Dominant Jaxon Jelkin, Opportunistic Offense Fuel No. 15 Kentucky

Oxford, Miss. – Jaxon Jelkin turned in a Friday night ace pitching effort and No. 15 Kentucky took advantage of one big inning to even its series at No. 19 Ole Miss with a 3-1 victory in front of 9,710 rowdy fans at Swayze Field.

The Cats moved to 19-3 overall, 4-1 in Southeastern Conference play. It is the third time in four seasons UK has started at least 4-1 in league play.

Jelkin was dynamite against a powerful Ole Miss lineup that hit three home runs the night before. He faced the minimum through three innings and threw just 44 pitches in the first five innings before encountering a blip in the sixth. Former Wildcat Austin Fawley hit a solo home run and the Rebels put two on with one out before Jelkin recorded a strikeout and deep fly out to stymie the threat.

After closing out the seventh and ending his night Jelkin gave way to Nile Adcock, who made quick work of his first five outs before a two-out hit batter and walk put the potential tying run on base in the ninth. Adcock then recovered to record a strikeout and close out his second save in the past three games.

Meanwhile, UK took advantage of the law of baseball averages in the fourth. Luke Lawrence led off with a double when Ole Miss centerfield Hayden Federico’s diving catch attempt saw the ball come off his glove. Tyler Bell followed with a single to put runners on the corners in front of Mississippi native Hudson Brown, who laced the first pitch toward the gap and saw it pop out of Federico’s glove on the full sprint and score two. Owen Jenkins’s two-out triple added a third run.

NOTES

• Kentucky is 19-3 on the season, 4-1 in SEC play.
  • UK is 136-66 since the beginning of 2023.
• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his 10th season at the helm and now owns a 312-195 career record.
  • Mingione is the second-winningest coach in school history.
  • UK is 123-46 in the month of March under Coach Mingione.
  • Mingione is 118-125 in SEC games.
    • Mingione is 48-72 in road SEC games.
  • Mingione now is 10-7 vs. Ole Miss.
  • Mingione is 16-16 vs. teams from Mississippi.
• The victory ended Ole Miss’s 16-0 start at home one short of setting a school record.
• UK has started 4-1 in SEC play three times in the past four seasons.
• UK has won 14 of its past 15 games.
• IF Hudson Brown went 1-for-2 with a run, RBI, SAC fly, walk and stolen base.
• IF Luke Lawrence went 2-for-4 with a run and double.
  • He has reached safely in 27 consecutive games.
  • He now has nine multi-hit games this season and 30 in his UK career.
• C Owen Jenkins had an RBI triple.
• RHP Jaxon Jelkin was dominant: 7 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 6 K
  • It is the second time this season he has completed at least seven innings and allowed one or fewer runs.
  • He threw just 44 pitches in the first five innings.
• RHP Nile Adcock earned his second save of the season with two hitless innings.
  • Both saves have come in the past three games.
  • He stranded the tying run on base in the ninth after a two-out HBP and walk.

ON DECK

UK and Ole Miss meet again on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. ET/1:30 local. The game is on SECN+ and the contest can be heard on UK Sports Network.