March 7, 2002
The University of Kentucky baseball team continues its eight-game home stand this weekend when it plays host to Ball State in a three-game series at Applebee’s Park. The Wildcats (6-7) and Cardinals (1-3) have not met on the diamond since 1988 when BSU, owning a 2-0 series lead on UK, outscored the Cats 15-7 at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
“We’re going to be facing one of the top pitching staffs in college baseball,” Coach Keith Madison said. “We will have to execute in all phases of the game and compete at the highest level in order to have success against them this weekend.”
The Wildcats are currently 2-2 in their temporary home of Applebee’s Park, the home of the Class A Houston Astros affiliate Lexington Legends, while they await the grand opening of the $4.2 million newly constructed Cliff Hagan Stadium. UK split with Miami (Ohio) last weekend and played give-and-take with Western Michigan this week, winning 14-6 on Tuesday and falling 9-5 to the Broncos on Wednesday.
Junior center fielder Seth Morris has hit safely in his past six games, including a 3-for-5 performance highlighted by his fourth home run of the season in UK’s setback on Wednesday, and sophomore shortstop Spencer Graeter is batting .600 for the week after a 6-for-10 showing in the two-game series with WMU. On the mound, junior right-hander Joseph Blanton (1-1, 1.77 ERA, 30 K) is proving why Baseball America rated him the No. 2 prospect in the Southeastern Conference for the 2002 Major League Baseball Draft in the preseason. The Brownsville, Ky. native, posts the lowest ERA among the Wildcat starters (1.77) and has recorded a team-high 30 strikeouts in 20.1 innings pitched this season.
Ball State will answer the challenge on Friday with All-America junior right-hander Bryan Bullington. A member of the 2001 USA National Team, Bullington was named the 2001 Mid-American Conference Pitcher of the Year, voted first-team All-MAC and was selected the fifth-best sophomore in the country last season by Baseball America.
The Cats and Cards will open their series on Friday, March 8 at 3 p.m. and will complete the weekend with 1 p.m. contests on Saturday and Sunday.
– UK –
