Although Head Coach Nick Mingione and his staff had to completely restructure their lineup after the MLB Draft and the transfer portal did its rounds, the Wildcats have formed one of the most well-rounded rosters in the nation. 

The Cats’ have 16 home runs as a team in just 15 games. Five of the players, led by Cole Hage with eight stolen bases, have stolen five or more bags this season. Six players, led by Dylan Koontz with 18, have 10 or more RBIs thus far. As a team, they’re hitting .295 and have a combined .909 OPS. This team can truly do it all. 

First of all, we have to assess Hage’s season so far. The outfielder is hitting .458 (1.419 OPS) and is leading the teams in total hits, runs and home runs. At this rate, with double-digit games played, it’s clear who the best offensive weapon is. 

Next, you can jump to star freshman shortstop with Bell. He’s hitting .333 on the season with, barely behind Hage in just about every stat. He ranks second on the team with both 17 RBIs and 18 total hits. 

These two’s amazing outings, along with the other team numbers mentioned above, indicate why they hold an impressive 13-2 record, averaging nearly nine runs a game. 

Last weekend, the Wildcats defeated the Wofford Terriers in two out of three games in a weekend series at Kentucky Proud Park. 

Mingione gave the team his flowers despite the Cats’ dominant 12-2 win in game one of the series. 

“I reminded the guys yesterday how much I think of this Wofford team,” said Mingione. “That’s a really good team, they win a lot of baseball games, and this series ain’t over.” 

Mingione was right, because the Terriers would fight with Kentucky through eight innings in game two. The Wildcats had a nightmare ninth inning on the mound, giving up eight runs as a team and ultimately losing 12-5. 

However, with the biggest showing of heart, the Wildcats came out in game three and had a clinic on the mound, where LHP Ethan Walker threw the first five innings, striking out four batters and only giving up two hits and one unearned run against 17 batters. 

Senior RHP Scott Rouse then took over, striking out four batters and keeping the Terriers from scoring another run in the final four innings. The Wildcats went on to win 2-1. Rouse has struck out 19 batters in only 15 innings this season, and is now 3-0 with a 0.60 ERA. 

After its first series win over a competing opponent, Kentucky faced Northern Illinois on Tuesday, March 11 where it only gave up four hits as a team. Freshman Nate Harris threw five innings and only gave up two hits against 19 batters, earning his third win of the season. 

Devin Burkes and Luke Lawrence, who both went 2-3 with two RBIs each led the way offensively, leading the Cats to a 9-2 win.

Now, Kentucky will go on the road and face the No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs, its first series of conference play. 

However, when asked about how much rankings mattered to him, he shifted the focus to his player’s mentalities.

“It doesn’t matter who we’re playing, with all due respect, we respect every opponent and they’re a great team, make no mistake about it,” said Mingione. “Our focus needs to be on us, and what we do, and I feel confident that as long as our focus is on things we can control, then there’s a chance we can get the results we want.” 

Kentucky will be on the road in Athens, Georgia from Friday, March 14 from Sunday March 16, hoping to return home to Lexington with a series win. 

On Thursday, Feb. 27, Kentucky women’s basketball pulled off a historic night against its rival Tennessee Volunteers. 

Not only did four different Wildcats have double-digit points, but the Cats secured a new program record with 182 team blocks this season and shot 51.5% from the field, scoring over 80 or more points for the 12th time this season. 

Clara Strack broke the single-season block record, dethroning a 15-year record set by Victoria Dunlap in the 2009-10 season. She finished the game with 23 points (11-11 FG), 15 rebounds, three blocks and jogged off of the court with her 13th double-double of the season and a little bit of history for the Wildcats. 

With emotions high after a dominating 82-58 win after previously losing to No. 7 LSU on Feb. 23, Head Coach Kenny Brooks was asked one final question that instantly changed the vibe of the after-game press conference. 

A reporter asked, “Coach Brooks, after every loss this season, like clockwork you’ve answered back with big wins. With one final giant in South Carolina, how do you keep the team humble but also confident at the same time?”

“Man, you tryna kill my vibe, I was excited to go get a steak tonight,” said Brooks as the whole room laughed. “Telling me I got Dawn Staley and them.” 

Brooks admitted that he knew what he and his team were getting into with South Carolina, alluding to something he learned from an NBA legend.

”I taught this particular group, I taught the group before that, one of things that I learned was from Kobe Bryant,” said Brooks. “Kobe said that you have to watch the bad games, you know, just like you watch the good games. You can’t just bring popcorn to try to get better because you played well, you learn more from what you do when you don’t do well.”

Brooks went out of his way to reference the phrasing from the question, admitting how focused his team is.

”Like clockwork, win or lose, both of them (Clara Strack and Georgia Amoore) have texted me after the game what time do you want to watch film tomorrow,” said Brooks. “Regardless of whether they play good or bad, they want to try and get better. That’s how you turn the page regardless of what happens, and you get ready for the next opponent, because this league is too good to let anything linger to bring that into the next game.” 

Now, back in the win column, Brooks and his team will face their last regular season opponent, the No. 6 South Carolina Gamecocks. The game is set to take place inside of the Colonial Life Arena on March 2. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will air live on ESPN. 

Before he was able to wear Kentucky blue, pitcher Nic McCay had an illustrious career. Beginning his time at South Dakota State all the way back in 2019, he earned a spot in the starting rotation, finishing 6-1 in his first collegiate season.

However, due to injury, he would miss the entire 2020 and 2021 campaigns. He returned in 2022, earning second-team All-Summit League honors and leading the team in starts, innings pitched and strikeouts. 

Unfortunately, yet again, McCay would miss the following season due to injury. His final year with the Jackrabbits eventually turned some heads, where he went 4-2 on the season and forced batters to only hit .226 against him. 

Finally, after a roller coaster of emotions and figuring out what was next for himself, McCay was on the mound for the Kentucky Wildcats on Feb. 14, pitching not only his first game for the team, but also earning the day-one start. 

He finished the game with the win, striking out four batters in five innings, only giving up two hits and walking two batters. Thanks to his performance, the Wildcats would go on to win their first game of the season 11-0 against Lipscomb. 

Exactly a week later, the senior was on the mound again, now going up against the Belmont Bruins. After getting his feet wet, this outing proved that he can be Kentucky’s number one guy on any given night.

He pitched six innings, striking out seven batters and only giving up two hits out of the total 21 batters he faced. McCay received his second win of the season, and the Wildcats scraped by with a 2-1 win. 

Recently, we saw McCay pitch his first game in Lexington, Kentucky on Feb. 28, getting his third start of the season against Hofstra. Before this matchup, he hadn’t given up a single earned run and batters facing him were hitting just .105. 

Although Hofstra would score a run in the second inning, McCay would strike out three batters in that inning, leaving runners stranded. Once again in the fourth inning, the RHP and the Kentucky defense would only allow one run and escape another scary inning.

Eventually, after several mound visits, McCay would turn it over to redshirt senior Evan Byers, who ultimately got the win on the day. 

McCay pitched 4.1 innings, striking out six batters, walking four batters and giving up two runs (one earned).

The Wildcats went on to 7-5, improving to 7-1 on the season. 

After the game, Head Coach Nick Mingione admitted McCay could’ve pitched better, but was still proud of his performance. 

“He wasn’t as sharp, but I give him a lot of credit,” said Mingione. “We still got four and a third innings out of him, where he only gave up one earned run, you know what I mean? That’s a good thing.” 

Now, with three starts officially in the books, McCay’s new chapter of his life at the University of Kentucky is in full spring, and he’s just getting started.