Home Runs Boosting UK Baseball Offense
The 2017 Kentucky baseball team was able to create runs in a variety of ways. Bunting, hit and runs and being smart on the basepaths all played a role. What the Wildcats may have lacked last season was a propensity to hit home runs.
That’s not the case this season. The Wildcats entered Friday’s game against Auburn ranked second in the SEC and third in the country in home runs with 40. And in Friday’s 5-4 win over the ninth-ranked Tigers, the long ball played a key role once again.
Kentucky (16-6, 1-3 SEC) trailed 4-2 heading to the bottom of the ninth on Friday when senior third baseman Luke Heyer connected on a two-run shot to right-center field, tying the game at 4-4. Kentucky would manufacture a run later in the inning to win the game 5-4, earning its first SEC win of the season.
“Just getting a good pitch to hit,” Heyer said of his ninth inning home run. “I was trying to force him to throw me a strike. I got a good pitch to hit. I’m happy with the results, obviously.”
Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione was pleased with the way Heyer stepped up.
“Luke now has 11 home runs,” Mingione said. “For him to hang in there and battle. The way he hung in there and the entire time, he kept competing all night.”
Heyer’s 11th home run of the season ties him for the national lead this season. He has now hit three homers in his last two games.
Kentucky has used the long ball often this season. Through 22 games, the Cats have hit 42 home runs, compared with 22 homers through the same number of games last season.
Mingione knows that the 2018 Cats are made up of players who can go deep.
“This team is really strong and physical,” Mingione said. “When you start going through the lineup and you start thinking about how we can beat you, this is a team that’s been recruited that way. Coach (Ryan) DeVriendt and our strength staff and Shea (Carson) with our nutrition staff have done a phenomenal job with our guys getting them bigger, faster, stronger. For us to be great, we’re going to have to hit home runs. There are times this ballpark can play offensive. The ability for us to hit home runs obviously changed the game today. That’s how our personnel is this year.”
Kentucky took its first lead of the game in the bottom of the fourth inning when Luke Becker hit a bomb to right-center field to give the Cats a 2-1 advantage. Becker’s home run came off Casey Mize, who entered Friday’s game with a 5-0 record, including a no-hitter earlier this season.
The Tigers rallied to take a 4-2 lead, setting up Kentucky’s rally in the bottom of the ninth. The Wildcats answered with their second walk-off win of the season.
Mingione knows that the depth of his team plays a role in many victories.
“The strength of our team is our team,” Mingione said. “It takes everybody.”
Hitting home runs has been the formula for this year’s team, and it worked again in Friday’s win.
