UK baseball finally set to take the field. ‘This team is high trust, low maintenance.’
About two weeks shy of a year from its last game, the University of Kentucky baseball team is finally set to once again play ball.
The Wildcats kick off the season with their home opener against Miami (Ohio) at Kentucky Proud Park on Tuesday. They were originally slated to open the season with a series at North Carolina last weekend but that trip was canceled because of COVID-19 protocols.
Here’s to hoping that three-game set against the Tar Heels is all the pandemic costs UK this year. Last season, the Wildcats had begun putting things together and were on a roll when COVID struck. They’d won six straight games to improve to 11-6 and were packing their bags for Nashville to begin the Southeastern Conference season at Vanderbilt.
Then, in a cascade of events that unfolded with shocking speed, it was all over.
“Bags were packed, we were getting ready to go to Nashville,” UK Coach Nick Mingione — who’s entering his fifth year at the helm — said during Media Day. “It was so fast. It was, hey, we don’t know if we’re going to play yet, don’t leave; to, the series is canceled. So we practiced. In the middle of our practice, one of our staff members came up to me and said, ‘Hey Coach, they just canceled (the College World Series in) Omaha.”
The Wildcats suffered a loss far worse than missed games when pitcher Ben Jordan died in January at age 22. Mingione said Jordan’s former teammates are still working through their grief.
“Our guys are continuing to go through that process,” Mingione said. “We laughed, we cried, we spent a lot of time together. That was the worst thing you can imagine to go through as a coach ... It’s been a hard time.”
‘The package’
The Wildcats will undoubtedly miss Jordan’s upbeat presence when they get back to competitive baseball. As they attempt to hit the ground running Tuesday, they’ll have a dangerous young weapon at their disposal.
Though the 2020 season lasted just four weeks, that was plenty of time for John Rhodes to flash his star power. The 6-foot outfielder from Soddy Daisy, Tenn., led the Wildcats with a gaudy .426 batting average and was second on the team with 10 doubles on his way to being voted Southeastern Conference Freshman of the Year and Co-National Freshman of the Year. He began the season batting ninth and steadily climbed the ladder, ending the spring second in the batting order.
“This guy is the package,” Mingione said of Rhodes. “His leadership, his work ethic, his talent. This guy is the package.”
Rhodes is considered by MLB.com/MLB Pipeline to be the No. 32 overall prospect for the 2021 Major League Baseball Draft. He’s aware of the buzz he’s created, but Rhodes isn’t looking ahead to a professional career yet.
“Honestly, my focus is not on that at all,” Rhodes said at Media Day. “If we win, that’s what matters. These are my brothers, these are my teammates. I’d go to war with them. At the end of the day, I want to go to Omaha. I want to win a super (regional), I want to win an SEC Tournament.
“Whatever happens with me personally, it happens. But if I go out there every game and try my best to win that game, do whatever it takes, I think it will all handle itself.”
‘They’re committed’
Rhodes should have plenty of help on offense. He and junior Austin Schultz were both named to the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association Preseason All-America First Team. Schultz hit .393 and scored a team-high 20 runs and had 20 RBI in just 61 at-bats last season. TJ Collett should also provide punch at the plate. The fifth-year senior batted .290 with five homers and 17 RBI in 69 at-bats last spring.
So, offense shouldn’t be an issue. The big question is whether the Cats have improved enough on defense and the mound — major bugaboos the past two seasons — to be competitive in the loaded SEC. Mason Hazelwood should provide a steady anchor on the mound after a breakout junior season in which the 6-foot-5 Mercer County High School graduate went 2-1 in four starts with a 1.64 earned run average and struck out 27 batters in 22 innings.
If the Cats are going to make major strides in the pitching game, they’ll need to get more out of 6-foot-4 sophomore Zack Lee, who had a 9.35 ERA and allowed 14 hits over 8 2/3 innings last season. Also helpful would be the continued improvement of 6-foot-4 sophomore Cole Stupp, who at times flashed serious potential during six appearances last spring. Stupp finished with a 7.63 ERA, striking out 17 and allowing 20 hits over 15 1/3 innings. His numbers were skewed by a rough outing against Murray State in which he allowed six runs.
To address the team’s defensive problems, UK added junior-college transfers Ryan Ritter and Alonzo Rubalcaba.
“I believe that will really change and impact us defensively,” Mingione said. “Ryan Ritter, he’ll be our starting shortstop, this guy can really defend ... Alonzo Rubalcaba is a catcher we brought in from California and he can really receive.”
Mingione is excited to see what kind of squad he has on his hands when the Cats take the field Tuesday.
“This team is high trust, low maintenance,” Mingione said. “They do everything they are asked. We’ve got tremendous leadership and they really like each other. They’re committed to our team and our goals.”
UK baseball season opener
Miami (Ohio) at Kentucky
When: 4 p.m. Tuesday
Where: Kentucky Proud Park
Live video broadcast: SEC Network Plus
Radio: WBUL-FM 98.5
2021 UK baseball schedule
(Home games in all-capital letters)
Feb. 23: MIAMI (OHIO); 26-28: MILWAUKEE;
March 2: EASTERN KENTUCKY; 3: LOUISVILLE; 5-7: BALL STATE; 9: WESTERN KENTUCKY; 12-14: GEORGIA STATE; 16: MURRAY STATE; 19-21: MISSOURI; 23: BUTLER; 26-28: at Auburn; 30: BELLARMINE;
April 1-3: at Mississippi State; 6: at Louisville; 9-11: LOUISIANA STATE; 13: BELLARMINE; 16-18: at Georgia; 20: LOUISVILLE; 23-25: ALABAMA; 27: EASTERN KENTUCKY; April 29-May 1: at Tennessee;
May 6-8: FLORIDA; 11: MOREHEAD STATE; 14-16: SOUTH CAROLINA; 18: TENNESSEE TECH; 20-22: at Vanderbilt;
May 25-30: SEC Tournament at Hoover Metropolitan Stadium in Hoover, Ala.
This story was originally published February 22, 2021 at 8:00 AM.
