Kentucky Concludes Best Regular Season Since 2017

No. 3 Florida broke free of a pitching duel in the seventh inning to score a 5-2 series-clinching victory over No. 20 Kentucky on Saturday afternoon at Kentucky Proud Park.

Junior Austin Strickland was nearly perfect through six one-hit innings before the Gators were able to scratch across four runs in the seventh.

Kentucky finished its best regular season since 2017 at 36-17 overall and 16-14 in the Southeastern Conference.

Shortstop Grant Smith lined a home run off the right field pole for his fifth straight SEC game with a home run. AJ Reed was the last UK player to accomplish the feat.

NOTES

• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his seventh season at the helm and now owns a 212-146 career record.
  • UK is 40-40 in the month of May under Coach Mingione.
  • Mingione now is 6-13 vs. Florida.
• UK has scored in 351 of 358 games in Mingione’s tenure.
• UK is 11-11 this season vs. ranked opponents.
  • The Cats are 5-7 vs. Top Five opponents.
• UK is 25-6 at home this season.
  • UK is 97-48 all-time at Kentucky Proud Park.
• Outfielder Jackson Gray He has reached safely in 22 consecutive games.
  • He has hits in 21 of his last 22 games.
• Infielder Grant Smith went 1-for-2 with a solo home run and a walk.
  • He has homered in five straight games.
    • He is the first Wildcat to homer in five straight SEC games since UK Hall of Famer and former Golden Spikes Award winner AJ Reed in 2014.
  • Catcher Devin Burkes went 2-for-3 with a run, two RBI, a double and a SAC.
    • He has a nine-game hit streak.
    • He had his 17^th multi-hit game.
    • He now is 15 of his last 28.
  • Pitcher Austin Strickland made his first start of the season.
    • He pitched a career best 6.2 innings and matched a career best with seven strikeouts.
    • He had a one-hitter into the seventh.

ON DECK

Kentucky travels to Hoover, Alabama and will play Tuesday at the SEC Tournament.