LEXINGTON ? The Kentucky baseball team opens Southeastern Conference action this weekend with a three-game set at Alabama (15-5, 0-0 SEC) beginning Friday at 6:30 p.m. CT.
The game can be heard on the radio on WXRA 1300-AM in the Lexington area and online at www.UKathletics.com.
Kentucky (12-4, 0-0 SEC) has dropped two straight games after winning 11 of 12. On Tuesday, the Wildcats dropped a 6-5 decision to Miami (Ohio). The Redhawks took two of three from the Crimson Tide last weekend in Tuscaloosa.
A year ago, Kentucky traveled to No. 7 Auburn and won two of three from the Tigers to open conference play.
?We?re excited to get started in SEC play,? said Kentucky head coach John Cohen, who is a Tuscaloosa, native. ?Alabama will be a good challenge for our guys right now. We have a lot of young guys who have never experienced SEC baseball and I think it will be quite an experience for them.?
Friday night, Kentucky will send true freshman Scott Green (Louisville, Ky./Male) to the mound to square off with T.J. Large. Green is 1-0 on the year with a 3.24 earned-run average while Large is 4-0 with a 0.57 ERA
On Saturday, freshman Andrew Albers (North Battleford, Saskatchewan/John Paul II Collegiate) will take the hill for the Wildcats against Brent Carter. Albers is 3-0 with four quality starts this year. He struck out a career-high eight last time out against Illinois State.
Junior Kalen Gibson (Slaughters, Ky./Webster County) will throw Sunday for Kentucky against a yet-to-be-determined starter for Alabama. The Wildcats are a combined 11-1 when Green, Albers and Gibson start.
?We?ve been fortunate to get good starting pitching most of the year,? Cohen said. ?It?s something that?s going to have to continue if we want to be successful in the SEC and I think our players are ready to meet that challenge.?
Kentucky is wrapping up an eight-game road trip that began in Bradenton, Fla., where the team went 3-2 from March 10-15. The Wildcats opened up with three straight wins before falling to Rhode Island and Miami (Ohio).
Brian Hastings was the offensive star of the weekend. He recorded a hit in each game and batted .556 in the five games with three doubles and seven RBI. As a team, Kentucky doubled its home run total while in Florida with five long balls.
?Our players are really starting to see the ball better,? Cohen said. ?I am pleased with the focus they are showing at the plate and the mental aspect of their at bats.?
Last year, Alabama took two of three from Kentucky.
