Dealin’: Trey Pooser Delivers Ace Performance as Kentucky Advances

Trey Pooser was sensational in seven innings of work and Ryan Waldschmidt continued his torrid season with three hits and three RBI to lead Kentucky past Illinois 6-1 on a rainy Saturday evening in the Lexington Regional at Kentucky Proud Park in front of 6,066 fans.

UK (42-14) now moves within one victory of advancing the Super Regional round for the second consecutive season.

Pooser was gritty and unflappable on the mound, spraying five hits around and drawing on terrific defense behind him. He worked out of a jam in the second inning before an incredible leaping snag and double play by Emilien Pitre extinguished another potential threat. Steely senior Ryan Hagenow earned his third save of the season with two scoreless innings.

The Cats took a 2-0 lead in the second on Ryan Nicholson’s opposite field blast, added single runs in the fifth and seventh and then delivered the fatal blow in the ninth when Ryan Waldschmidt hit a 444-foot blast that sent the home crowd into hysterics.

“You know, this time of year more than likely you’re going to play a champion of some sort, right, so first game, we played a champion,” UK coach Nick Mingione said. “They were champions in their league. This is the Big Ten champion. It is not easy.

“When you get to this level and you get to the winner’s bracket, which we’ve been able to do, you’re going to face a good team. It’s going to take a game like today to where you’re going to have to pitch at a high level, you’re going to have to defend at a high level, and you’re going to have to execute offensively at a really high level, and if you don’t, you won’t win. We did that. We did all three of those today. We did all three of those today, and that’s what it was going to take to put us in this position.”

NOTES

• Kentucky now is 42-14 in 2024.
• Kentucky is 26-11 in day games.
• Kentucky is 9-5 in May.
• Kentucky is 36-2 this season when scoring at least six runs.
• The crowd of 6,066 was the sixth-highest in program history.
• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his eighth season at the helm and now owns a 258-164 career record.
• Mingione needs one victory to become the second-winningest coach in school history.
• UK is 10-6 in the NCAA Tournament under Mingione.
  • UK is 10-2 in NCAA Regional action.
• UK is 49-46 in the month of May under Coach Mingione.
• Junior Ryan Nicholson went 1-for-3 with a run, a walk and two-run home run.
  • His HR was his 19^th of the season, tying Kole Cottam (2018) for the most in a single season in the Mingione era.
• Junior Emilien Pitre extended his streak of games reaching base safely to 33.
• Graduate Mitchell Daly went 2-for-3 with a run, a stolen base and HBP.
  • It was his 14^th multi-hit game of the season.
• Junior Ryan Waldschmidt went 3-for-5 with a run, three RBI, a double and home run.
  • It was his 20^th multi-hit game of the season and 32^nd
  • It was his 12^th multi-RBI game of the season and 23^rd
• Graduate Trey Pooser was sensational in tying his career-high with 7.0 innings.
  • He allowed five hits, one run, walked two and struck out seven.
  • He moved to 6-1 on the season.
• Senior Ryan Hagenow warned his third save of the season with two shutout innings.
  • He allowed one hit, one walk and struck out three.

ON DECK

Kentucky will face the winner of Indiana State and Illinois on Sunday night at 6 p.m. ET needing a win to win the Lexington Regional championship.