2005 Practice Begins Sunday

Kentucky opens the second season of the John Cohen era on Sunday when it begins team practice for the 2005 campaign. The Wildcats will practice Sunday morning before taking Monday off and resuming workouts Tuesday. Practices will take place in the Nutter Fieldhouse due to the weather. Kentucky has been holding individual workouts for two weeks since returning to class just following the Martin Luther King, Jr., holiday.

A New Look

When Kentucky begins the 2005 season, only 12 players from last year?s team will return. The Wildcats welcome 19 newcomers to the squad this season. The group was tabbed as one of the nation?s top 25 recruiting classes by Baseball America.

Cliff Hagan Improvements

Since November, Cliff Hagan Stadium has been undergoing a facelift. The home dugout was renovated and new foul poles were added. In addition, a new brick wall down the right field line is still being built as is the Bullpen Pavilion just down from the first base dugout. The pavilion will house a full bullpen for practice and game use as well as hitting cages for the players.

Academic Achievements

Of the 37 players that began the fall on the baseball roster, 20 recorded a grade-point average of 3.0 or better and nine had a 3.5 or better. As a team, Kentucky had a 2.98 GPA in the fall.