LEXINGTON, Ky. — The No. 25 Kentucky baseball team will open the home slate of its 2007 season with a Wednesday matchup against in-state rival Murray State. First pitch is set for 4 p.m. EST.
The contest will mark the first chance for fans to see a revamped Cliff Hagan Stadium, which underwent an exterior makeover during the offseason. The biggest addition to the UK home is a state-of-the art video board in left-center field. The board will present a multi-camera feed to enhance the viewing experience for fans. Also installed is a spacious 150-person deck in right-center field, giving UK a more formidable home-field advantage in the outfield. Among the other improvements made during the offseason, was a new Bermuda grass infield, which should improve an already glorious playing surface at Cliff Hagan.
Kentucky began the 2007 season on a tear offensively, when it steamrolled the Furman Paladins in a three-game sweep in Greenville, S.C. over the weekend. The Wildcats, who a year ago won a school-record 44 games, will be paced by a trio of preseason All-Americans during the 2007 season. Sean Coughlin (Sr., C), Collin Cowgill (Jr., OF), and Greg Dombrowski (Jr., RHP) have all garnered All-America recognition after pacing the Wildcats Southeastern Conference Championship season a year ago.
Kentucky will run out redshirt freshman Duran Ferguson to the mound on Wednesday. The 6-foot-3, 230-pound right-hander tossed two innings vs. Furman, not allowing a run and striking out four Paladin hitters. Murray State, who opens its season at Louisville on Tuesday evening, has yet to announce a starting pitcher.
After UK plated a school-record 500 runs a year ago there was some question as to who will replace the big bats from 2006, but after a weekend in South Carolina that saw UK plate 41 runs in three games, it appears like Kentucky will have several fresh faces ready to fill that void, including the reigning SEC Freshman of the Week, Jason Kipnis.
Kipnis, who was also named National Freshman of the Week by Rivals.com, pulverized the Paladin pitching staff to the tune of a 5-for-9 performance at the plate. The Northbrook, Ill. native scored seven runs, drove in four, and blasted his first two career home runs as part of a UK nine-run sixth inning.
Wednesday’s game will mark the opening promotion of UK’s Website Wednesday’s. Fans can visit UKathletics.com before every Wednesday game to print off a special admission coupon.
Fans can catch the action live on the radio via the Big Blue Sports Network (WXRA 1580, in Lexington) with Neil Price on the call.
Records
Kentucky – 3-0, 0-0 SEC
Murray State – 0-1, 0-0 Ohio Valley
Rankings Kentucky – No. 25 National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
Murray State – not ranked
Schedule (times Eastern) – Lexington, Ky. (Cliff Hagan Stadium – 3,000)
Friday, Feb. 21 vs. Murray State * 4:00 p.m.
Radio
Friday: WXRA 1580-AM in Lexington
Pitching Match-Up
Friday vs. Murray State
RHP Duran Ferguson, Fr.-RS vs. RHP Marc Harmon, So.
Projected UK Line-Up
C (L) Sean Coughlin
-or- (L) Tyler Howe
1B (L) Sawyer Carroll
-or- (R) Matt McKinney
2B (R) Brian Spear
-or- (R) Mike Brown
3B (R) Anthony Ottrando
-or- (R) Matt McKinney
SS (S) Ryan Wilkes
LF (R) Collin Cowgill
-or- (L) Jason Kipnis
CF (L) Antone DeJesus
RF (R) Billy Grace
-or- (L) Jason Kipnis
DH (L) Tyler Howe
-or- (L) Sean Coughlin
Quick Notes
Kentucky is ranked No. 25 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association and No. 22 by Rivals.com college baseball.
Kentucky is entering its 103rd season of college baseball, compiling a 1506-1314-14 record.
The Wildcats will rely on a young, talented pitching staff. Of the 16 newcomers brought in for 2007, seven were pitchers.
Kentucky boasts three preseason All-America selections; Collin Cowgill, Sean Coughlin, and Greg Dombrowski.
The Wildcats scored 41 runs in its three game series with Furman. That is the most runs scored in a three-game series by UK since dominating Northwestern to the tune of 41 runs in 2006. UK plated a school-record 500 runs in 2006.
Jason Kipnis hit his first career home run against Furman and followed it up later in the same inning with another home run, part of a nine-run sixth inning for the Wildcats.
On Monday, the SEC office named Kipnis the SEC Freshman of the Week, for his five hit, seven run performance against Furman.
Last year, Kentucky swept Murray in a mid-week double header. UK owns an 8-4 all-time record vs. the Thoroughbreds, including taking the last six of the series. The game will be the first of a two-game series in 2007, as UK visits Murray later in May.
