BIRMINGHAM, Ala. — After running off the most wins in a two-year period in the 103-year history of the Kentucky baseball program, the Southeastern Conference baseball coaches tabbed UK to finish third in the SEC Eastern Division, the league office announced Thursday.
Kentucky, ranked as high as No. 20 nationally in the preseason, is picked by the SEC coaches to finish third in the powerhouse SEC East, just behind Vanderbilt and South Carolina. The Wildcats finished with 42 of a possible 66 total points, with Vandy totaling 62 and USC with 58 total points in the SEC East. Georgia, Florida, and Tennessee follow behind the Wildcats in the SEC East.
Vanderbilt, ranked as high as No. 3 in the preseason polls, will be seeking to defend its 2007 SEC regular season and tournament titles, as the league?s coaches named Vandy the preseason favorite to win the SEC Championship. Ole Miss, complete with two of the top right-handed pitchers (Lance Lynn and Cody Satterwhite) in college baseball, is picked to win the Western Division.
Points were compiled on a 6-5-4-3-2-1 basis for each division. Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team. Each coach also voted for one team as an overall conference champion.
Kentucky opens its season on Feb. 22 in Mobile, Ala., at the annual Coca-Cola Classic, hosted by the University of South Alabama. UK?s lidlifter will come against Xavier on Friday at 2 p.m. ET.
Eastern Division
Team Pts. ’07 SEC Rec/Finish
1) Vanderbilt (7) 62 22-8 / 1st
2) S.Carolina (3) 58 17-13 / 2nd
3) Kentucky (1) 42 13-16-1 / 5th
4) Georgia (1) 38 11-19 / 6th
5) Florida 29 15-15 / 3rd
6) Tennessee 18 13-15 / 4th
Western Division
Team Pts. ’07 SEC Rec/Finish
1) OIe Miss (10) 65 16-14 / 3rd
2) Mississippi State 47 15-13 / 2nd
3) Arkansas (2) 39 18-12 / 1st
4) Auburn 34 10-20 / 6th
5) LSU 33 12-17-1 / 5th
6) Alabama 29 15-15 / 4th
( ) – First Place Votes
SEC Champion: Vanderbilt (5); Ole Miss (4); South Carolina (3)
Scott Green Named Preseason All-SEC by Baseball America
UK standout right-handed pitcher Scott Green has been named preseason All-Southeastern Conference and senior Greg Dombrowski tabbed the pitcher in the SEC with the best control, Baseball America announced Thursday.
Green, one of the top prospects in college baseball, was picked as one of three pitchers on the preseason All-SEC team, joining Ole Miss righties Lance Lynn and Cody Satterwhite ? two Team USA veterans. Baseball America also ranked the SEC?s top-10 prospects, ranking Green as the sixth-best prospect in the league.
Green had a breakout summer in the Cape Cod League after pitching on a limited basis in 2007. A 6-foot-8, 245-pound redshirt junior, Green missed UK?s 2006 SEC Championship season due to Tommy John surgery, before accepting a limited role in 2007 while nursing lingering injuries. Fully healthy during the summer, Green tore through the prestigious Cape, pitching in nine games with eight starts, earning a save, a 3-1 record, and a 1.56 ERA. In 40 1/3 innings, Green struck out 35 batters, while teaming with UK outfielder Collin Cowgill in leading the Yarmouth-Dennis Red Sox to the league crown.
Dombrowski, the current school-record holder for the highest winning percentage in UK history (17-4 career W-L record), was named as the SEC pitcher with the best control for the second consecutive season. A crafty senior, Dombrowski utilizes a deadly sinking fastball to force ground outs. Dombrowski, who once had a 40-plus inning streak without walking a batter before an intentional walk was called for, has only issued 28 walks in 203 career collegiate innings, including just nine walks in 2007.
Baseball America also picked UK to finish fourth in the rugged SEC Eastern Division, and was projected as one of eight SEC teams to make the NCAA Tournament.
UK Announces School-Record 10 TV Games in 2008
The UK baseball program will have a total of 10 games broadcast on television during the 2008 season, marking the most televised regular season games in UK baseball history, UK head coach John Cohen announced Thursday.
UK will have eight home games broadcast during 2008, including five on the Big Blue Sports Network. UK?s BBSN lineup will include Morehead State (March 18; 4 p.m. ET), Western Kentucky (April 2; 6:30 p.m.), Louisville (April 8; 6:30 p.m.), and Florida (April 18-19; 6:30, 7 p.m.).
The Wildcats will be featured as the FSN Southeastern Conference Game of the Week once during 2008, a road contest at Georgia on April 12 at 4 p.m. ET.
UK?s entire LSU home series will also be broadcast via Jumbo Sports (May 2-4; 6:30, 1, 1 p.m.) and UK?s May 10 game at Tennessee will be televised through SportsSouth, formerly Turner South, with a 1 p.m. ET start time.
Heart of the Order Luncheon on Monday
The UK Baseball Heart of the Order Preseason Kickoff Luncheon is slated for Monday at noon, at Lexington?s Radisson Plaza.
The Heart of the Order Luncheon will give fans the opportunity to meet the coaches, learn more about the UK baseball team, meet other fans, and hear an informative presentation from UK head coach John Cohen.
For more information about the Heart of the Order Luncheon, or contact Chelsea Hansing (859.257.8052) in the UK baseball offices.
