April 8, 1998
A Glance at the Series
Kentucky heads into the weekend series against Mississippi State looking for momentum for the second half of its conference schedule. UK split its mid-week games with a win over Morehead State (11-3) on Tuesday before a loss against Western Carolina (6-5) on Wednesday. UK has lost its last six conference games.UK was swept the past two weekends by No. 6 LSU and No. 5 Florida in Lexington. This weekend marks the first SEC series since their opening series at Vanderbilt that the Wildcats haven’t faced a ranked team. UK head coach Keith Madison is one win shy of his 600th career victory. Madison is second among active coaches in the Southeastern Conference. Senior David Cheatle continues to lead UK in hitting with a .389 average. Cheatle, who bats in the No. 2 spot, has 12 doubles and 19 RBIs this season. Junior catcher Josh Loggins is hitting .380 with eight home runs and a team-leading 36 RBIs.
NEXT UP: UK Plays Area Teams
Kentucky returns home to take on Western Kentucky on Tuesday, April 14 at 6 p.m. The Wildcats hit the road on Wednesday, April 15 to do battle with Eastern Kentucky at 7 p.m. UK travels to Athens, Ga., to take on Georgia next weekend.
Head Coach Keith Madison
Since becoming the Wildcats coach in 1979, Keith Madison has guided his team to 599 victories – more than any other baseball coach in school history and the second-highest mark among active coaches in Southeastern Conference games. In his 19 seasons, 77 players whom Madison has coached have signed pro contracts, 15 of whom have seen time in the major leagues. With UK’s win over Tennessee on April 13, 1996, Madison moved into third place on the SEC all-time victories list. Against Ohio University on March 12, 1996, Madison achieved another milestone by coaching in his 1,000th career game. Over the last 19 seasons, UK has averaged 31 wins a season and advanced to the NCAA Tournament in 1988 and 1993, with the team’s ’88 berth representing the school’s first NCAA appearance in 38 years. Madison took over a program in 1979 that had just finished last in the SEC Eastern Division. Madison guided his first team to a 29-18 mark, setting the school record for wins in a season. Madison improved that mark from 39 wins (1981) to 40 (1987) to 41 (1991). Through all the success, Madison has guided eight All-Americans, 19 first-team All-SEC players, and 33 players to SEC academic honors. Madison has coached a first or second-team All-SEC selection 18 of his 19 years at Kentucky. On the national scene, Madison was named the fourth vice-president of the American Baseball Coaches Association in 1995. In the ABCA officer rotation system. Madison has moved up to third vice-president of the organization. He will assume the presidency of the organization in 1999.
THE KENTUCKY FLAVOR
Seventeen of the 35 players on the Kentucky roster hail from the Bluegrass State…The rest of the breakdown: California (5), Indiana (5), Florida (1), Arizona (1), Georgia (1), Ohio (1), Oregon (1) and Tennessee (1)…UK has five players from Lexington.
Scouting Mississippi State
Mississippi State lost two of three to LSU last weekend before sweeping New Orleans this week at home. The Bulldogs beat the Tigers 8-3 in the second game of the series. This is MSU’s first home SEC series since March 20 when they took two of three from Ole Miss. Junior Brian Wiese leads the Bulldogs with a .425 mark, including three home runs and 27 RBIs. First baseman Richard Lee has a team-leading 48 RBIs to go along with nine home runs. Reliever Brian Compton (3-0) has compiled a 1.52 earned run average in 23.2 innings pitched. LHP Jeremy Jackson (5-1) has struck out a team-high 44 batters in 47 innings pitched.
Wildcats Overall
This is the 102nd season of Kentucky baseball. The Wildcats have an all-time mark of 1268-1091-22 for a winning percentage of .532.
DID YOU KNOW?
Josh Loggins is the only Wildcat to start every game this season. Loggins has started at three different positions, catcher (23), right field (10) and first base (1). SS Andy Green and 2B David Cheatle have missed only one game.
Last Time Out
Western Carolina scored all six of its runs in the final three innings as they erased a four-run deficit to win 6-5 over Kentucky on Wednesday. UK took a 5-4 lead into the ninth inning before Western Carolina tied the game with a one-out homer. Kevin Grieve nailed a RBI double down the right field line for the game-winner. UK starter Josh Paxton allowed only six hits in seven innings of work, his longest outing of the season. Paxton gave up one run and struck out two. David Cheatle picked up his first loss of the season in 1.2 innings of relief. Junior Josh Loggins led the Wildcats with three hits, including two doubles. Senior Mark Murphy went 2-for-4 with a double. Wildcat Bats UK enters the Mississippi State series hitting .310. The Wildcats have an extra-base hit in 33 of their 34 games. They have connected on doubles in 25 of the last 26 games.
Trio Leads Wildcats
David Cheatle, Josh Loggins and Jason Colemire have continued to provide the bulk of the Wildcat offense. The trio have hit a combined .365 (146-for-399) with 42 doubles, 15 home runs and 83 RBIs. All three have a slugging percentage of at least .532 and are the only Wildcats with more than 40 hits. They are the only players to lead the Wildcats in hitting the entire season. Loggins leads the team with 18 mulitple-hit games and 10 multiple-RBI games. Loggins has three hits eight different times this season. Cheatle has a team-leading .506 on-base percentage while Colemire leads the team with 17 doubles. Colemire and Loggins have hit two of the team’s three triples this season.
Wilson Swinging the Hot Bat
Freshman John Wilson is hitting .438 (7-for-16) in the last five games. Wilson has two doubles, a triple, a home run and four RBIs for a slugging percentage of .875. Wilson hit a home run in his only at-bat against Florida in the first game of the series. In the second game, he went 3-for-5 with two RBIs and his first career triple. Wilson is hitting .320 with five home runs, eight doubles and 20 RBIs.
Newcomers Stepping In Nicely
Coach Keith Madison is looking to his newcomers to provide some offense off the bench and they have responded. Besides Wilson (See Above), freshman Robert Newton is hitting .292 with four RBIs. Newton, who has started five games, is second on the team with a .375 batting average in conference play. Newton is 3-for-6 in the last five games. Junior Nate Linder, a JUCO transfer, is 4-for-10 in SEC play with three RBIs.
UK Players Against Mississippi State Pitching
11 players on the current roster saw action against Mississippi State last year in Lexington. Senior Jason Colemire went 6-for-11 (.545) with three doubles and two RBIs in the three-game series. Junior Josh Loggins went 3-for-9 with a double, triple and home run last season. Senior Matt Borne allowed four hits and four runs in 4.1 innings pitched and picked up a save. Aaron McGlone scattered four hits in 4.1 innings pitched.
Colemire Moving Up the Charts
It’s hard not to mention Jason Colemire’s name when talking about doubles. Colemire is quickly moving his way up the school’s charts for doubles in a season. Colemire has 18 doubles which is second in the SEC. Vince Castaldo holds the school record for doubles in a season with 27 in 1988. Colemire ranks 15th in the nation with 0.53 doubles per game. Here’s a closer look at the Top 10.
Rank Player Doubles1. Vince Castaldo, 1988 272. Mike Botkin, 1982 24 Jeff Abbott, 1994 244. Chip Rhea, 1996 215. Bill Sandry, 1981 206. Terry Shumpert, 1986 19 Terry Shumpert, 1987 19 Brad Hindersman, 1992 19 Eddie Brooks, 1993 1910. Darin Rieman, 1988 18 Jeff Abbott, 1992 18
Cheatle Enjoys Success Against Non-Conference Foes
Senior David Cheatle has assaulted non-conference competition the entire season, hitting a team-leading .529 in 19 games. Cheatle, a California native, is 10-for-13 with seven runs scored, two doubles and three RBIs in the last five non-conference outings. Cheatle has three hits six different times in those 19 games, including three in the last seven games.
Wildcat Scratches
-UK coach Keith Madison was a graduate assistant under former Mississippi State coach Ron Polk in 1978.
-Sophomore shortstop Andy Green is riding a seven-game hitting streak. *Sophomore Aaron McGlone hit safely in eight straight games from March 14 to March 25, just one game shy of his career-high. *Senior Matt Borne, who has a team-leading 33 K’s, has a strikeout in all 13 appearances this season.
-Jason Colemire is hitting .350 in SEC games with 12 doubles, three home runs and 14 RBIs.
-Loggins leads the team with 18 multiple-hit games and 10 multiple-RBI games. Senior David Cheatle is not far behind with 17 multiple-hit games. *Loggins is hitting .420 with runners in scoring position.
DID YOU KNOW?
In coach Keith Madison’s 19 years at Kentucky, the Wildcats have suffered through only five losing seasons…However, in each season following a losing one, Madison’s team’s have never had a winning percentage below .593.
It’s Over After the Seventh
UK has posted an impressive 28-5 (.848) mark when leading after seven innings the past two seasons. The Wildcats were 19-3 in 1996 and 9-2 in 1998.
Colemire Streak is Snapped at 18 Games
Senior Jason Colemire had his career-high 18-game hitting streak snapped against Toledo on March 18 with an 0-for-5 day at the plate. Colemire is hitting .347 with five home runs and 26 RBIs. Colemire had an eight-game hitting streak snapped in the Florida series. Colemire sat out this week’s non-conference games with a sore knee.
UK Enters NCAA Record Book With Six Double Plays
The Wildcats turned six double plays against Toledo on March 18, becoming only the 12th NCAA Division I team to accomplish the feat. Three different teams have recorded a record seven double plays. The last team to turn six double plays was Indiana against Kent in a 13-inning game in 1995. Along with the Wildcats six double plays, Toledo recorded three which ranks second with a combined nine double plays. Georgetown and George Mason combined for 10 double plays in 1989.
Feel the Power
Senior Andy Bendix experienced a power surge at Tennessee (March 20-22) and it continued the following week. Bendix had three homers in the three-game series at Tennessee, one in each game, and had a game-winning grand slam against IUPU-Fort Wayne on March 24. Bendix, who is second on the team with a .618 slugging percentage, connected on two doubles against Austin Peay the following day. His homer against IUPU-Fort Wayne traveled over 400 feet. It was his first career grand slam. The senior from Eugene, Ore., has a team-leading nine home runs which is two shy of the 11 he hit in 1996.
Doubles, Doubles, and More Doubles
UK has connected on 93 doubles in its 34 games. The school-record for doubles in a season is 132, set in 1994. Jason Colemire (17), David Cheatle (12) and Aaron McGlone (12) have combined for 41 of the 93. The Wildcats have slapped 35 doubles in SEC play.
Opponents Find it Difficult to Hold UK Scoreless
UK has put at least one run on the scoreboard the past 45 games. The last time the Wildcats were held scoreless was April 25, 1997 against Georgia.
Who’s on First?
Five different Wildcat players have seen action at first base this season. John Wilson (13 starts), Aaron McGlone (15 starts), Micah Plotts (3 starts), Robert Newton (2 starts) and Josh Loggins (1 start) have all started at least one game at first base.
UK Scores Runs in Bunches
UK has scored four-plus runs in 16 different innings this season. The Wildcats scored six runs in the ninth inning to pick up its first SEC win of the season March 8 at Vanderbilt. The Wildcats had a season-high seven runs in an inning against Ohio on March 4.
UK Gets 21 Hits Against Ohio
UK pounded a season-high 21 hits against Ohio on March 4, the most since April 9, 1996 when the Wildcats had 26 against Marshall. Earlier this season, UK had 18 hits against Southern Mississippi.
Two-Year Veteran
Senior Andy Bendix can be considered “the veteran” of this year’s squad. Bendix is the only player who has played in more than one season at Kentucky. Bendix played in six games last year before undergoing season-ending surgery to repair torn labrum in his right shoulder. In 1996,
Bendix hit .296 with 11 home runs and 35 RBIs. Bendix, who was granted a medical hardship, is hitting .314 this season with nine home runs and 25 RBIs.
Cats on the Tube
Kentucky fans will have a chance to catch its favorite team on television twice this season. Fox Sports South will broadcast the Mississippi State game on Friday, April 10 and the Auburn game on Saturday, May 2. Both games are on the road.
Madison Has Ties to Hall of Famer
1998 Major Leauge Baseball Hall of Fame selection Larry Doby was the hitting instructor for the Montreal Expos in the Gulf Goast League in 1970 while current UK coach Keith Madison was a player in the Expos organization.
Wildcats’ Bats On Fire
While the temperature was falling in Lexington during the opening week, it was soaring in Phoenix at the season-opening College Sports Classic thanks in part to the Wildcats bats. UK outhit New Mexico State (12-6) and Oklahoma State (11-4) in its first two games. The Wildcats recorded 11 RBIs, six doubles and a triple.
UK in Season-Openers
UK has fared well in its season-openers under the direction of head coach Keith Madison. UK posted a 13-7 record in the past 20 years, including a 8-6 win over New Mexico State this season in the College Sports Classic in Phoenix, Ariz. The Wildcats are 6-2 in season-openers in tournaments.
PRESEASON HIGHLIGHTS
Cats To Face Five New Opponents in 1998
UK will face five new opponents this season The Wildcats beat New Mexico State 8-6 in the team’s first-ever meeting at the College Sports Classic in Phoenix, Ariz. and split a series with Southern Mississippi (10-15, 10-6). UK was swept by Long Beach State (4-6, 2-19, 1-13) in Long Beach, Calif. UK held off a stubborn Belmont team 10-9 earlier this week. Western Carolina (April 8) will also be a new addition to the Wildcats’ schedule. Eight of UK’s opponents finished in the final 1997 USA Today Top 25 poll.
Wildcats Hire Assistant Coach
Former Birmingham-Southern College assistant Daron Schoenrock was named assistant coach in May. He will serve as pitching coach and also head the recruiting process. Schoenrock, a native of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, served as the assistant head coach at Birmingham-Southern for eight years under head coach Brian Shoop. While he was at BSC, the Panthers were ranked nationally seven of his eight years. He also coached two All-Americans, seven All-Conference selections and seven Major League draft picks. In 1995, Schoenrock was hired by the Chicago White Sox organization and assigned to Bristol, Tenn., (A-Appalachian League), where he was responsible for tutoring pitchers from the 1995 draft.
Nine Signees for Kentucky
Head coach Keith Madison signed nine players in the fall to national letters of intent to play baseball at Kentucky next season. The list of eight high school players and one junior college player includes four pitchers, four position players and one pitcher/outfielder. Jeff Goldbach, a senior at Princeton Community High School in Princeton, Ind., will join the UK baseball program as a catcher/outfielder. Goldbach was named the 1997 Southwestern Indiana Player of the Year and a TPX/Louisville Slugger All-American. The four position players to sign with Kentucky are first baseman Chris DeLeenheer from Blue Valley North High School in Overland Park, Kan., outfielder/pitcher Jason Graham from Cardinal Newman High School in West Palm Beach, Fla., third baseman Jonathan Peacock from Lake Park High School in Roselle, Ill., and outfielder Pete Rasmusen from McHenry High School in McHenry, Ill. Graham led the Cardinal Newman Crusaders last season in runs (19) and triples (3), while stealing 10 bases in 12 attempts. Peacock was named most valuable player of his high school team last season and was selected All-Conference and All-Area. Rasmusen, a four-year starter on the varsity squad, was named All-Conference and All-Area his sophomore and junior seasons. One of the four pitchers to join the Wildcats is local talent Jarrod Reynolds, a right-hander from Lafayette High School in Lexington. In 1997, Reynolds was named first team All-City, and selected to the 11th region All-Tournament team and State Sectional All-Tournament team. Brandon Girdler, a right-hander, will join the Wildcats from Somerset High School, where he has tossed two no-hitters in his career, 252 strikeouts and holds a 0.90 ERA in 196 innings pitched. He has been named All-District, All-City and Honorable Mention All-State. Right-handed pitcher Clint Kelley holds a 1.88 ERA with a 17-9 record for Morton High School in Morton, Ill. Heearned All-Conference honors his sophomore and junior seasons and led last year,s team in hitting, RBIs and ERA.
Right-handed pitcher Ethan Crum will be the only junior college transfer joining Kentucky next season. The Murray, Ky., native transferred from Murray State to Neosho Community College in Neosho, Kan., this season. While at Murray State, Crum stole 12 bases on 16 attempts. Coming out of high school, Crum earned all-state selections his junior and senior seasons.
1998 SEC Baseball Tournament
The SEC has adopted a new format for its 1998 baseball tournament, May 13-17, at the Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Birmingham, Ala. The new format is an eight-team double elimination tournament that is modeled after the College World Series. The tournament field includes the top three teams from the SEC’s Eastern and Western Divisions plus two at-large bids based on conference winning percentage. The eight teams are seeded 1-8 with the two divisional champions guaranteed of the top two seeds.
1997 Recap
With the loss of nine seniors, in addition to All-America center fielder Chad Green moving into the professional ranks, UK Coach Keith Madison labeled the 1997 campaign a rebuilding year at the beginning of the season. And though the final record may indicate a disappointing season at 20-34-1, the Wildcats grabbed victories in four of their final five games to end the season on a positive note.
In what has become a Madison mainstay during his 19 years as UK coach, Kentucky put all the pieces together at the end of the year. In the final week of the season, the Wildcats ran off four victories in their final five games, topping Vanderbilt and Louisville before taking two-of-three from South Carolina. Freshman right-hander Aaron McGlone tossed a complete game two-hitter against the Gamecocks in his debut as an SEC starting pitcher. Kentucky hit for a .285 batting average for the season, led by Josh Loggins’ .338 average. Loggins led the team in seven offensive categories. Outfielder Justin Bunch had the hot bat late in the season, earning SEC Player of the Week honors for the final week of the season.
