‘Let that sink in.’ Sophomore duo off to sizzling start for Kentucky baseball.
Two key youngsters are off to a red-hot start for the University of Kentucky baseball team.
Sophomore second baseman Austin Schultz and sophomore relief pitcher Alex Degen were instrumental in the Wildcats’ 9-4 victory over Southeast Missouri State in their home opener at Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday. Schultz was a run-producing machine while Degen was nearly untouchable on the mound in the first win of the year for Kentucky, which was swept in a three-game series at Texas Christian over the weekend.
Schultz belted the go-ahead homer to lead off the bottom of the fifth, sending the second pitch he saw into the left-field bullpen to give the Cats a 5-4 lead. In the bottom of the eighth, his opposite-field ground-rule double plated Coltyn Kessler, extending the lead to 6-4 and kicking off a four-run inning for the Cats.
Schultz went 3-for-4 with four RBI. The 5-foot-9 jack-of-all trades is now batting a team-best .400. As a freshman, Schultz started at three different positions and batted .265 with two home runs and eight RBI. He’s already up to five RBI this season, and he gives UK Coach Nick Mingione the luxury of flexibility when it comes to setting a lineup.
“He’s just so dynamic. He’s played at shortstop, he’s played games at second base, he’s batted lead-off. He can really bat at any spot in the order, he’s that dynamic of a player,” Mingione said after Tuesday’s win. “He can beat teams in a lot of ways ... we can play him anywhere, and that’s a good feeling as a coach.”
With UK nursing a 5-4 lead on Tuesday, Degen took the mound in the top of the eighth and struck out the side. The 6-foot-8 right-hander gave up a lead-off single in the ninth, but notched another strikeout as he retired the next three Redhawks to earn the save. In two appearances this season, Degen has struck out eight of the 11 batters he’s faced. He fanned four of five in the season opener against TCU.
Degen had an up-and-down campaign as a freshman, finishing with a 5.60 ERA in 16 appearances. But during summer-ball season, something seemed to click. He pitched for the Savannah (Ga.) Bananas in the Coastal Plain League, going 3-1 with a 1.80 ERA. He picked up four saves in 17 appearances, helping the Bananas win their division title and earning a spot on the all-league first team.
“Last season being a freshman I had a different mindset,” Degen said. “Every freshman kind of has (to) get over the hump of this mentality that they don’t belong here ... The summer did help with that, competing against other guys who are really good baseball players, having that low ERA and striking a lot of guys out in the summer did help.
“I feel like physically I have made some accomplishments from last season, some leaps. But mentally, honestly it’s just going out there and trusting myself and attacking the zone ... It’s fun getting out there and striking guys out and winning games.”
Mingione thinks Degen has clearly turned a corner.
“When he first got here — this is really amazing — he had never thrown a ball 90 miles an hour in his entire life, ever. He never touched 90,” said Mingione. “And tonight I don’t think he threw a ball below 90. Let that sink in ... what a jump he’s made in a year.”
Schultz said Tuesday’s win was crucial for the Cats after their disappointing trip to Texas. And, he expects this is just the start of the show for UK’s offense.
“It feels huge, especially at home in front of our home fans,” Schultz said. “I think that offensive explosion today gave us some team confidence that we can do something like that at any given time. So I think that was a big boost of confidence for us, especially to also get that win here at home was awesome.”
Next game
Appalachian State at Kentucky
4 p.m. Friday (SEC Network Plus)
