April 2, 2002
The University of Kentucky baseball team will play host to Eastern Kentucky on Wednesday, April 3 at Cliff Hagan Stadium. First pitch between the Wildcats (11-15, 2-7 Southeastern Conference) and Colonels (6-16, 3-3 Ohio Valley Conference) is scheduled for 3 p.m.
UK will look to snap its season-high four game losing streak as it faces the first of four intrastate rivals on the schedule this season. The Wildcats own a commanding lead in the series with EKU, posting a 61-24-1 record since the two institutions first met in 1928. Coach Keith Madison has faired well against the Colonels, going 26-12-1 overall and 15-4 in Lexington. Last season, Caleb Brock led the offensive barrage, going 2-for-3 and collecting five RBIs in a 12-1 UK victory at Cliff Hagan Stadium on March 7. Madison will be without Brock’s services this year against EKU, as the senior catcher continues to rehabilitate his broken left foot and will be out of action another two weeks.
The lone tie in the series came in an 8-8 contest in Richmond in 1989. Coaching the Cats since 1979, Madison has dominated in-state institutions, recording a 141-54-1 (.722) mark against teams from the Commonwealth in his 23 years at Kentucky.
Junior center fielder Seth Morris leads UK in home runs (8), slugging percentage (.515), RBI (16), and total bases (51). Going back to Feb. 22, Morris reached base safely in 20 straight games before going 0-for-4 in Sunday’s 12-2 setback to Ole Miss. Sophomore outfielder Caleb Stewart paced the Cats at the plate against UM over the weekend. The Rush, Ky. native, went 5-for-10 with a run scored and four RBIs in the three-game SEC series. Stewart leads UK in batting average (.351), on-base percentage (.423), and hits (34).
EKU enters the week at 6-16 and will play this afternoon at Xavier before battling the Cats on Wednesday. Sophomore Chris Grynaviski is batting .377 with five doubles, two home runs and 11 RBIs, while fellow sophomore infielder Neil Sellers leads the Colonel hitters with 85 at bats, 29 hits and 16 RBIs. The Robards,, Ky. native, has started all 22 games for EKU and posts a .341 (29-for-85) batting average.
On the mound, UK pitching coach Greg Goff announced today that Rob Corrado (0-1, 9.31 ERA) would be his starter in the 87th meeting between UK and EKU. The junior right-hander from Dayton, Ohio will be making his fourth start on the season.
Fans can access in-game scoring of Wednesday’s game from UK’s official website, UKAthletics.com.
– UK –
