LEXINGTON, Ky. — After dispatching its opening 10 opponents by a combined 136-22 score, the No. 9 Kentucky baseball team opens a series with the Purdue Boilermakers, with first pitch on Sunday scheduled for 3 p.m. ET.
Originally, the four-game series with the Boilermakers was scheduled to open on Friday night, with games through Monday. With inclement weather hitting the Eastern United States on Friday, UK was forced to postpone the opening two games of the series. UK was one of seven Southeastern Conference schools to have to cancel or postpone games of a weekend series. Plans will be made in the morning after judging the weather conditions regarding the potential of playing one nine-inning game, or two seven-inning contests.
Kentucky (10-0) enters the game with tremendous momentum after dominating its opening 10 games, both offensively and defensively. UK has scored double digit runs in each game this season, averaging over 13 runs per game and hitting for a .375 average that leads the SEC and ranks third in the nation. On the mound, the UK pitching staff has been equally dominant, as the staff leads the SEC in ERA (1.79), ranking third in the NCAA.
The Wildcats will send its weekend rotation trio to the mound vs. the Boilermakers, beginning with Chris Rusin in game one on Sunday. Scott Green and Greg Dombrowski will follow in the remaining weekend games.
Kentucky leads the all-time series with Purdue, 2-1, with the three meetings coming in 2003 in Lexington. UK dropped the opening game of that series, 16-3, before rebounding to secure the series with wins in the final two games, 2-1 and 7-1.
In the national rankings, UK leads the country in three offensive categories, ranking in the top 10 in a total of 14 offensive categories. The Wildcats rank third nationally in on-base percentage (.496), fourth in slugging (.631), third in OPS (1.127), third in average (.375), first in runs scored (136), third in hits (133), first in doubles (36), 10th in home runs (15), second in RBI (125), third in total bases (224), seventh in walks (63), first in hit by pitches (28), sixth in sacrifice hits (12), and eighth in stolen bases (24).
On the mound, UK ranks in the top 10 nationally in five categories, leading the nation in wins (10). The Wildcats rank second in ERA (1.79), 10th in walks allowed (13), fifth in strikeouts (101), and third in batting average against (.191).
Individually, senior right fielder Sawyer Carroll, the current SEC and National Player of the Week, leads the nation in five offensive categories, ranking in the top five in a total of 10 statistical rankings, as compiled by BoydsWorld.com. Carroll, a member of the Brooks Wallace National Player of the Year Watch List, leads the country in on-base percentage (.696), slugging percentage (1.265), OPS (1.961), average (.618), and RBI (25). Carroll also ranks second nationally in total bases, third in runs scored (18), fifth in hits (21), and fourth in home runs (5).
UK junior center fielder Collin Cowgill, a member of the USA Baseball Golden Spikes National Player of the Year Award Watch List, leads the NCAA in runs scored, leading the SEC and ranking eighth in the country in stolen bases (8-of-8). UK freshman shortstop Chris Wade ranks seventh in the country in doubles (7) and fifth nationally in hits (13). Senior first baseman Brian Spear ranks sixth nationally in runs scored (17), and catcher Tyler Howe leads the SEC and ranks fourth in the NCAA in hit by pitches (7).
On the mound, UK has been boosted by one of the more experienced and talented staffs in all of college baseball. Friday night starter Rusin has earned a 2-0 record in two starts this season, working 14 innings, allowing 11 hits and only one run, striking out 13. Green, a Baseball America preseason first-team All-SEC selection, leads the club in strikeouts (19), working 12 innings, earning a 2.25 ERA. Dombrowski, a member of the Roger Clemens Pitcher of the Year Watch List, has totaled a 0.90 ERA, a 2-0 record, working 10 innings and allowing only one earned run.
Purdue (0-6) enters the game after dropping three games to Western Kentucky in Bowling Green, Ky., last weekend. Purdue is boosted on the mound by some of the top pitchers in the Big Ten, highlighted by Matt Bischoff (2.70 ERA, 13.1 IP, 11 SO), Tony Sedlmeyer (2.45 ERA, 3.2 IP, 2 SO), Allan Donato (2.31 ERA, 11.2 IP, 4 SO) and ace reliever Josh Lindbolm (9.00 ERA, 4 IP, 3 SO). In the preseason, Baseball America picked Purdue to finish fifth in the Big Ten, and tabbed Lindbolm as the second-best professional prospect in the conference. Bischoff was selected as the preseason Big Ten Pitcher of the Year and Ryne White, who hit .452, with eight homers, and 47 RBI, was picked as the first-team designated hitter. White finished as the Big Ten batting champion in 2007, earning All-America honors. Bischoff, the 2007 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and 2007 Freshman All-America selection, dominated the Great Lakes League over the summer, with a low-90s fastball and three additional pitchers. Sedlmeyer earned freshman All-America honors on the mound, as well as All-Big Ten Conference honors. Besides dropping the three-game series with Western Kentucky, Purdue fell in a three-game set with No. 11 Baylor.
Fans in Lexington can catch the action live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio), in Lexington on WXRA 1580-AM.
