Kentucky Set for Showdown with West Virginia on Friday
The Kentucky baseball team opens play in the NCAA Clemson Regional on Friday against West Virginia. First pitch from Clemson’s Doug Kingsmore Stadium is set for noon ET and the game can be seen on ESPNU.
UK is making its 12th NCAA Tournament appearance in program history and its third in a row. Last season, the Cats were able to make it to the College World Series in Omaha for the first time, which is a notable accomplishment for a program that has played baseball since 1896.
With the Cats in the postseason again in 2025, UK head coach Nick Mingione knows that this year’s UK team is really close to making even more history.
“They completed something that’s never been done before in Kentucky baseball history,” Mingione said of the Cats making three consecutive NCAA Regionals. “We are now five wins away from going back to the College World Series.”
Kentucky has won 28 NCAA Tournament games in school history, and Mingione has been the head coach for exactly half of those victories. In nine seasons, the UK skipper has been able to double the school’s NCAA Tournament win total, including last season’s trip to Omaha.
UK is 29-24 overall in 2025 and posted a 13-17 record in Southeastern Conference play. The Cats are battle-tested, having played the nation’s ninth-hardest schedule.
Kentucky’s opponent on Friday, West Virginia, was the regular season champion in the Big 12 Conference. The Mountaineers were in contention to host a regional late into the season. WVU is 41-14 overall and has six players who hit at least .300.
UK and WVU last met in the 2023 Lexington Regional, where the Cats beat the Mountaineers 10-0 in an elimination game at Kentucky Proud Park.
On Friday, the Cats are likely to start one of the three pitchers who made up their weekend rotation during Southeastern Conference play. Freshman Nate Harris, who is 4-2 with a 4.72 ERA held down the Friday slot for the Cats, while fellow right-hander Nic McCay, who pitched on Saturdays in the regular season, is 5-0 with a 4.37 ERA. Sophomore lefty Ben Cleaver, who was UK’s Sunday starter, is 6-3 with a 3.39 ERA.
Friday’s second game is between the host Clemson Tigers and the USC Upstate Spartans. The losers of Friday’s two games will meet on Saturday in an elimination game at noon, while the winners of Friday’s games will meet at 6 p.m. on Saturday. The double-elimination tournament continues through at least Sunday, and possible Monday, until a winner is crowned.
