March 19, 1998
A Glance at the Wildcats
Kentucky hits the road this weekend for a pivotal three-game series at No. 17 Tennessee, its second road Southeastern Conference series of the season. UK went 1-1 this week against non-conference competition at home. The Wildcats lost 13-9 to Marshall on Tuesday and beat Toledo 8-2 on Wednesday. Despite a 2-4 conference record, the Wildcats sit only one game behind first place Florida in the Eastern Division. Vanderbilt and Ole Miss both took two of three from UK in its first two SEC series. Tennessee is an even 3-3 in the conference and tied with Vanderbilt in second place, only a half game behind Florida. The Volunteers lost to UNC-Asheville 13-12 in its only game this week. The two teams were scheduled to play on Wednesday, but the game was rained out.
Tennesse took two of three from UK last year in Lexington. UK won the opening game 14-1, but dropped the final two (6-7, 4-11). The series is an even 3-3 in the past six games with the Wildcats winning two of three in 1996 in Knoxville.
Kentucky (8-11, 2-4) vs. Tennessee (16-6, 3-3) Site: Lexington, Ky.Stadium: Cliff Hagan at Shively FieldGame One: Friday, March 20 -- 7 p.m.Game Two: Saturday, March 21 -- 2 p.m.Game Three: Sunday, March 22 -- 2 p.m.The Coaches: Kentucky head coach Keith Madison is in his 20th season at UK and is 593-459-4. Rod Delmonico is in his ninth season at Tennessee and is 340-159.The Series: This is the 252nd meeting between the two teams. Tennessee leads the series 130-121.Probable Starters: Friday: RHP Brandon Webb (1-0, 3.68) Kentucky RHP Kurt Scott (3-1, 5.17) Tennessee Saturday: RHP Josh Paxton (1-1, 5.75) Kentucky RHP Luke Hudson (3-1, 6.06) Tennessee Sunday: To Be Announced Kentucky To Be Announced Tennessee
NEXT UP:
Kentucky begins a 10-game homestand next week, its longest of the season.. UK takes on IUPU-Fort Wayne on Tuesday, March 24 at 3 p.m. The Wildcats battle Austin Peay on Wednesday, March 25 at 3 p.m. LSU comes to town March 27-29.
Head Coach Keith Madison
Since becoming the Wildcats coach in 1979, Keith Madison has guided his team to 593 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. Madison is just 11 wins shy of 600. 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. Scouting Tennessee
17th-ranked Tennessee heads into the series with a 16-6 mark, 3-3 in the SEC. UT has put together winning streaks of five and six games this season. UT won two of three at Mississippi State in its conference series opener. UT stayed on the road the following week and lost two of three at South Carolina. Senior Jeff Pickler leads the Volunteers with a .462 average, including four home runs and 31 RBIs. Sonny Cortez is hitting .413 with a team-leading 11 homers and 40 RBIs. RHP Clark Odom heads the pitching staff with a 3-1 mark and 1.37 earned run average. Odom will start game two of the series.Wildcats Overall
This is the 102nd season of Kentucky baseball. The Wildcats have an all-time mark of 1263-1081-22 for a winning percentage of .534.
Last Time Out
Josh Loggins led four different Kentucky players with three hits and freshman Bradd Heyerly pitched a team-high seven innings as the Wildcats beat Toledo 8-2 on Wednesday. UK has won nine of its last 10 home non-conference games.
Heyerly (1-0), a freshman, allowed only seven hits and two earned runs in his first career start. Heyerly faced the minimum batters in the first six innings thanks to six Wildcat double plays. Justin Bunch and David Cheatle finished the game a perfect 3-for-3. Loggins had a three-run homer and a double, extending his hitting streak to 10 games. Aaron McGlone had two doubles .Cheatle had three runs scored and an RBI. John Wilson and Andy Green had the other Wildcat hits.
UK Ties NCAA Record With Six Double Plays
The Wildcats turned six double plays against Toledo, 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 also ties an NCAA record with a combined nine double plays. Georgetown and George Mason combined for 10 double plays in 1989.
“Moving On Up”
Josh Loggins has raised his batting average by 72 points in the past four games. Loggins has three hits in each of the past four games. Loggins is 12-for-17 with two home runs, three doubles and nine RBIs in the past four games. Eight of the nine RBIs came in the past two games. The junior has hit safely in the past 10 games and has multiple-hits in eight of those games. Loggins leads the team with four home runs and 19 RBIs.
Doubles, Doubles, and More Doubles
UK has connected on 55 doubles in the first 19 games. The Wildcats didn’t reach that number in 1997 until the 34-game mark. Jason Colemire (12) and Aaron McGlone (10) have combined for 22 of them. The Wildcats have slapped 22 doubles in SEC play compared to their opponents 13.
Colemire Streak is Snapped at 18 Games
Senior Jason Colemire had his career-high 18-game hitting streak snapped against Toledo with an 0-for-5 day at the plate. Colemire is hitting .375 with 3 home runs and 17 RBIs.
Bad Weather Forces Wildcats to Reschedule Game
The IUPU-Fort Wayne game that was originally scheduled for March 11 has been rescheduled for Tuesday, March 24. The game was rained out along with the Cumberland game on March 10 which will not be made up.
Colemire Puts Up Big Numbers
The fact that Jason Colemire didn’t win SEC player of the week honors for the week of March 1-8 is an indication of how strong the SEC is on a weekly basis.
Colemire didn’t win the award despite hitting .565 (13-for-23) with six RBIs, seven runs scored, four doubles, two home runs and six RBIs. In the three-game series at Vanderbilt, Colemire went 8-for-13 (.615) with three RBIs, three doubles and a home run. The Florence native has been successful against Vanderbilt in the past. Colemire hit .556 (5-for-9) against the Commodores last season with a home run and two RBIs. Colemire had a career-high four hits, including two doubles, against the Commodores on Sunday. Colemire extended his current hitting streak to 14 games.
Freshman Leads Wildcat Pitching Staff
After beginning the season in the bullpen, freshman Brandon Webb has fit nicely into the UK starting rotation. Webb gave up only one hit in five scoreless innings in his first career start against Ohio on March 4. Webb struck out a career-high five batters en route to his first victory. Webb took the mound for his first SEC start against Vanderbilt on March 8.
The Ashland native allowed only five hits and two earned runs in 6.0 innings, the longest outing by a UK pitcher this season. Webb allowed four hits and four runs in 4.1 in his second SEC start against Ole Miss on March 14.
Who’s on First?
Four different Wildcat players have seen action at first base this season. John Wilson (7 starts), Micah Plotts (3 starts), Aaron McGlone (2 starts) and Robert Newton (2 starts) have all started more than one game at first base.
Cat Scratches
UK coach Keith Madison is seven wins away from his 600th career victory. Jason Colemire is hitting .600 in SEC games with two home runs and eight RBIs. Colemire’s slugging percentage is 1.000. UK’s batting average is a season-high .314. David Cheatle and Josh Loggins lead the team with 11 multiple-hit games.
Kentucky Players in SEC Statistics
Overall SECBatting Average Josh Loggins 14th (.420) 12th (.462) Jason Colemire 16th (.414) 6th (.500)Base Hits Jason Colemire 3rd (13) Josh Loggins 5th (12)Doubles Jason Colemire 3rd (12) 1st (7) Aaron McGlone 10th (8) 3rd (4) David Cheatle 8th (3)Doubles Per Game Jason Colemire 1st (0.71) 1st (1.17) Aaron McGlone 6th (0.47) 4th (0.67)Slugging Percentage Jason Colemire 4th (1.000) Hits Per Game Jason Colemire 8th (1.71) 4th (2.17) Josh Loggins 6th (2.00)Runs Batted In John Wilson 8th (9)Runs Scored Josh Loggins 4th (9)Earned Run Average Brandon Webb 18th (4.44) 19th (5.23) Jason Chaney 12th (2.70)Saves Matt Borne 7th (2)Appearances Ben Shaffar T-1st (4)
DID YOU KNOW?
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.
UK Scores Runs in Bunches
UK has scored four-plus runs in 11 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 out a season-high 21 hits March 4 against Ohio, the most since April 9, 1996 when the Wildcats had 26 against Marshall. Earlier this season, UK had 18 hits at Southern Mississippi.
Wildcats Have History of Success in Home Openers
UK has posted a 14-6 mark in home openers under head coach Keith Madison, including a 14-3 mark against non-conference foes in its home debut. The Wildcats have won seven of their last eight home openers, including their 11-10 win over Lincoln Memorial on Tuesday. UK has never had a losing season at home under Madison.
Bendix Has Career Day at the Plate
LF Andy Bendix went 5-for-9 in the two-game series at Southern Mississippi on Feb. 21-22. Bendix, a senior from Eugene, Ore., went 3-for-6 in the second game with a home run and a career-high six RBIs.
Plotts Becomes Eligible
1B/DH Micah Plotts, a transfer from Evansville, received a one-time transfer and became eligible immediately for the Feb. 21 game at Southern Mississippi. Plotts, who was forced to miss the first four games, went 1-for-3 in the two-game series.
UK Gets Win Over Ranked Opponent
Kentucky’s win over No. 6 Oklahoma State on Feb. 7 was its first win over a ranked opponent since its 14-1 victory over No. 8 Tennessee on April 11 last year. No. 25 Vanderbilt took two of three from the Wildcats last weekend. The Wildcats were 4-18-1 against ranked opponents in 1997.
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.
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 .324 this season with two home runs and eight 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.
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.
Starting in Style
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 play six new opponents this season, including four in the first three weeks. 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. Belmont (March 31) and Western Carolina (April 8) will also be new additions 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 pitcher/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. He earned All-Conference honors his sophomore and junior seasons and led last years 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.
