CHAMPIONS! Kentucky Wins Second SEC Championship

With fireworks exploding over a videoboard bearing a championship logo, No. 2 Kentucky claimed its second Southeastern Conference regular season championship with a dominating 17-7 run-rule victory over Vanderbilt at Kentucky Proud Park on Friday night.

The title came in wire-to-wire fashion. The victory etched the 2024 team in the record books with its 2006 brethren.

The victory was thorough and clinical on Friday, as UK (39-11, 22-7) saw its first two batters of the game hit home runs, drew seven walks and eight it by pitch and stole three bases. More importantly, it rendered the final game of the regular season on Saturday mostly to determine if the Cats claim the league title outright or not.

Coach Nick Mingione further stamped his mark on the program in his eighth season. He now has been a part of the coaching staff on both title teams and both squads that have advanced to a Super Regional.

NOTES

• Kentucky is a 2024 SEC regular season champion.
  • It is the second time in school history (2006).
• Kentucky has 22 SEC wins, setting the school record that was previously set in 2006 (20).
  • This is the 83^rd season UK has played SEC competition.
• Kentucky now is 39-11 in 2024, 22-7 in Southeastern Conference play.
• Kentucky is 16-3 in night games.
• Kentucky is 6-2 in May.
• Kentucky is 11-3 in SEC home games.
• Kentucky is 12-5 vs. ranked teams and 19-6 vs. Quad 1 opponents.
• Kentucky owns the most Quad 1 wins in Division I.
• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his eighth season at the helm and now owns a 255-161 career record.
• Mingione needs four victories to become the second-winningest coach in school history.
• UK is 46-43 in the month of May under Coach Mingione.
• Mingione now is 7-14 vs. Vanderbilt.
• Kentucky scored three or more runs in three innings on the night.
  • It has done that 67 times this season.
• Kentucky has 104 stolen bases on the season.
• Kentucky drew seven walks and was hit by eight pitches on the night.
• Junior INF Emilien Pitre extended his streak of games reaching base safely to 27 with a home run in the first inning.
• Junior OF Ryan Waldschmidt went 4-for-4 with four runs, two RBI, a double, a home run, a HBP and two stolen bases.
  • In the series he is 7-for-8 with two doubles, two home runs. Seven runs, five RBI and three stolen bases.
  • He homered on the first pitch he saw to leadoff the bottom of the first.
  • He stole his 23rd bag of the season, tying Emilien Pitre for the team lead.
    • That’s the highest total for a single-season total in the Mingione era.
  • Senior INF Nick Lopez went 2-for-4 with two runs, two RBI, a double, a home run and SAC fly.
    • He ripped his 19^th double of the season, which ranks as fourth-highest single-season total in the Mingione era (2017-).
    • Lopez hit a solo home run in the 8^th

ON DECK

Kentucky will host Vanderbilt on Saturday looking to in the regular season finale. First pitch is at noon ET on the SEC Network and radio coverage will be on the UK Sports Network.