Baseball Cats Excel During Challenging Week

The Kentucky baseball team faced perhaps the toughest schedule in the country this week. The Wildcats faced four games against opponents ranked in the Top 10 in this week’s D1Baseball.com poll.

Through the first three games of the tough, four-game week, Kentucky had won twice, while dropping one game. The Wildcats beat intrastate rival and second-ranked Louisville 11-7 on Tuesday night at Cliff Hagan Stadium behind big efforts from shortstop Connor Heady and third baseman Tyler Marshall. Kentucky then split a pair of games against No. 8 LSU on Friday, winning 12-5 in the series opener before dropping the nightcap, 4-3.

With that setup, Sunday’s series finale against LSU became increasingly important. Beating the Tigers would give the Cats a 3-1 week, and an SEC series victory against a Top 10 opponent which happens to be one of college baseball’s traditional powerhouses. A loss would mean a 2-2 week, and a series loss.

Kentucky left no doubt of its intentions on Sunday, scoring four times in the first, and three times in both the third and fourth innings, on their way to a 10-2 victory over LSU. Kole Cottam had a two-run home run and an RBI double, and Riley Mahan had a solo home run and an RBI single in the series-clinching win.

“Our team grinds people out,” Mahan said. “We’re a very good team. We’ve played some really good teams and we’ve had good offensive approaches and our pitching has been outstanding this whole week.”

Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione was very happy with how his team responded to the challenge of the week. 

“I had one of the national media guys tell me, if you go 2-2 this week, that would be an accomplishment,” Mingione said. “The whole time, I’m thinking ‘I think we’re going to go 4-0.’ Our team’s in a good place right now, and that’s not taking anything away from our opponents. I just really believe our guys, right now, have a really good look in their eyes and they continue to work.”

Mahan had an incredible week for the Wildcats, knocking out 11 hits in 16 at-bats (.688) with two doubles, a homer, three runs scored and six RBIs. The junior from Cincinnati was also hit by a pitch and received a pair of intentional walks, giving him a ridiculous .737 on-base percentage for the week.

“Just getting pitches up, not chasing bad pitches,” Mahan said of what worked well for him over the weekend. “Getting in better hitters’ counts and putting good swings on good pitches.”

Cottam took advantage of his opportunities over the weekend, collecting three hits, which all went for extra bases. Cottam hit a pair of home runs, his second and third of the season, along with a double during the week. The sophomore scored five runs in three games, while knocking in four.

“Off the bat, I knew I hit it pretty well, so I was hoping it would go,” Cottam said of his Sunday home run. “Our preparation, our coaches, they help me do a lot. It’s a team effort right now, we’re all seeing (the ball) pretty well.”

On the mound Sunday, sophomore right-hander Justin Lewis went the distance, giving up six hits and only one earned run, while walking just one and striking out six.

When asked after the game what stood out to him, Mingione didn’t hesitate.

“Justin Lewis,” he said. “We talked about, in our video review, getting the fastball down and away to righties and ramming the ball in the bottom of the strike zone and he did that.”

Lewis was pleased with his effort, in which he earned his first career complete game.

“It felt great, it was the first of my career,” Lewis said. “When your offense gives you a lead like that, you can relax and throw strikes, and that’s what I did today.”

With the successful week, Kentucky is now 28-13 overall and 12-6 in the SEC. The Wildcats have a two-game lead over Florida in the Eastern Division with four weekends of baseball remaining in the regular season. And the college baseball world should now know that Kentucky is a team that’s up to any challenge.