LEXINGTON, Ky. — Riding a 17-game home winning streak, the No. 10 Kentucky baseball team hosts state rival Western Kentucky in a mid-week tilt, on Wednesday evening at Cliff Hagan Stadium. First pitch is set for 6:30 p.m. ET and the game can be seen live on the Big Blue Sports Network, with Dick Gabriel, Doug Flynn and Ryan Lemond calling the action.
Kentucky (22-4, 5-4 Southeastern Conference) seeks to remain unbeaten at Cliff Hagan Stadium in 2008, rolling through its opening 17 home games. The Wildcats will face WKU before hosting the tradition-rich Mississippi State Bulldogs in a three-game set, beginning on Friday.
UK has rolled to 22 wins on the year, starting the season 19-0 for the second consecutive year. UK owns a series sweep over hot-hitting Alabama to open SEC play, before faltering in two consecutive road series vs. top-flight SEC teams – Auburn and No. 6 South Carolina. On the year, the Wildcats lead the league in 11 offensive categories, including batting average (.350 (37-points higher then the next team), slugging (.576), on-base percentage (.454), runs scored (257), hits (307), RBI (232), total bases (506), walks (136), hit by pitches (45), sac bunts (34) and sac flies (17). On the mound, UK ranks as the league leader in ERA (2.96) and opposing batting average (.245), as well as walking the fewest batters (67) in the conference.
Nationally, UK ranks in the top five in nearly every offensive category, coming in third in on-base percentage, fourth in slugging, fifth in OPS (1.031), fourth in average and sixth in the NCAA in ERA (2.96).
Taking the hill for UK on Wednesday will be sophomore southpaw James Paxton. Paxton has worked in seven games with three starts, notching a 2-0 record and a 1.71 ERA, including a save. The Canadian native has worked in 21 innings, striking out 24 and allowing opponents to hit for a .203 average. Western Kentucky will counter with its staff ace, left-hander Matt Hightower, who has started five games, earning a 3-1 record and a 3.91 ERA.
Kentucky leads the all-time series with Western Kentucky 28-20, including a 16-11 mark in Lexington. The Wildcats have notched wins in three of the last four meetings, after dropping four straight games from 2002-2003. Last year, UK claimed a 12-5 win at Cliff Hagan, riding six runs in the seventh inning to break open a close game, getting multi-hit performances from then-seniors Sean Coughlin and Mike Brown. Then-true freshman Clint Tilford notched his first career win, tossing a scoreless fifth inning.
Western Kentucky (14-10, 3-6 Sun Belt) has been led at the plate and on the mound by Hightower, who is batting .333 with three homers and 24 RBI, stealing 8-of-10 bases. In 25 1/3 innings, the southpaw has struck out 19. Chad Cregar (.378, 7 HR, 35 RBI), Wade Gaynor (.352, 8 HR, 20 RBI), J.B. Paxson (.351, 5 HR, 18 RBI), and Terrence Dayleg (.333, 1 HR, 13 RBI) have led the Hilltoppers offensively ? a team that is batting a stellar .318 as a team, reaching base at a .403 clip. WKU has been tested throughout the season, posting crucial wins over several top-notch teams, securing an 8-5 upset win at No. 5 Ole Miss on March 12, in front of an always hostile 4,468 fans in Oxford. The Hilltoppers also claimed a series win at Sun Belt power South Alabama and at annual contender Evansville. WKU also notched a three-game sweep of Purdue, a club with quality pitching, earlier in the year in Bowling Green. Most recently, Western is coming off a three-game sweep of Youngstown State, putting up 34 runs in the three-game set ? highlighted by a 9-0 win on Sunday.
The game can be seen live in Lexington on C-WKYT (Insight-Lexington channel 5) or on FSN South (Insight-Lexington channel 52). Fans in Lexington can hear the action live on the Big Blue Sports Network (radio), with the Voice of UK Baseball, Neil Price calling the action on WLAP 630-AM. In Louisville, fans can hear the game on WKJK 1080-AM.
Records
Kentucky ? 22-4, 5-4 SEC
WKU ? 14-10, 3-6 Sun Belt
Rankings
Kentucky ? No. 10 (Collegiate Baseball), No. 14 (NCBWA), No. 21 (Baseball America), No. 17 (USA Today/ESPN Coaches Poll), No. 24 (Rivals.com)
WKU ? not ranked
Schedule (times Eastern and subject to change) ? Lexington, Ky.
Wednesday, April 2 * 6:30 p.m.
Radio (BBSN with Neil Price)
Wednesday, April 2
Lexington: WLAP 630-AM
Louisville: WKJK 1080-AM
Television (BBSN with Dick Gabriel, Doug Flynn and Ryan Lemond)
Wednesday, April 2
CWKYT (Insight-Lexington Channel 5)
FSN South (Insight-Lexington Channel 52)
Tentative Pitching Matchups
Wednesday vs. WKU
LHP James Paxton (So., 2-0, 1.71 ERA) vs. LHP Matt Hightower (Jr., 3-1, 3.91 ERA)
Stadium
Cliff Hagan Stadium (3,000)
Promotions
Website Wednesday
Visit UKathletics.com on Wednesday before the game and print a special admission coupon.
Coaches Clinic on Saturday
Saturday, April 5th
Cliff Hagan Stadium
8:00 am ? Registration
8:30 ? 11:30 ? Clinic
Join 2006 SEC and National Coach of the Year John Cohen and the Wildcat Baseball Coaching staff for a morning of baseball instruction. Take away drills, techniques and much more as you move towards the 2008 season. In addition to the FREE clinic, each coach in attendance will receive a free general admission ticket to that day?s game between UK and Mississippi State at 6:30 p.m. at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Visit UKathletics.com/baseball for more information or email questions to nschwake@uky.edu.
Parking
Parking at Cliff Hagan Stadium is free.
We will utilize two lots: the C8 lot behind Shively Sports Center, and brand-new Parking Structure 7 on the corner of Complex Drive and Jerry Claiborne Way. Both parking lots are only steps away from Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Fans who park in the PS7 lot will be given a parking value card to exit the structure free of charge. Value cards should be picked up at the baseball ticket booth prior to the 5th inning.
Fans should not use the university ?R? lots adjacent to the dorms or on the south side of Nutter Training Facility. These lots are patrolled by the university 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Fans that park in these lots may be ticketed or towed. Plenty of parking will be available in the C8 and PS7 lots.
Tickets
SINGLE GAME TICKET PRICES
$5 – General Admission Seating – Adults
$2 – General Admission Seating – Kids/Seniors
SEASON TICKET PRICES
$35 General Admission
