LEXINGTON ? The 23rd-ranked Kentucky baseball team welcomes defending Southeastern Conference Champion Florida (19-10) to Cliff Hagan Stadium this weekend for a three-game set that begins Friday at 6:30 p.m.
The series resumes Saturday at 6:30 p.m. before wrapping up on Sunday at 1 p.m. The two night games will both be televised by the Big Blue Sports Network and available on UPN in Lexington as well as FSN in selected markets.
Kentucky (23-7) is currently holding onto third place in the SEC Eastern Divison with a 5-4 league mark, two games ahead of the 19th-ranked Gators, who are 3-6 in the conference. A series win for the Wildcats would give them seven league wins for the year, matching the team?s total from last season.
A year ago, Florida reached the national championship series at the College World Series, but not before sweeping Kentucky in Gainesville. Two of the games came down to the final inning as the Gators scored a pair of wins in their last at bat.
On Friday, UK will send lefty Aaron Tennyson (4-1, 3.89) to the hill against right-hander Bryan Ball (4-4, 3.94). Saturday?s pitching match up features Wildcat southpaw Craig Snipp (4-1, 2.10) against UF right-hander Bryan Augenstein (6-2, 2.51). Righty Greg Dombrowski starts for Kentucky on Sunday while the Gators have not named a starter.
The Wildcats are coming off a dramatic 5-4 victory over rival Louisville on Wednesday while Florida fell to North Florida on Tuesday.
Records
Kentucky ? 23-7, 5-4 SEC
Florida ? 19-14, 3-6 SEC
Rankings
Kentucky ? No. 23 Baseball America
Florida – No. 19 USA Today/ESPN
Schedule (times Eastern)
Lexington, Ky. (Cliff Hagan Stadium ? 3,000)
Friday, April 7 vs. Florida * 6:30 p.m.
Saturday, April 8 vs. Florida * 6:30 p.m.
Sunday, April 9 vs. Florida * 1 p.m.
Tickets
Tickets are available by calling the UK Ticket Office at (859) 257-1818.
Radio
Friday ? WLAP 630-AM in Lexington
Saturday ? WXRA 1580-AM in Lexington
Sunday ? WXRA 1580-AM in Lexington
Television
Friday ? Big Blue Sports Network (UPN in Lexington; FSN in selected markets)
Saturday ? Big Blue Sports Network (UPN in Lexington; FSN in selected markets)
Sunday ? none
Pitching Match-Ups
Friday vs. Florida
LHP Aaron Tennyson, Sr. (4-1, 3.89) vs. RHP Bryan Ball, Sr., (4-4, 3.94)
Saturday vs. Florida
LHP Craig Snipp, Sr., (4-1, 2.10) vs. RHP Bryan Augenstein, So. (6-2, 2.51)
Sunday vs. Florida
RHP Greg Dombrowski, So., (5-1, 1.65) vs. TBA
Projected UK Line-Up (Avg-HR-RBI)
C (L) Sean Coughlin (.303-6-21)
-or- (R) Justin Scutchfield (.211-0-7)
1B (R) Ryan Strieby (.363-7-38)
2B (R) John Shelby (.267-8-31)
3B (L) Michael Bertram (.330-2-19)
-or- (R) Matt McKinney (.321-1-10)
SS (S) Ryan Wilkes (.253-0-11)
LF (R) Shaun Lehmann (.211-4-13)
CF (L) Antone DeJesus (.385-2-20)
RF (R) Collin Cowgill (.330-7-28)
DH (L) Billy Grace (.317-4-21)
-or- Brian Hastings (.283-0-13)
Quick Notes
? At No. 23 in the latest Baseball America poll, Kentucky has been ranked each of the past three weeks, reaching as high as No. 20 last weekend.
? Kentucky head coach John Cohen was an assistant for Florida head coach Pat McMahon from 2002-03. McMahon was also an assistant coach at Mississippi State while Cohen played from 1988-89.
? Of the 14 main statistical categories, Kentucky leads the SEC in seven, including runs per game at 8.87 per game. The Wildcats are also first in on-base percentage, slugging, RBIs, home runs, doubles and walks.
? First baseman Ryan Strieby is the only player in the SEC to rank in the top 12 in the league in each of the traditional triple-crown categories of batting average (11th), home runs (6th) and RBIs (3rd). He also leads the SEC in doubles with 14 and is second in runs scored with 32.
? Second baseman John Shelby has eight home runs and 25 RBIs in his last 14 games. In fact, he has more home runs than singles, doubles and triples combined in that span (7). He has raised his average 71 points in that span.
? Third baseman Michael Bertram has been the second hardest person in the SEC to strike out, fanning only once every 15.67 at bats. He has just two strikeouts in his last 64 at bats.
? Center fielder Antone DeJesus has been the best leadoff hitter in the SEC this year. He has posted a .508 on-base percentage, which ranks third in the SEC and tops among leadoff men. That has translated into him scoring a league-high 36 runs.
? With Wednesday?s come-from-behind win over Louisville, Kentucky has posted 12 comeback wins this season.
Kentucky head coach John Cohen quotes
On Florida ?
?They are an extremely talented bunch that just hasn?t quite figured it out yet. You know its coming, because they have so many good players, you just hope it doesn?t come this weekend. They have some big time players that will go in the first three or four rounds of the draft.?
On coaching against Pat McMahon ?
?Pat is a great friend and one of the best people in all of baseball. It was a great learning experience for me to work with him for two years at Florida and it really helped me prepare for the next step of my career, which is here at Kentucky. But that?s something you don?t worry about during the games. I?m sure we?ll talk beforehand and catch up, but when the first pitch is thrown, he?s the enemy. He?ll feel the same way.?
On getting back on the winning track in SEC play ?
?We don?t really look at it as winning or losing as much as how well we play. Baseball is a game that involves some luck. You can hit 27 line drives and lose. So we focus on our approach at the plate, how well we control the strike zone ? things that we can control. Last weekend we didn?t do those things very well and it cost us a couple of games. We want to improve in those areas this weekend and hopefully that will translate into victories.?
On the close win over Louisville on Wednesday ?
?Coming off a couple losses, it was good for us to win. We didn?t play well at Auburn and we didn?t play well against Louisville, but sometimes you need to learn how to win a game when you don?t play your best. That?s what happened. I think there are some lessons we can carry over into this weekend and the rest of the season.
On the crowd ?
?We had almost 2,000 fans here for the Louisville game and it was the best atmosphere we?ve had at a game since I?ve been at Kentucky. It was such a boost to our players to look up and see the stadium full and to have everyone involved in the game. It?s that type of atmosphere that makes college athletics great and I hope the fans will come out this weekend to cheer us on against a good Florida club.
