To reach College World Series, Kentucky will have to beat No. 1 2024 MLB draft prospect
As the No. 2 overall seed in the NCAA Tournament and super-regional host this weekend, Kentucky baseball may be the favorite against Oregon State, but the Wildcats are unlikely to have the best player.
That honor goes to Oregon State second baseman Travis Bazzana, the No. 1-ranked prospect in the 2024 MLB draft class according to MLB.com.
Through the first weekend of the NCAA Tournament, Bazzana is batting .415 with 28 home runs, 66 RBI, 84 runs scored and 16 stolen bases. He is probably competing with Georgia star Charlie Condon for national player of the year awards and the No. 1 pick in the July draft.
MLB.com draft analyst Jonathan Mayo cited a recent survey of high-level scouting personnel as justification for moving Bazzana ahead of Condon in the most recent draft prospect ranking despite Condon’s nation-leading 36 home runs.
“He has the highest floor with significant ceiling,” one MLB general manager told Mayo.
Kentucky is no stranger to facing top draft prospects in the super-regional round.
A year ago, the Wildcats traveled to Baton Rouge for the super regional and were held to just four hits in 7 2/3 scoreless innings against LSU ace Paul Skenes, who was later drafted with the top pick. Now Skenes is one of the leading contenders for National League Rookie of the Year after making the jump to the major leagues with the Pittsburgh Pirates less than a year after he was drafted.
Bazzana’s hitting prowess suggests he might have a similarly quick ride through the minors, so UK fans packing Kentucky Proud Park this weekend might get a sneak peak of a soon-to-be MLB star. Since the Cincinnati Reds have the No. 2 pick in the 2024 draft, it is possible Bazzana will end up playing for many of those Kentucky fans’ favorite MLB team.
But first Nick Mingione’s Wildcats will look to give Bazzana an early start on draft prep.
Do not expect Kentucky pitchers to give Bazzana many opportunities to do damage with men on base. UK tied for the SEC lead in intentional walks allowed (13) during the regular season, and Mingione has been clear that many of the pitching staff’s unintentional walks actually came in situations where coaches directed them not to throw strikes against a dangerous hitter.
“There’s just certain guys we’re just not going to let beat us,” Mingione said before the NCAA Tournament regional. “... It’s better to give them one base as opposed to four.”
While Kentucky is the higher seed in the matchup with Oregon State, which also won its double-elimination regional without losing a game, the Beavers have had more baseball success historically with three national championships and seven College World Series appearances. Six of the College World Series appearances have come since 2005.
Kentucky will be playing for its first College World Series berth.
The Wildcats are not without star power of their own as left fielder Ryan Waldschmidt is now projected as a first-round pick by MLB.com. Waldschmidt (39), right-handed pitcher Travis Smith (178) and second baseman Émilien Pitre (185) were included on MLB.com’s top-200 draft prospects list released before the NCAA Tournament.
Kentucky’s high-octane offense will have to break through against Oregon State ace Aiden May, the 82nd-ranked draft prospect according to MLB.com, but Bazzana will need help of his own after strong NCAA Tournament regional performances by Kentucky’s top two starting pitchers, Trey Pooser and Mason Moore. Moore has yet to surrender a run in 20 1/3 NCAA Tournament innings across the last two seasons.
Bazzana homered in two of Oregon State’s three regional games, but Kentucky’s pitching staff has experience facing top draft prospects already this season.
Condon was just 1-for-8 in UK’s three-game sweep of Georgia in March. Florida two-way star Jac Caglianone, MLB.com’s No. 3-ranked prospect, was 5-for-9 with a home run against Kentucky but could not prevent the Wildcats from taking two of three in Gainesville. Kentucky walked Condon five times and Caglianone eight times in those series.
Expect a similar approach against Bazzana as Kentucky looks to win the best-of-three super regional.
“We’re at our best when we minimize,” Mingione said before the regional. “Have we walked some guys? Yes, but a lot of those are intentionally because there’s certain guys you can’t let beat you. I’d rather give up a walk than a home run.”
This weekend
No. 2 Kentucky vs. No. 15 Oregon State
What: NCAA Tournament super regional
When: Saturday-Monday
Where: Kentucky Proud Park in Lexington
At stake: Winner of best-of-three series advances to College World Series
Tickets: UKBaseballTix.com
SCHEDULE
Saturday: 6 p.m. (ESPNU)
Sunday: 9 p.m. (ESPNU)
Monday (if necessary): TBA (TBA)
NCAA super regionals
Here are the pairings for this weekend’s super-regional round of the NCAA Tournament. Each matchup is a best-of-three series, with the winner advancing to the College World Series (Teams listed with overall NCAA seed at start of 64-team tournament):
Starting Friday
▪ Evansville (38-24) at No. 1 Tennessee (53-11)
▪ UConn (35-24) at No. 8 Florida State (45-15)
▪ Kansas State (35-24) at No. 12 Virginia (44-15)
▪ West Virginia (36-22) at No. 4 North Carolina (45-14)
Starting Saturday
▪ No. 15 Oregon State (45-14) at No. 2 Kentucky (43-14)
▪ No. 10 North Carolina State (36-20) at No. 7 Georgia (42-15)
▪ Florida (32-28) at No. 6 Clemson (44-14)
▪ Oregon (40-18) at No. 3 Texas A&M (47-13)
This story was originally published June 4, 2024 at 7:15 AM.