Feb. 19,1998
Stadium: Pete Taylor Park (3,678)
Game One: Saturday, Feb. 21 — 1 p.m.
Game Two: Sunday, Feb. 22 — 1 p.m.
The Coaches: Kentucky head coach Keith Madison is in his 20th season at UK and is 588-452-4. Southern Mississippi head coach Corky Palmer is in his first season at Southern Mississippi and is 2-1.
The Series: This is the first meeting between the two teams.
Probable Starters
Saturday: Jason Chaney (0-1) Kentucky Eric Adams RHP (0-0) Southern Miss.Sunday: Josh Paxton (0-0) Kentucky Drew Johnson RHP (1-0) Southern Miss.
A Glance at the Wildcats
Kentucky will try to regain the winning touch this weekend with a two-game series against Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg, Miss. The Wildcats were swept last weekend at Coastal Carolina (6-11, 7-8), evening their record at 2-2.
UK opened the season with wins over New Mexico State (8-6) and then-No. 6 Oklahoma State (5-4) at the College Sports Classic in Phoenix, Ariz. UK had an opportunity to split the Coastal Carolina series, but fell victim to some hot bats in the second game. The Wildcats took a 7-4 lead into the ninth inning, but Steve Tylke nailed a one-out grand slam off UK closer Matt Borne to give the Chanticleers an 8-7 victory. Senior 2B David Cheatle, who is hitting a team-leading .533, extended his hitting streak to four games. Cheatle had two hits in the series opener, his third multi-hit game of the season. Sophomore Aaron McGlone pitched four shutout innings in his first start of the season on Sunday, allowing only four hits before exiting the game because of a set pitch count. Jason Chaney picked up the loss in the first game. UK used six pitchers against in the two games, including four newcomers.
NEXT UP: UK Travels to California
UK takes its fourth straight road trip next weekend with a three-game series against Long Beach State in Long Beach, Calif. The two teams will play Friday, Feb. 27, and Saturday, Feb. 28 at 10:05 p.m. The final game on Sunday, Feb. 22 is scheduled for a 1 p.m. start.
Head Coach Keith Madison
Since becoming the Wildcats coach in 1979, Keith Madison has guided his team to 588 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 12 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. After setting the school record for wins in his first 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. Madison is third vice-president of the American Baseball Coaches Association. He will assume the presidency of the organization in 1999. Scouting Southern Mississippi
Southern Mississippi heads into the weekend with a 2-1 record, including a 7-5 loss to Troy State on Tuesday at home. Southern Mississippi swept Nicholls State (1-0, 9-1) to begin the season. Junior transfer Eric McMaster leads the Golden Eagles with a .400 batting average. LF Jeremy Albritton has two homers and five RBIs in three games. The pitching staff has been strong for Southern Mississippi with a team E.R.A of 1.80. Eric Adams, who will start Saturday, threw a two-hit shutout with six strikeouts in the season-opener against Nicholls State.
Comparing the NumbersHitting UK SMBatting Average .266 .280 Runs 26 15 Hits 37 30Doubles 6 6Triples 1 1Home Runs 2 4PitchingERA 6.29 1.80Complete Games 0 0Shutouts 0 1Hits 34 23Runs 29 8Earned Runs 24 6Walks 19 10Strikeouts 24 25Doubles 8 4Triples 1 0Home Runs 6 3
Wildcats Overall
This is the 102nd season of Kentucky baseball. The Wildcats have an all-time mark of 1257-1072-22 for a winning percentage of .534. UK compiled an overall mark of 20-34-1 mark in 1997.
Loggins and Murphy Hit First UK Homers
Josh Loggins and Mark Murphy hit UK’s first home runs of the season against Coastal Carolina. Murphy blasted a shot over the scoreboard in right field in the first game of the series. Loggins, who led the team with 11 homers last season, slapped a shot over the right field wall in the second game. Both players were leading off an inning.
Meade Gets Two Hits in Season Debut
Sophomore Jeff Meade had a solid showing in his season debut in the Wildcats’ 8-7 loss to Coastal Carolina. Meade, who had only eight at-bats last season due to a foot injury, went 2-for-4 with two singles.
McGlone Picks Up Where He Left Off
P/3B Aaron McGlone began the 1998 season in the same fashion he finished the 1997 season. McGlone, 3-1 in 1997, threw four shutout innings against Coastal Carolina on Sunday in his first start of the season. McGlone allowed only four hits and struck out four before leaving the game because of a set pitch count.
McGlone made his first SEC start against South Carolina in the final game of the 1997 season, pitching a two-hit, complete-game shutout for his first complete game and shutout of his career.
Standing Tall at the Plate
Senior David Cheatle is quietly proving that size doesn’t matter in baseball. Cheatle, the second-smallest player on the Wildcats squad, stands only 5-foot-9. Cheatle is hitting a team-leading .533 and has hit safely in all four games. Cheatle, who has three multi-hit games, is 8-for-15 with four runs scored.
Cheatle went for 5-for-9 in the Wildcats’ two games in the College Sports Classic, including a season-high three hits in their 5-4 win over Oklahoma State.
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. The Wildcats were 4-18-1 against ranked opponents in 1997.
