LEXINGTON, Ky. — Off to a 23-2-1 start to open the 2007 season, the Kentucky baseball team has cracked top-10, climbing as high as No. 8 in the weekly Collegiate Baseball top-30 poll, the organization announced Monday.

The Wildcats, who were ranked No. 11 in the Collegiate Baseball poll last week, have begun the season on a torrid pace. Kentucky completed a series win over LSU over the weekend, taking the first two games of the series before rallying from behind in its last inning to tie the Sunday contest.

Kentucky is currently ranked No. 16 by the ESPN/USA Today Coaches Poll and No. 22 in the Baseball America poll. UK has been ranked in 20 consecutive polls, dating back to last season. During the historic 2006 Southeastern Conference Championship season, Kentucky climbed as high as No. 4 in the national polls, the highest such ranking for UK in school annals.

Pacing the Wildcats at the plate have been Seniors Mike Brown and Sean Coughlin. Brown leads the SEC in batting average (.482) and ranks eighth nationally. The Davis, Calif. native, also leads the league in runs scored (38) and on base percentage (.596). Coughlin, a 6-foot-1, 215 pound backstop, leads the nation in RBI with an astounding 47. Coughlin is on pace to drive in 101 RBI, a mark that would shatter the school record of 77, set last year by SEC Player of the Year Ryan Strieby. Through 26 games last season, Strieby had accumulated 38 RBI.

As a team, Kentucky has scored 291 runs after setting the school record for runs scored in a season in 2006 with 500. Through 26 games a year ago, Kentucky had scored 246 runs.

The Wildcats return to action on Wednesday as it plays host to the Morehead State Eagles at 6:30 p.m. EDT at Cliff Hagan Stadium.