LEXINGTON, Ky. — The Kentucky baseball team, winners of a school-record 78 games in the past two years, begins its annual Blue-Black World Series Friday, with a 4:05 p.m. EDT first pitch set for game one.
The Fall World Series is an annual seven-game series that marks the conclusion of the fall practice season. The teams are split into two separate clubs, with the seniors and four-year players serving as captains. Earlier this week, the veteran captains were split up into teams, holding a draft to fill out their rosters.
?I think our kids are excited about it,? Kentucky head coach John Cohen said. ?We divided up our seniors and four-year players and let them do a draft. It is really interesting to see them coach themselves and go through a draft. It is a great evaluation for us to see who the kids want on their team, when push comes to shove. It is really interesting to see when they put in their own offensive and defensive signs, who they want to pitch first, and how their batting order is going to be. You know, with 26 positional players and 13 on each team, it makes it extremely interesting to see how this is going to come out. We are excited about it and it will be a great time for our players. The draft was almost anti-climatic -the tough part was dividing up all the seniors on each side.?
Kentucky has put together the most successful two-year run in the program?s 104-year history, highlighted by claiming the first Southeastern Conference Championship in school history in 2006. Last season, UK won 34 games setting the school records for winning streak and best start to a season, running up a 19-0 record to open up the campaign. UK lost only five lettermen from its 2007 squad and returns one of the most talented teams in the nation, with sluggers Collin Cowgill (Jr., OF) and Sawyer Carroll (Sr., 1B/OF) pacing Cohen?s always potent offense. On the hill, UK is bolstered by the eighth-best prospect in all of college baseball, junior right hander Scott Green.
Fall World Series game times and dates are tentatively scheduled and are subject to change. Check UKathletics.com for more information.
Projected Game Times
Friday (Oct. 26): 4:05 p.m.
Saturday (Oct. 27): 9:05 a.m.
Sunday (Oct. 28): 12:05 p.m.
Wednesday (Oct. 31): 3:15 p.m.
Blue Team 27 Kevin Bishop OF R/R 6-1 195 R-FR Marietta, Ga./Lassiter HS 29 Chris Bisson INF L/R 5-11 180 FR Orleans, Ontario/Beatrice-Desloges 4 Collin Cowgill OF R/L 5-9 195 JR Lexington, Ky./Henry Clay HS 47 T.J. Daugherty C R/R 5-11 200 FR Owensboro, Ky./Apollo HS 21 Scott Green RHP R/R 6-8 240 JR Louisville, Ky./Male HS 23 Mike Kaczmarek LHP L/L 6-0 165 FR Orland Park, Ill./Victor Andrew HS 24 Kevin Thulin OF R/R 6-3 235 JR Owassa, Okla./Seminole CC 3 Dan Killian C L/R 6-2 175 FR Stanwood, Mich./Chippewa HS 35 Spencer Korus INF R/R 6-2 210 JR Olympia, Wash./Columbia Basin CC 33 Aaron Lovett RHP R/R 6-5 200 SR Brownstown, Ill./Kaskaskia CC 48 Seth McCabe LHP L/L 6-4 190 FR Madisonville, Ky./North Hopkins HS 13 Bryan Rose OF L/R 6-0 200 R-FR Renssalaer, N.Y./Columbia HS 10 Chris Rusin LHP L/L 6-2 185 JR Canton, Mich./Divine Child HS 1 Michael Seaborn INF R/R 5-8 165 FR Atlanta, Ga./Lovett HS 30 Brian Spear INF/C S/R 6-1 215 SR Gary, Ind./Wichita State 7 Chris Wade INF R/R 6-0 160 R-FR Lexington, Ky./LCA HS 44 Tommy Warner LHP L/L 5-11 175 SR Lexington, Ky./Lafayette HS 42 Joshua Weninger RHP R/R 6-0 160 FR Wichita, Kansas/Andale HS 46 Keenan Wiley OF L/L 5-10 170 SO Richmond, Ky./Madison Central HS 17 Ryan Wilkes INF S/R 5-11 195 SR Harrison, Tenn./Chattanooga Central 45 Jesse Yano LHP L/R 6-0 190 JR Fairport Harbor, Ohio/Lakeland CC Black Team 14 Andrew Albers LHP R/L 6-0 195 SR North Battleford, SK/John Paul II 28 Brock Baber RHP R/R 6-2 200 SR Sharpsburg, Ky./Bath County HS 12 Kevin Carby INF S/R 6-0 185 JR Tulsa, Okla./Texarkana CC 19 Sawyer Carroll INF/OF L/R 6-4 200 SR Tulsa, Okla./Seminole CC 15 Logan Darnell LHP L/L 6-2 195 FR Joelton, Tenn./Goodpasture HS *39 Scott Davis INF R/R 5-9 170 FR Dallas, Pa./Lake-Lehman HS 37 Greg Dombrowski RHP R/R 5-11 170 SR Rome, N.Y./Rome Free Academy 16 Duran Ferguson RHP R/R 6-2 250 SO Blountville, Tenn./Dobbins-Bennett HS 18 Troy Frazier OF R/R 6-1 195 SO Louisville, Ky./PRP/Western Kentucky 31 Navarro Hall OF L/R 6-1 180 FR Kennesaw, Ga./Kennesaw Mnt. HS 9 Tyler Henry RHP L/R 6-2 190 SO Chattanooga, Tenn./Red Bank HS 8 Tyler Howe C/RHP L/R 6-0 215 SR Clinton, Iowa/Kirkwood CC 40 Jonanthan Huff RHP R/R 6-2 200 JR Amarillo, Texas/North Central Texas 50 Neiko Johnson INF R/R 5-9 160 FR Stone Mountain, Ga./Redan HS *3 Chris McClendon INF L/R 5-11 180 JR Lufkin, Texas/Texarkana CC 41 Marcus Nidiffer C R/R 6-2 185 SO Bristol, Tenn./Tennessee HS 6 Anthony Ottrando INF R/R 5-11 200 SO Ocala, Fla./Trinity Catholic HS 22 James Paxton LHP L/L 6-3 215 SO Ladner, BC/Delta Secondary School 2 Brian Suerdick C R/R 5-11 200 R-FR Dayton, Ohio/Wayne HS 34 Clint Tilford RHP R/R 6-2 195 SO West Paducah, Ky./Heath HS 25 Brock Wright OF L/R 5-9 185 SO Paducah, Ky./Heath HS *Denotes a number change
Season Ticket Renewals Now Available; Sales Underway for 2008 Season
Kentucky Baseball season ticket holders can now begin to renew their season tickets for the 2008 season. Renewal application packets are being mailed out from the UK Ticket Office this week. Fans can renew their season tickets online, by mailing in the renewal form, or by contacting the UK Ticket Office at (859) 257-1818. For the 2008 campaign, reserved season tickets are $55 each, and general admission season tickets are $35 each. The renewal deadline for ticket holders from last season to secure their seats for the upcoming season is Thursday, November 29.
New orders for the 2008 season can be placed now by calling the UK Ticket Office at (859) 257-1818. New season ticket orders will be filled in the general admission seating areas, as all reserved seats were sold out for the first time ever in 2007. All general admission areas are first-come, first serve. Wildcat fans have shattered the single-season attendance marks at Cliff Hagan Stadium in each of the past two seasons, with a record 1450+ season tickets being sold during last year?s campaign.
