OXFORD, Miss. — The Kentucky baseball team wraps up its final Southeastern Conference road series of the season, as it travels to No. 18 Ole Miss for a pivotal three-game series. First pitch on Friday is set for 7: 30 p.m. EDT.
Kentucky (31-16-1, 10-13-1 SEC) enters the weekend in fifth place in the SEC East and in 10th place overall. The Wildcats, which won its first SEC Championship in school history a year ago, are seeking to play themselves into the SEC Tournament, which only takes the top eight teams in the league. The Wildcats are merely 1.5 games back from the eighth place in the tournament race.
Ole Miss (32-18, 13-11 SEC) enters the weekend as one of the hottest teams in the SEC, having skyrocketed to No. 18 in the national rankings. The Rebels possess one of the top pitching staffs in the nation, leading the SEC in ERA with a stellar 3.31. The Rebels are allowing opposing teams to bat only .231. Lance Lynn, Will Kline, and Brett Bukvich lead the way on the mound for Mississippi.
The Wildcats are in the midst of a week-long road swing that began on Wednesday night with a heartbreaking loss to Evansville. The Purple Aces defeated UK 5-4 in the third walk-off loss for the Wildcats this season. Evansville rallied from three runs down to plate four answered runs in the last three innings and win in dramatic fashion, off the bat of a freshman with only seven career hits and two career RBI.
Kentucky has been paced at the plate by a pair of senior stalwarts, Mike Brown and Sean Coughlin. Brown leads the team in batting average, reaching at a .386 clip. The Davis, Calif. native, leads the SEC in runs scored, plating 63 times. Coughlin is batting for a .343 average, leading the team with 11 home runs. Coughlin also leads the SEC in RBI with 65. Juniors Brian Spear and Sawyer Carroll help round out the UK lineup, with Spear batting for a .353 average and Carroll reached at a .362 clip.
Ole Miss leads the series with Kentucky 30-21, despite the Wildcats sweeping the three-game series with the Rebels in 2006. On Friday, Kentucky will send sophomore southpaw Chris Rusin (4-3, 4.79 ERA) to the mound to face off with the right hander Kline (5-1, 3.45 ERA). Andrew Albers (6-3, 4.71 ERA) will take to the hill on Saturday to square off with Lynn (5-4, 2.89 ERA). Sunday, Ole Miss will send Nathan Baker (6-1, 3.66 ERA) to the bump, while Kentucky has yet to name a starter.
Fans in Lexington (WLAP 630-AM) can catch the action live with the Voice of UK Baseball, Neil Price calling the action. Fans can communicate with Neil by emailing him questions and comments via the bigblueinbox@gmail.com.
Team Records
Kentucky (30-16-1, 10-13-1 SEC) vs. Ole Miss (32-18, 13-11 SEC)
Date/Time
Friday, May 11 * 7:30 p.m. EDT
Saturday, May 12 * 5 p.m. EDT
Sunday, May 13 * 2:30 p.m. EDT
Stadium
Swayze Field (3,500)
Radio (Big Blue Sports Network with Neil Price)
Friday: WLAP 630-AM Lexington Saturday: WLAP 630-AM Lexington Sunday: WLAP 630-AM Lexington/WKJK 1080-AM Louisville
Series Record
Kentucky trails the all-time series, 30-21 ? Last season, UK swept the three-game series.
Pitching Matchups
Friday
UK: Chris Rusin – 4-3, 4.79 ERA, 73.1 IP, 76 H, 45 R, 39 ER, 30 BB, 69 SO
OM: Will Kline ? 5-1, 3.45 ERA, 88.2 IP, 71 H, 37 R, 34 ER, 31 BB, 96 SO
Saturday
UK: Andrew Albers – 6-3, 4.71 ERA, 65 IP, 80 H, 41 R, 34 ER, 15 BB, 46 SO
OM: Lance Lynn ? 5-4, 2.83 ERA, 85 IP, 67 H, 32 R, 27 ER, 27 BB, 105 SO
Sunday
UK: TBA
OM: Nathan Baker ? 6-1, 3.55 ERA, 59 IP, 58 H, 31 R, 24 ER, 17 BB, 38 SO
