Kentucky’s Mingione named SEC baseball Coach of the Year

Nick Mingione made quick believers out of his University of Kentucky baseball players upon taking over the Wildcats program last June.

He then spent his first season convincing the Southeastern Conference it was time to buy in as well.

Validation came Monday in the form of Mingione being voted the SEC’s 2017 Coach of the Year by his fellow league coaches.

Seven of Mingione’s players also received all-conference recognition Monday, including Sean Hjelle, who was named Pitcher of the Year.

Mingione, who replaced Gary Henderson after last season, led the Wildcats to a 38-18 overall record. UK finished 19-11 in the SEC, securing second place in the Eastern Division behind Florida.

Kentucky’s 38 wins are the most since the 2012 team won a school-record 45. That was also the last time a UK head man — Henderson — was named SEC Coach of the Year.

The 38 wins were the most ever for a first-year Kentucky head coach, and the 19 SEC wins were the second-most in school history, trailing only the 20 wins of 2006.

UK also defeated more ranked opponents in a season than ever before, going 17-12 vs. the top 25 and 4-4 against the top 10.

Non-conference highlights included sweeping a series against No. 23 UC Santa Barbara, defeating then-No. 2 Louisville and finishing the home portion of the non-league schedule undefeated.

The Southeastern Conference Tournament gets underway Tuesday at Hoover, Ala., with four first-round games. Kentucky, the No. 3 overall seed, joins the fray Wednesday. The Wildcats will take on the winner of Tuesday’s game between No. 6 seed Vanderbilt and No. 11 South Carolina at 10:30 a.m. EDT.

Mingione arrived at Kentucky after eight seasons as an assistant to John Cohen at Mississippi State. Prior to that, Mingione spent two seasons on Cohen’s staff at Kentucky in 2006 and 2007.

Upon being hired as UK’s head coach, Mingione said, “This is an opportunity I’ve dreamed about for more than a decade. From the moment I first stepped foot on campus I knew it would be a place I could call home.”

Seven Cats honored

Sophomore right-hander Sean Hjelle was named SEC Pitcher of the Year on Monday.

Joining Hjelle on the All-SEC First Team were senior reliever Logan Salow and sophomore outfielder Tristan Pompey. Hjelle and Salow become the first UK pitchers to earn First Team honors since Chris Rusin in 2008 and only the third and fourth since 1979, joining Rusin and Scott Downs (1997).

UK junior infielder Riley Mahan, junior catcher Troy Squires and junior first baseman Evan White made the Second Team. White was voted to the All-SEC Defensive Team for the third consecutive season.

Junior left-handed pitcher Zach Logue was voted SEC Scholar Athlete of the Year, posting a 3.96 grade point average in chemical engineering.

Hjelle, from White Bear Lake, Minn., is the first UK player to win SEC Pitcher of the Year after going 9-2 with a 3.17 earned run average in 14 starts as the Wildcats’ Friday night starter. He was dominant in SEC play, going 7-1 with a 1.90 ERA. His nine wins this season moved him into a tie for sixth place on Kentucky’s single-season wins list. Hjelle has allowed one earned run or less in six of his last seven starts and has given up six or fewer hits in his last 12 starts.

Pompey, from Toronto, Ontario, led the conference with a .410 batting average in league games.

Salow, from Ashland, Ky., was dominant this season as the Cats’ closer. His 10 saves were the second most in a season in school history and SEC opponents hit just .136 against him.

This story was originally published May 22, 2017 at 3:26 PM with the headline "Kentucky’s Mingione named SEC baseball Coach of the Year."