Kentucky Doesn’t Miss the Mark in First Sweep Ever at Ole Miss

OXFORD, Miss. – For the first time in over 100 years of playing baseball, Kentucky has swept a series at Ole Miss, in convincing fashion at that.

The No. 15 Wildcats now are the only team Southeastern Conference team to record a sweep on the road in league play this season, shellacking No. 22 Ole Miss 15-1 on Easter Sunday at Swayze Field. Dating to 2019, UK has won five straight in Oxford.

UK (24-4, 8-1 SEC) scored five runs before the Rebels came to the plate and outscored the home team 37-13 in the three-game series. The Cats have scored 37 runs each in two of its three SEC series.

James McCoy fell just a triple short of the cycle, drove in three and recorded hits in seven of his final eight at bats. Nick Lopez continued his assault on opponent pitching with another pair of hits and Nolan McCarthy bolstered his player of the week credentials with a pair of hits and his seventh RBI of the weekend. Grant Smith added a homer and Emilien Pitre walked three times as the Cats drew 20 free passes in the series.

Ole Miss starter Gunnar Dennis didn’t make it out of the first inning, while UK starter Mason Moore battled through five innings despite being hit by a line drive on his pitching elbow by the first batter he faced.

NOTES

• Kentucky now is 24-4 in 2024, 8-1 in Southeastern Conference play.
  • Kentucky has won 12 of its past 13 games.
  • Kentucky is 16-4 in day games.
  • Kentucky is 9-1 in true road games and 11-2 away from Lexington.
  • Kentucky is 7-0 on Sunday.
• Kentucky swept a series at Ole Miss for the first time in program history.
  • Kentucky has won five straight at Ole Miss.
• UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his eighth season at the helm and now owns a 240-154 career record.
  • Mingione needs 18 victories to become the second-winningest coach in school history.
  • UK is 102-37 in the month of March under Coach Mingione.
• Kentucky scored five runs in the first and fourth innings, then four in the seventh.
  • It is the 16^th time in the last 12 games UK has scored 4+ runs in an inning.
  • It is the 25th time this season UK has scored 4+ runs in an inning.
  • It is the 199th time in the Mingione Era.
• Kentucky’s nine road wins are the most of any team in the SEC.
• Kentucky owns two of the four road series wins by SEC teams in league play.
  • Kentucky is the only SEC team to sweep a series on the road.
• Kentucky is the only team that has scored 15 or more runs three times in SEC play.
• Kentucky outscored Ole Miss 37-13 on the weekend.
  • UK has scored 37 runs in two of its three SEC series.
• Kentucky stole three bases (it was caught once) and now is 68-of-79 on the season.
• Kentucky drew eight walks in the game, 20 in the series and 34 in the past four games.
• Junior Emilien Pitre went 1-for-2 with two runs, an RBI, three walks and two stolen bases.
  • He now is 16-for-20 on stolen base attempts.
• Graduate Nick Lopez went 2-for-4 with a run and two RBI.
  • He had a two-run single in the first.
  • It was his 12^th multi-hit game.
  • It was his 8^th multi-RBI game.
• Junior Nolan McCarthy went 2-for-4 with two runs and an RBI.
  • It was his 4th multi-hit game of the season and 12^th
• Sophomore James McCoy went 3-for-4 with two runs, three RBI, a double and a home run.
  • He hit solo homer to center in the fifth inning.
  • It was his 4th multi-hit game of the season and 10^th
  • It was his 4th multi-RBI game of the season and 10^th
• Senior Grant Smith went 1-for-3 with two runs, three RBI a home run and a walk.
  • It was his 4^th multi-RBI game of the season and 9^th
• Senior Ryan Nicholson went 1-for-3 with a run, three RBI and a double.
  • It was his 6^th multi-RBI game of the season.
• Junior Mason Moore moved to 6-0 on the season.
  • His final line: 5.0 innings, two hits, one run, three walks and two strikeouts.

ON DECK

The Wildcats return to Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday night to face Louisville. The contest between the Cats and the Cardinals will begin at 7 p.m. ET and will be aired on the SEC Network, with radio coverage available on 630-AM WLAP (Lexington) and UKAthletics.com.