‘Special’ freshman flashes promise in UK baseball opener. ‘The sky’s the limit.’
Nearly a calendar year since its last game, the University of Kentucky baseball team took the field on Tuesday. Thanks in part to a nearly flawless debut from a promising young pitcher, it was a successful return to competition for the Wildcats.
Behind a first-inning offensive eruption and four strong frames on the mound from Ryan Hagenow, Kentucky opened the season with a 5-1 win over Miami (Ohio) at Kentucky Proud Park.
A 6-foot-5 native of Knoxville, Tenn., Hagenow was rated the No. 6 right-handed pitcher and No. 26 overall player in the 2020 recruiting class by Perfect Game USA. He was projected by MLB.com/MLB Pipeline to be selected between the third and fifth rounds of the 2020 Major League Baseball Draft, but opted to head to Lexington rather than turn pro out of high school.
Against Miami, which swept a three-game series at Jacksonville last weekend, Hagenow struck out six batters and threw 41 strikes in 58 pitches, allowing just one hit and no walks in four innings while working with a pitch count.
“Ryan Hagenow was special,” UK Coach Nick Mingione said, pointing out that Hagenow demonstrated command of three different pitches. “He was everything that we thought he’d be. Happy for him to get going ... The sky’s the limit for Ryan Hagenow.”
The Wildcats were originally slated to open the season last weekend with a three-game series at North Carolina, but that trip was canceled because of COVID-19 protocols. Instead, UK (1-0) kicked off the season at home against the RedHawks (3-1) on a pleasant, 55-degree afternoon in front of a sparse, socially distanced crowd. Random piles of snow around the outskirts of the stadium were a reminder of the winter storm that crippled much of the country last week.
Ahead of the first pitch, a moment of silence was observed in honor of Ben Jordan, the former UK pitcher and basketball team member who died in January at age 22. Jordan’s jersey, bearing No. 3, hung from a hook in the Kentucky dugout throughout the game.
“These guys have been through a lot,” Mingione said. “They were like little kids today, they were down there early hitting and it was neat to see their excitement.”
The Wildcats could hardly have dreamed up a better start. Hagenow struck out the side on 12 pitches in the top of the first, flashing a fastball that ranged between 91 and 94 miles per hour. UK’s offense wasted little time giving the freshman hurler cover.
Austin Schultz led off with a double up the middle. Fifth-year senior TJ Collett blasted a moonshot home run to center field that hit the top of the wall and bounced out. Oraj Anu followed with a solo bomb, then Cam Hill sent a two-out shot over the left-center wall to give UK its third homer and a 4-0 lead after one inning.
Tuesday marked a triumphant return for Hill. The Scott County High School graduate appeared in just seven of UK’s 17 games last season because of a broken wrist suffered while trying to make a play in the outfield. After junior-college transfer Alonzo Rubalcaba got his first hit as a Wildcat with a two-out double in the third inning, Hill followed with an RBI double to make it 5-0 Kentucky.
“He’s had an awesome spring ... I was happy to see him carry that over right into the game,” Mingione said.
Defense was a problem for the Cats the last two years and the staff worked hard to address that in the offseason, bringing in Rubalcaba to act as the main catcher and fellow juco transfer Ryan Ritter to start at shortstop. UK’s defense was solid up the middle on Tuesday but shaky at the corners.
Miami’s first base runner reached in the top of the second when Collett booted a ground ball at first base. That error didn’t cost the Cats, but their second could have led to disaster.
After retiring the first batter he faced in the top of the fifth, freshman Wyatt Hudepohl gave up a double and a walk. He then drew a grounder that had double-play potential, but an error by third baseman Jacob Plastiak loaded the bases. Miami then plated a run but the Cats limited the damage thanks to a double play.
“Those were plays that we need to make ... That was disappointing, and that part’s got to get better,” Mingione said. “To me, those should be like layups. For us to be great we’ve got to make those plays, and we’ve been making them. It was unfortunate, but obviously we’ll get them corrected.”
Upcoming series
Milwaukee at Kentucky
Friday: 4 p.m.
Saturday: 1 p.m.
Sunday: 1 p.m.
Live video broadcasts: SEC Network Plus
This story was originally published February 23, 2021 at 8:32 PM.
