LEXINGTON, Ky. — The No. 19 Kentucky baseball team returns to Southeastern Conference action, as it plays host to No. 1 Vanderbilt in a three-game series, beginning on Friday at 6:30 p.m. EDT at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
?This will be a tremendous challenge for us and the kids are looking forward to it,? Kentucky head coach John Cohen said. ?I really like this group of kids. They compete really hard and are always seeking ways to improve. Vanderbilt enters as the No. 1 team in the country and [Vanderbilt Head Coach] Tim Corbin has done an amazing job with that club. We really need to be on top of our game and come out with a lot of intensity and focus.?
Kentucky (25-7-1, 5-6-1 SEC) enters the series two and a half games out of first place in the SEC East. The Wildcats dropped two of three to Tennessee last weekend before losing a mid-week contest to intra-state rival Louisville on Wednesday. The loss to the Cardinals snapped UK?s 36-game regular season non-conference winning streak. Kentucky, who set the school record by winning its first 19 opening games, will look to rebound against the powerful Commodores, who enter having won two consecutive SEC series.
Vanderbilt (30-5, 7-5 SEC) brings one of the best pitching staffs in college baseball to Cliff Hagan for the weekend, highlighted by super southpaw David Price. Price, a junior from Murfreesboro, Tenn., is widely regarded as the best collegiate prospect in the nation. Price has racked up a staggering 99 strikeouts in just 68 1/3 innings, to complement a perfect 6-0 record. A year ago, Price set the Vandy school record by striking out 155.
?I am a huge David Price fan,? Cohen said. ?Two years ago I was fortunate enough to be on the Team USA staff and David was one of the pitchers. He could end up being the No. 1 player taken overall in the draft. When you face a pitcher of David?s caliber you need to have a plan and we will have one. You got to hope that some things go your way. He is certainly outstanding and that whole pitching staff is outstanding.?
The Wildcats enter having been paced by a pair of senior standouts, Mike Brown and Sean Coughlin. Brown leads the club in batting average, reaching at a .425 clip. Coughlin paces the league in RBI, driving in 49, in addition to ripping six home runs.
On Friday, Kentucky will run out sophomore southpaw Chris Rusin to face off with the acclaimed Price. Rusin has notched a 3-2 record and a 4.53 ERA in 43 2/3 innings of work. Saturday will mark a matchup of undefeated pitchers, as Vandy will send Mike Minor to the bump to face off with UK lefty Andrew Albers. Albers has tallied a perfect 5-0 record and a 3.30 ERA in 43 2/3 innings, while Minor has accumulated an excellent 1.88 ERA and a 5-0 record. Sunday, preseason All-American Greg Dombrowski takes the hill for UK to face off with Nick Christiani.
Fans in Lexington can catch the action Friday and Sunday live on the Big Blue Sports Network (TV), with Dick Gabriel and former UK letterman and Gold Glove winner, Doug Flynn. The games will be televised locally live on CWKYT (Insight Lexington Channel 5) and live on the Fox College Sports Network. The Friday evening contest will also be televised on Fox Sports Net South, in a delayed broadcast, beginning at 10:30 p.m. EDT. All three games will be broadcast on WLAP 630-AM, by the voice of UK baseball, Neil Price.
Team Records
No. 19 Kentucky (25-7-1, 5-6-1 SEC) vs. No. 1 Vanderbilt (30-5, 7-5 SEC)
Dates/Times
Friday, April 13 * 6:30 p.m. EDT
Saturday, April 14 * 6:30 p.m. EDT
Sunday, April 15 * 1 p.m. EDT
Stadium
Cliff Hagan Stadium (3,000)
Teams in the National Rankings
Kentucky
No. 19 by Collegiate baseball
No. 22 by ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll
No. 22 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
Vanderbilt No. 1 by Baseball America
No. 1 by ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll
No. 1 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
No. 3 by Collegiate Baseball
Radio (Big Blue Sports Network with Neil Price)
Friday: WLAP 630-AM
Saturday: WLAP 630-AM
Sunday: WLAP 630-AM
Television (BBSN with Dick Gabriel and Doug Flynn)
Friday: Live on CWKYT, Fox College Sports, Delayed on FSN South at 10:30 p.m. EDT
Sunday: Live on CWKYT, Fox College Sports
Tickets
Single-Game Admission
Adults: $5
Children: $2
Seniors: $2
Season Tickets
General Admission: $25
Series Record
Kentucky leads the all time series between the two schools, 134-122-5 ? Last season, UK took the series, winning two of three games in Nashville.
Pitching Matchups
Friday
UK: Chris Rusin (LHP, So., 3-2, 4.53 ERA, 43.2 IP, 46 SO, 21 BB)
VU: David Price (LHP, Jr., 6-0, 2.50 ERA, 68.1 IP, 99 SO, 19 BB)
Saturday
UK: Andrew Albers (LHP, Jr., 5-0, 3.30 ERA, 43.2 IP, 34 SO, 9 BB)
VU: Mike Minor (LHP, Fr., 5-0, 1.88 ERA, 43 IP, 49 SO, 9 BB)
Sunday
UK: Greg Dombrowski (RHP, Jr., 4-1, 44.1 IP, 34 SO, 4 BB)
VU: Nick Christiani (RHP, So., 5-2, 3.60 ERA, 50 IP, 39 SO, 25 BB)
SEC Teleconference Quotes
Vanderbilt Head Coach Tim Corbin
On No. 19 Kentucky ?
?Kentucky, obviously we are trying to concentrate on them a little bit more. Seeing them once on TV, they are a really good club. We played them last year and saw some of their offensive game. Some of their players coming back present a major challenge. Their on-base percentage and slugging percentage makes them a very powerful club. John does an amazing job with that team and anyone who knew him knew that it was just a matter of time before he got them playing the way they wanted. They have a great pitching coach in Gary Henderson, I think very highly of him and everything he has done with that staff.?
On recruiting good players to Vanderbilt and Kentucky ?
?I think recruiting has a lot to do with that. I think John Cohen is aggressive they recruited some very good players. We have recruited some decent players too. What everyone in the SEC has done is that everyone has recruited good players. I think everyone is very even, as you can see through the records. In order to put up in the conference you need to get some good players.?
On approaching the potent Wildcat offense ?
?I think you really have to attack them, you have to throw strikes and come right after them. If you come with a good pitch in the strike zone, you have to worry about their bats. I think a lot of Antone DeJesus, he is really a pure, disciplined type leadoff hitter. Sean Coughlin had a great year coming out of junior college and he really swung the bat well against us last year, he really hits the ball well. Mike Brown has really emerged as a player who leads the team in hitting and has a good knack for getting on base, he really knows how to handle the bat. Some other players have stepped up for them, Ryan Wilkes, Jason Kipnis, and Sawyer Carroll, who replaced Ryan Strieby at first. You just can?t give this team freebies, they are going to draw walks and get hit by pitches. Hopefully we will do a good job with them.?
