No. 19 Kentucky Faces No. 11 Ole Miss in Pitching Showdown

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Riding an eight-game winning streak, including a road sweep of Texas A&M to open Southeastern Conference play, No. 19 Kentucky returns to the friendly confines of Cliff Hagan Stadium for what promises to be a superb matchup with No. 11 Ole Miss this weekend. The three-game series begins Thursday night and continues Friday evening and Saturday afternoon as the Wildcats look to continue their hot start in league play.

If you like pitching The Cliff is where you’ll want to be this weekend, as UK and Ole Miss feature two of the best pitching staffs in the country. The Rebels, who just posted 48 consecutive scoreless innings last week, rank 11th nationally with a team ERA of 2.68, while the Cats are 16th at 2.79 so runs should be at a premium when the two collide in Lexington. Some of the conference’s top arms will be on display, including the last two winners of the SEC Pitcher of the Week award (UK’s Sean Hjelle and Ole Miss’ David Parkinson).

Despite a tough beginning to the season the Wildcats have found their groove, winning 14 of their past 15 games and 16 of 18 overall to vault into three of the major national Top 25 polls despite the extended absence of preseason All-American Evan White, who remains sidelined with a hamstring issue. The Cats have been the definition of the sum of the parts equaling the whole to this point and will look to continue their unblemished record at home against the Rebels.

UK – Sean Hjelle (So., RHP): 5 starts, 3-1, 4.99 ERA

OLE MISS – James McArthur (So., RHP): 3 starts, 0-1, 1.76 ERA

UK – Zach Logue (Jr., LHP): 5 starts, 3-1, 2.43 ERA

OLE MISS – David Parkinson (Jr., LHP): 5 starts, 4-1, 2.03 ERA

UK – Justin Lewis (So., RHP): 5 starts, 3-1, 3.07 ERA

OLE MISS – TBA

Thursday – $2 tickets, Rally Towels (limited quantity, early arrival suggested)

Friday – 90s night, Friday Night Fireworks, $1 hot dogs (until third inning) 

Saturday – Collector Poster, Kids Run the Bases (after the game), Wildcat Autographs

Date/Time: Thur., March 23 (7 p.m.); Fri., March 24 (6:30 p.m.); Sat., March 25 (noon)

Location (Facility): Lexington, Ky. (Cliff Hagan Stadium)

Series History: Ole Miss leads 50-31

Radio: UK Radio Network; 630 AM (Thur./Sat.), 98.5 (Fri.); ukathletics.com

TV/Online: SEC Network (Thur./Sat.); SECN+ (Fri.)