Kentucky Wildcats enter SEC Tournament as a long shot to earn NCAA baseball berth
The University of Kentucky baseball team has not played in an NCAA Tournament since 2017. Coach Nick Mingione’s Wildcats have their work cut out for them if they’re going to make a return visit in 2021.
At 29-22 overall and 12-18 in Southeastern Conference play this season, Kentucky’s path to an NCAA at-large berth is narrow, at best, meaning it probably needs to win this week’s SEC Tournament and accompanying NCAA automatic bid at Hoover, Ala., to advance further into the postseason.
Baseball America’s projected NCAA field of 64 includes seven SEC teams — but not the Wildcats. Those same seven teams were ranked in this week’s USA Today coaches’ poll: No. 1 Arkansas, No. 3 Vanderbilt, No. 4 Tennessee, No. 6 Mississippi State, No. 11 Mississippi, No. 13 Florida and No. 24 South Carolina.
In 2019, the last time an NCAA Tournament was played, 10 SEC teams made the field. Even if the league again earns that level of respect from the selection committee, the Cats — who finished 11th in the regular season — are likely to be on the outside looking in.
No waiting
Kentucky’s postseason journey begins with the SEC Tournament’s opening game Tuesday at Hoover (Ala.) Metropolitan Stadium, where the No. 11 seed Wildcats face No. 6 seed Florida (35-19, 17-13) at 10:30 a.m. EDT.
Florida took two of three games from Kentucky during a hotly contested series in Lexington May 6-8. UK won the opener 7-5, then fell 8-5 and 9-2.
Sean Harney, who picked up the save in the 7-5 win, will start for Kentucky on Tuesday. Harney, a senior from Natick, Mass., is 3-1 with a 3.86 ERA. He’s struck out 55 in 42 innings. He’ll face Florida junior Tommy Mace (5-1, 4.48 ERA).
The winner of Tuesday’s game advances to face third-seeded Mississippi State on Wednesday morning when the double-elimination portion of the tournament begins.
Tuesday
No. 11 seed Kentucky vs. No. 6 seed Florida
What: SEC Baseball Tournament first-round game
Where: Hoover (Ala.) Metropolitan Stadium
When: 10:30 a.m. EDT
TV: SEC Network
Radio: WLAP-AM 630
Records: Kentucky 29-22 (12-18 SEC), Florida 35-19 (17-13)
Series: Florida leads 144-70-1
Last meeting: Florida won 9-2 on May 8, 2021, in Lexington.