky Baseball’s season, follow KY Insider on socials.

Last year, Champions Blue LLC, the LLC created for UK Athletics, announced the plan to build an entertainment district near Kroger Field to create a new revenue stream. Earlier this week, the school made the next step before the district’s construction, choosing one of four proposals.

On Tuesday, Kevin Locke, UK’s Associate Vice President of planning, design and construction, informed the Champions Blue Board of Governors that the school is moving forward with the “Cooper Connector” plan. This proposal is based on similar districts created near arenas for Ohio State University, Arizona State University, the Green Bay Packers, and the Atlanta Braves.

As an effect of this plan, Bluegrass Community and Technical College will vacate from the school’s original home on Cooper Drive by the end of 2026, a spokesperson told the Lexington Herald-Leader.

Despite BCTC still holding classes, Kentucky originally took control over the property with an agreement in 2008, after BCTC built a new campus at the former site of Eastern State Hospital, which moved to land owned by UK on the Coldstream Research campus.

The “Cooper Connector” plan includes retail and a hotel conference center, but dining will serve as the anchor, as Locke explained to the board on Tuesday.

“Food and beverage, that would serve as the anchor use for this scheme,” Locke said. “This location needs genuine energy, with multiple retail spots creating critical mass, rather than an isolated, one-off destination. And with the right mix of food, entertainment, and access, this corridor will come alive and attract private investors as well as become an asset for the university, staff, and surrounding community.”

With the plan, there are still some final decisions to be made over the coming weeks, including the precise location for the hotel conference center.

Perhaps the biggest decision will be whether to include a multi-use facility that would include a new basketball practice facility into the Kroger Field entertainment district or as part of a district to be built near Historic Memorial Coliseum that will include retail, housing, and parking. A conversation study is needed, set to be complete this summer.

Also posted on A Sea of Blue.