NASHVILLE — Fresh off a series win over No. 24 Florida, the 17th-ranked Kentucky baseball team travels to No. 10 Vanderbilt for a three-game set, beginning 7 p.m. ET Friday at Charles Hawkins Field.
Kentucky (31-10, 9-9 Southeastern Conference) claimed the three-game series vs. the Gators last weekend, splitting its midweek games with a loss at Louisville and a win at Western Kentucky. In both games, UK played in front of school-record for attendance, setting the regular season mark at Louisville (3,652) and the overall record at WKU (3,057).
UK outlasted WKU on Wednesday in a pitchers duel, getting two solo home runs from Collin Cowgill and Ryan Wilkes for the difference, a 2-1 win. In the loss at Louisville, UK gave up a two-out walk-off single in the bottom of the ninth, off the bat of UL All-American third baseman Chris Dominguez.
Last weekend, UK got a come-from-behind 11-7 win on Friday night, before dropping a 13-7 decision to UF on Saturday. In the rubber match, UK outlasted the Gators on getaway day, notching a 3-2 win in 10 innings.
UK will send Chris Rusin (4-1, 3.16 ERA) to the mound on Friday, facing off with Vanderbilt ace southpaw Mike Minor (4-3, 4.22 ERA), the 2007 SEC Freshman of the Year. Saturday, UK sophomore lefty James Paxton (3-2. 3.48 ERA) will face off with freshman righty Caleb Cotham (6-2, 3.06 ERA). Sunday, UK?s all-time record holder for career winning percentage, Greg Dombrowski (4-0, 3.23 ERA) to the bump, squaring off with junior right-hander Nick Christiani (5-1, 3.97 ERA).
The Wildcats have been led at the plate by Cowgill and Sawyer Carroll, two National Player of the Year candidates. Carroll leads the SEC in average (.447) and RBI (56), while Cowgill ranks among the league leaders in nearly every offensive category, ranking second in the league and nationally in home runs (16). Cowgill ranks fourth in the SEC in average (.391), second in slugging (.808), fourth in on-base percentage (.515), second in runs scored (59), fourth in RBI (46), third in total bases (122), fourth in walks (33) and fifth in stolen bases (16). Cowgill?s 16 homers in 41 games in 2008 ties a career high, as the slugger belted 16 home runs during UK?s 2006 SEC Championship season, needing 61 games to accomplish that feat.
Entering the weekend, Kentucky ranks last in the Eastern Division and seventh overall in the SEC, 5.5 games back of league front-runner UGA (14-3-1). The top eight teams in the SEC qualify for the SEC Tournament, in Hoover Ala., May 21-25.
Kentucky leads the SEC in nine offensive categories, including average (.330), slugging (.541), on-base percentage (.428), runs scored (351), hits (458), RBI (317), hit by pitch (68), sac bunt (51) and sac flies (28). UK ranks second in the league in ERA (3.51) and fielding percentage (.974).
First pitch on Friday is slated for 7 p.m. ET, Saturday at 3 p.m. ET and on Sunday at 2 p.m. ET.
The game can be heard live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio) with the Voice of UK Baseball, Neil Price calling the action. In Lexington, the game can be heard on WLAP 630-AM and in Louisville on WKJK 1080-AM.
Kentucky leads the series with Vanderbilt 135-124-5, trailing in Nashville with a 58-67-4 record. Last year, UK dropped the series in Lexington, claiming the Sunday game to salvage the series, which included an extra inning, classic-matchup on Friday, with VU securing a 10-8 win. UK won the series in 2006 at Charles Hawkins Field, getting 11-9 and 12-9 wins on Saturday and Sunday to claim the series.
Vanderbilt (30-11, 10-7 SEC) has been paced by a potent offensive attack, hitting for a .308 team average, reaching base at a .397 clip and slugging at a .460 percentage. Team USA shortstop Ryan Flaherty ranks third on the club with a .331 average, leading the team with 11 homers and 45 RBI, stealing 8-of-9 bags. Centerfielder David Macias has added a team-best .379 average, totaling eight doubles, a triple, and six home runs and 20 RBI. Second baseman Alex Feinberg ranks second on the team with a .336 average. Third baseman Pedro Alvarez, one of the top players in the nation, has returned from early season injury, playing in 18 games, hitting for a .293 average, ripping seven doubles and three home runs, driving in seven.
The game will be available on a pay-per-view basis via the Vanderbilt Athletics website, www.vucommodores.com. The games can be purchased individually for $4.95 per contest.
