Baseball Cats Proving to be Road Warriors

As the 2017 Kentucky baseball team has made its ascent to the top of the SEC East standings, there have been many changes for the better in this year’s squad. One of the things that the Wildcats have done this season that they haven’t been able to do many times in the past is that this year’s team is winning on the road in conference play.

Last year, Kentucky was 15-15 overall in the SEC, but only 6-9 on the road. After Sunday’s 9-4 win at South Carolina, which earned Kentucky its third series win in four attempts on the road, the Wildcats now stand at 31-14 overall and 14-7 in SEC play, including an 8-4 mark away from Cliff Hagan Stadium. Kentucky finds itself in a three-way tie for first place in the SEC with Auburn and Mississippi State with nine conference games remaining.

“Our players deserve all the credit for the success we’re having on the road,” said Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione. “They refuse to let outside conditions like the fans, the field or our opponents affect them. We continue to stay focused on our process and our plan.”

The 2017 Wildcats compare favorably to some of the best UK teams of all time when it comes to winning on the road. In 2012, Kentucky was 45-18 overall and 18-12 in the conference. But that team was only 7-8 on the road. The 2006 SEC champion Wildcats were 44-17 overall and 20-10 in the SEC. That team was also 7-8 away from the Cliff in conference action. This season’s Cats are within one of the school record for road wins in a season, which is nine, accomplished by the 2000 Kentucky team, which finished 38-20-1 overall and 12-16-1 in the league, despite success on the road.

“It’s not easy to win on the road in this league and this team continues to do things that have never been done here before,” Mingione said. “They refuse to let outside circumstances bother or alter our approach to the games.”

Sunday’s game was tied 4-4 in the fifth inning when Mingione and pitching coach Jimmy Belanger made the decision to bring closer Logan Salow into the game. It would be the second long outing for Salow in his last three times on the hill, and it would also be his most dominant. Salow pitched the last four and two-thirds innings to earn his second win of the season, striking out a career-high 10 batters while allowing no hits and only one walk.

The Wildcats rallied to score three times in the eighth inning and two more in the ninth to provide the final margin of victory, keeping Kentucky one game ahead of Florida in the SEC East standings.

As good as the Wildcats have been on the road, they have been even better at home, winning 20 of 23 games at the Cliff. And the Wildcats will enjoy their next eight games at home, including SEC weekend series against Georgia and Tennessee, before finishing the season on the road at Florida. 

The 2017 Wildcats continue to do things that have never been done at UK before, and winning on the road in the SEC is one of the most impressive.