Wildcats return to Kentucky Proud Park after season-opening sweep at USC Upstate
LEXINGTON – February 19, 2024
After opening the 2024 season with a three-game series sweep of preseason Big South favorite USC Upstate, the University of Kentucky baseball team (3-0, 0-0 SEC) returns to the friendly confines of Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday afternoon, hosting Morehead State (2-1, 0-0 OVC) in a 4 p.m. ET contest. Fans can tune into the game on the UK Sports Network (98.5 FM in Lexington) with Darren Headrick on the call. The game will also be streamed live on the SEC Network +.
Tuesday’s game in Lexington will be the first for the program since the 2023 Lexington Regional Championship game, a 4-2 Kentucky victory that sent the Wildcats to their second Super Regional in program history.
The Wildcats return to Lexington with their first opening series sweep in two years, thanks to a combination of potent offense and effective pitching. Scoring 23 runs in three games in Spartanburg, Kentucky’s offensive attack was paced by graduate transfer Nick Lopez, who hit .444 in two games, including two doubles. Senior Grant Smith led the team with 4 RBI on the weekend. Additionally, the Wildcats saw four home runs from four different players and were a perfect 14-of-14 on stolen base attempts.
On the mound, all three weekend starters registered wins, highlighted by graduate transfer Dominic Niman, who pitched the first five innings in a Saturday shutout of the Spartans. Out of the pen, eight different Wildcats saw action, including Johnny Hummel, a NCBWA Stopper of the Year Watch List member, who earned his first Kentucky save on Saturday.
Morehead State enters the game after claiming victory in their season-opening series, taking two of three games on the road at Davidson. The Eagles, the 2023 OVC runners-up, boast the defending OVC player of the year in Ryley Preece, who was picked to retain his title in the conference’s preseason awards. In addition to Preece, three Eagles slashed five or more hits during opening weekend, including preseason all-OVC selections, Colton Becker and Nick Gooden.
Following the home opener, the Wildcats will head to the Lone Star State for the Karbach Round Rock Classic, a four-team round robin tournament that will pit Kentucky against three opponents in three days. The Cats will open the tournament against Washington State on Friday afternoon, play Texas State on Saturday evening, and close out with a Sunday matinee against Kansas. All games will be streamed live on D1baseball.com, where a subscription is required to watch. Fans can also listen on the UK Sports Network.
GAME DETAILS
Tuesday, February 20 vs. Morehead State
4 p.m. ET; Lexington, Ky. (Kentucky Proud Park)
Radio: UK Sports Network | Live Stream: SECN+
UK – TBD; MSU – TBD