LEXINGTON ? The Kentucky baseball team opens its home Southeastern Conference schedule this weekend with a three-game set against defending conference champion Georgia (11-9, 0-3) at Applebee?s Park.
The series begins Friday at 6:30 p.m. and has scheduled games Saturday at 2 p.m. and Sunday at 1 p.m. Friday and Saturday?s games can be heard on WXRA 1580-AM while Sunday?s can be found at WLXO 96.1-FM.
All three games of the series are being played at Applebee?s Park, the home of the Lexington Legends of the South Atlantic League (A). The only other times the Wildcats have played there was in 2002 when they hosted an eight-game homestand and went 5-3.
?Playing at Applebee?s Park is going to be a great experience for our players,? Kentucky head coach John Cohen said. ?The Legends have a beautiful stadium and have been very gracious in letting us play there. It should be an exciting weekend for Kentucky baseball.?
The game is the first at home for Kentucky (12-7, 0-3) since March 10. Since then, the Wildcats have been on an eight-game road swing with five games in Bradenton, Fla., before opening SEC play with three games at Alabama last weekend.
The trip started well as Kentucky won its first three games, but the Wildcats have dropped five straight since. The first four of those losses were all games decided by two runs or less.
?We?ve been close in every game,? Cohen said. ?If we make a play here or there, we are talking about being on a win streak. But, we are playing a lot of freshmen who are tremendously talented and are gaining experience every day. As they continue to grow, there?s no doubt in my mind we?ll start winning those games. There is too much talent out there not to.?
As it has all year, Kentucky sends freshmen to the mound in the first two games of the series. Louisville native Scott Green (1-0, 3.74) will get the not on Friday against junior Mitchell Boggs (1-2, 3.26).
Saturday will feature Andrew Albers (3-1, 1.16) for the Wildcats while Georgia counters with junior Michael Hyle (1-1, 3.86). The series wraps up with Kentucky junior Kalen Gibson (3-1, 3.60) against Sean Ruthven (1-1, 3.92).
Last year, Georgia took all three games from Kentucky en route to the conference crown and a College World Series appearance. The Wildcats have won the series two of the last three times in Lexington and three of the last five overall.
