Hill's Heroics Lift Cats Past Missouri Saturday

Cam Hill was not in the starting lineup for the Kentucky baseball team on Saturday. But he ended up making a huge impact in just one inning of play.

Hill came into the game as a defensive substitution in the top of the ninth inning but his impact on the game would come in the bottom of the frame.

Missouri tied the game at 4-4 with a run in the top of the ninth inning. But the Tigers were unable to take the lead, leaving a runner stranded in scoring position.

That set the stage for Hill’s heroics.

He started the inning by getting hit in the head with a pitch. After shaking it off, Hill took first base.

“I’d do anything for this team,” Hill said. “I saw it come out of his hand, I said ‘I’m not moving, I’m taking this one’. It was good.”

Hill advanced to second on a passed ball by Missouri catcher Chad McDaniel. Then, Hill read Tigers’ pitcher Lukas Veinbergs and took off for third base.

“They gave us a green (light),” Hill said. “I noticed (Veinbergs) had a little pattern going. He was either a one-looker or a no-looker. So I just banked on him no-looking, got a good jump and I saw the throw come in and I dove for it, ducked my head, tried to get the third baseman off the bag and it worked.”

Then, on a pitch that barely got away from McDaniel, Hill raced home and, with a head-first slide, scored on a passed ball to give the Cats the victory.

UK head coach Nick Mingione was impressed with Hill’s heroics in the ninth.

“Our team was very complimentary of him,” Mingione said. “They said ‘coach, he wore a ball in the head’. Then, just, his speed, it totally impacts the game. He steals third. The ball barely gets by the catcher, it’s not far, and we win the game, with his legs. I guess he used his head…and his legs. You never want to see a guy get hit in the head but what a way to respond from it. What a way to impact the game.”

Hill knows that, even though he didn’t enter the game until late, he has a big role on this team.

“Everybody on this team has a role,” Hill said. “I know my role going into the series. So, I had that in the back of my mind. I start warming up by the fourth inning and I just make sure I’m ready to go any time.”

The win moves Kentucky to 13-3 overall and 2-0 in the SEC. Mingione was happy that his team was able to enjoy the win after working hard to get into this position.

“You see their desire to win and it dominates,” Mingione said. “Just really happy for our players. I thought our coaches did such a good job. The job that Coach (Todd) Guilliams did with all the traffic, all the personnel, Coach (Will) Coggin on the bases, Coach (Dan) Roszel with our arms. Just proud of our staff and so thankful for our guys because they’ve worked really hard to put ourselves in this position. For them to win and enjoy a 2-0 start, they deserve it.”

Despite not entering the game until the ninth inning, Hill’s impact on this game was unquestioned.