Lawson, Mingione Looking Forward to 2026 Seasons
Although the Lexington area continues to be covered in layers of ice and snow, spring sports are about to start. On Tuesday, Kentucky softball head coach Rachel Lawson and UK baseball skipper Nick Mingione met the media to preview their 2026 seasons.
The Kentucky baseball team went 31-26 last year and made its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance. The Cats made it to the finals of the Clemson Regional before falling to West Virginia.
Mingione is beginning his 10th season as the UK head coach. During his tenure, Kentucky has been to three Super Regionals and the College World Series, none of which had ever been done prior to Mingione’s arrival in Lexington.
Last season, UK had an inexperienced pitching staff. That will not be the case this season. Lefty Ben Cleaver and right-hander Nate Harris, who were both in the weekend rotation last season, are returning for the Cats this year. Mingione is excited to have both of those guys, plus sophomore Leighton Harris, returning.
“Ben Cleaver, he’s been the voice of our staff,” Mingione said. “He’s spent the summer here with Brent Jones, our strength coach. He’s bigger, he’s stronger, his voice. He is leading at a very high level, so we’re going to obviously be counting on him.”
“Nate Harris and Leighton Harris, both those guys have done great,” Mingione said. “Leighton went out and had a fantastic summer. He had a good fall. He’s throwing the ball well right now for us.
“Nate Harris took the summer off because of the amount of innings (pitched last season),” Mingione said. “Nate last year was the first time he’s pitched full-time. He was a two-way player in high school and he just pitched for us last year. And you get to the end of the year and he’s starting Friday nights for us. So, he’s stronger. He’s primed and ready to go to have a great year.”
On offense, the Cats will be led by National Player of the Year candidate Tyler Bell. After hitting .296 with 10 home runs as a freshman, Bell is back and will be a driving force in the UK lineup. Mingione continues to be impressed with Bell.
“This guy just continues to get better,” Mingione said. “He continues to become a better teammate every day. He is just an absolute, as the players would say, dog, he just brings a competitive spirit to our team that we quite frankly need.”
Bell will be joined in the lineup by returnees like Ethan Hindle, Luke Lawrence, Hudson Brown, Ryan Schwartz and Will Marcy, in addition to several talented newcomers.
UK softball was 31-28 last season and made the NCAA Tournament. The Cats made the regional final of the Clemson Regional before falling to the host Tigers. This year, Lawson sees lots of potential with her team.
“It’s a season of possibility,” Lawson said. “We pretty much have a blank slate to do whatever it is we want to do. This team is so much fun to watch. They’re so aggressive, they’re electric.”
The team had a meeting and came up with an identity that Lawson thinks will be beneficial for this particular group.
“One thing they want to make sure they are doing is they’re going out there and they’re just going to be unrelenting in everything they do,” Lawson said. “It’s a very resilient team no matter what we’re doing.”
Lawson also likes how the individual players have bought into the team-first concept.
“We’ve had a lot of people change positions, so there’s a lot of selflessness going on with this team,” Lawson said. “I’m really excited about what we can put together.”
In her 19th year at the helm of the program, Lawson knows what the recipe for success is for Kentucky softball.
“One thing we’re absolutely known for is our stingy defense,” Lawson said. “We’re very gritty. We’re good in the circle. That’s something that has sustained this program for the last 19 years and in all of our postseasons.”
Kentucky figures to be better defensively this season and Lawson likes the options she has at pitcher.
“Everything starts in the circle,” she said. “We have Sarah Haendiges, who is probably our most experienced in turn of big game innings. We have Carson Fall also returning who, by the end of last season, had really turned into a veteran. She’s a sophomore but is also going to be one of the nation’s best.”
Two freshmen could also find themselves getting a lot of innings this season.
“You have Abby Hammond, who’s here from Lexington, and you have Hailey Nutter,” Lawson said. “Haley and Abby are on the mound. You’re definitely going to see them. They’re very good. They’re very different. One throws a real heavy drop ball. The other one likes to spin it. Both have great off-speed stuff, but I look for them to make an immediate impact on the mound.”
For Kentucky baseball and softball, the spring season is here, and it begins on Friday with softball taking the field in San Diego.
