LEXINGTON, Ky. — The No. 27 Kentucky baseball team returns to action as it plays host to in-state rival Morehead State on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. EDT at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Kentucky (26-9-1, 6-8-1 Southeastern Conference) takes a break from its intense SEC schedule with a mid-week showdown with the Eagles. The Wildcats enter having won 36 of their last 37 regular season non conference games, the lone blemish coming last week in a loss at Louisville.
Morehead State (8-24, 3-9 Ohio Valley) enters having just dropped two of three to Tennessee-Martin over the weekend. The Eagles have posted a team batting average of .302, while tallying a team ERA of 8.17. Kentucky has faced six teams that have also played the Eagles this season, including Louisville, Tennessee, Tennessee-Martin, Tennessee Tech, Canisius, and Oakland. Kentucky has racked up a combined 13-4 record against these teams, while Morehead has posted a 5-10 record against the clubs.
The Wildcats enter leading the SEC in several offensive categories, including on-base percentage (.451), runs scored (343), RBI (308), triples (18), walks (221), and sacrifice bunts (44). UK?s senior preseason All-American catcher Sean Coughlin paces the SEC in RBI, driving in 52. Coughlin also leads the team in hits (56) and home runs (7).
Kentucky holds a 39-24 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools, including a win in last year?s meeting, 15-4. UK jumped all over the Eagles in 2006, piling up 14 unanswered runs before surrendering its first run in the sixth inning. Then freshman Chris Rusin got the win, working five innings without allowing a run.
Fans in Lexington can catch the action live on WLAP 630-AM via the Big Blue Sports Network (radio) with the voice of UK baseball, Neil Price. Wednesday?s game will mark another installment of UK?s Website Wednesday promotion, where fans can visit UKathletics.com before the game and print off a special admission coupon.
Team Records
No. 27 Kentucky (26-9-1, 6-8-1 SEC) vs. Morehead State (8-24, 3-9 Ohio Valley)
Date/Time
Wednesday, April 18 * 6:30 p.m. EDT
Stadium
Cliff Hagan (3,000)
Kentucky in the National Rankings
No. 27 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association
Radio (Big Blue Sports Network with Neil Price)
Wednesday: WLAP 630-AM
Video
Extreme Access on UKathletics.com
Tickets
Single-Game Admission
Adults: $5
Children: $2
Seniors: $2
Season Tickets
General Admission: $25
Promotions
Website Wednesday: Fans can visit the official home for UK Athletics, UKathletics.com before the game to print off a special admission coupon.
Series Record
Kentucky leads the all-time series between the two schools, 39-24 ? In 2006, Kentucky beat the Eagles 15-4.
Pitching Matchups
Wednesday
UK: TBA
MS: TBA
Mike Brown Named NSCA All-American
Senior utility player Mike Brown has been recognized by the National Strength and Conditioning Association as an All-American athlete, the organization announced.
The honor, awarded to 239 collegiate athletes from 165 schools this year, is geared towards honoring athletes? dedication to strength training and conditioning. The award is the first such for Brown, a native of Davis, Calif.
?Mike is an extremely hard worker in the weight room; With his leadership skills on and off the field he makes everyone around him a better athlete and person,? Kentucky strength and conditioning coach Daniel Riney said. ?Mike might not be the biggest guy on the team, but puts big numbers with his big heart for his team. Mike was pound for pound the strongest guy on the Wildcat team.?
Brown, who can bench press 315 lbs. and can power clean 245 lbs., is having a career year for UK, batting for a .398 average, ripping 11 doubles, and scoring a club-high 45 runs. Brown, who runs a 4.86 40-yard dash, has also stolen 12 bags, ranking second on the team. Brown?s batting average ranks fifth in the SEC and his total runs scored put him fourth in the league. Thru the team?s 36 games, Brown has seen action in 35 and started 31.
Kentucky Leads the SEC in Freshman Appearances
Before the season, Kentucky head coach John Cohen and pitching coach Gary Henderson knew that they would have a bevy of talented freshmen arms to run out to the mound. That has certainly come true, as UK leads the league in the number of freshmen appearances.
Among the freshmen arms to make an immediate impact in the most grueling conference in collegiate baseball, have been James Paxton, Tyler Henry, and Duran Ferguson. Paxton has appeared in a team-high tying 15 games, posting a 5.73 ERA and a .209 opponent batting average. Henry has notched two saves thus far into his career, appearing in 15 games and working 16 innings. Ferguson has quickly emerged as a major force on the staff, tallying a team-best 1.95 ERA in 14 appearances. Ferguson has started four games and worked 32 1/3 innings, striking out 38. Opponents are only hitting .194 off the Blountville, Tenn., native.
While Kentucky leads the league in freshmen appearances, it is interesting to note that the division leaders (Vanderbilt, Arkansas) have only combined for 45 freshmen pitching appearances, compared to UK?s 59. Sitting in second place in the SEC East is South Carolina, a club that has only run a freshman out to the mound nine times.
It is also interesting to note the number of at bats taken by freshmen in the league. LSU, an offensive club that ranks last in the SEC in batting average (.257), is second in the league with 511 freshmen at bats. Vanderbilt (104) and South Carolina (13), who ranks third and fourth respectively in batting average, have the fewest freshmen at bats. Meanwhile, Auburn, the last place team in the SEC, leads the league in freshmen at bats with 551. Kentucky, one of the league?s most potent offensive clubs, ranks fourth in terms of the fewest number of freshmen at bats.
Team At Bats Appearances Alabama: 237 1 Arkansas: 159 33 Auburn: 551 29 Florida: 478 45 Georgia: 488 49 Kentucky: 196 59 LSU: 511 41 Mississippi State: 285 30 Ole Miss: 291 30 South Carolina: 13 9 Tennessee: 233 31 Vanderbilt: 104 15
Kentucky Baseball and Greek Community Team up to Combat Hunger
As part of Greek Service Week 2007, fraternities and sororities had a competition to see what organization could bring the most canned and dry food goods to the UK vs. Tennessee baseball game on Friday, April 6.
Despite the game being postponed because of inclement weather, 286 pounds of food was collected and distributed to God?s Pantry Lexington. The winning fraternity and sorority each designated a member to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at the UK vs. Vanderbilt contest on Friday, April 13.
