Kentucky baseball takes down Wake Forest in 2026 NCAA Tournament opener
Just when it appeared momentum had shifted back to Wake Forest in Kentucky baseball’s NCAA Tournament opener, center fielder Jayce Tharnish did what he does best.
UK’s junior leadoff hitter lined a one-out single to right field with the game tied at four in the ninth inning. With two outs, he stole second base and third base — his 30th and 31st steals of the season.
On the seventh pitch of third baseman Tyler Cerny’s at-bat, Tharnish scrambled home on a wild pitch to give Kentucky a 6-5 lead. Left-handed reliever Jackson Soucie then retired the side in order in the bottom off the ninth to close out the win.
The win sends No. 3 seed UK to the winners’ side of the double-elimination Morgantown regional and two victories away from advancing to a NCAA Tournament super regional for the third time in four years.
Key moment
Trailing 3-1 through five innings, Kentucky finally broke through in the sixth after Wake Forest went to its bullpen.
UK loaded the bases with no outs with a hit-by-pitch and two walks. Designated hitter Ethan Hindle struck out, but freshman right fielder Braxton VanCleave, playing for the first time since he was carted off the field after a gruesome collision on the basepaths against Arkansas on May 15, tied the game with a two-run double. Kentucky took a 4-3 lead when first baseman Hudson Brown scored on a wild pitch.
The Wildcats added a key insurance run with a sacrifice fly from left fielder Carson Hanson that played VanCleave.
At the plate
Kentucky tallied just two hits in five innings against Wake Forest starter Chris Levonas, but the Wildcats’ normal patient approach was key in driving Levonas’ pitch count. He threw 96 pitches in five innings, forcing Wake Forest to go to its bullpen earlier than anticipated.
No Wildcat tallied more than two hits in the game, but Hindle, VanCleave and Caeden Cloud all hit doubles.
On the mound
Kentucky ace Jaxon Jelkin looked shaky at times but was able to execute in key moments to avoid what could have been a disastrous appearance.
Three of the first four Wake Forest batters in the game reached base, but Jelkin escaped with only one run allowed thanks to an inning-ending double play. The first five batters reached in the bottom of the fourth — Wake Forest extended its lead to 3-0 with a two-run home run in that stretch — but Jelkin escaped trouble again with back-to-back strikeouts after a sacrifice bunt put Wake Forest runners on second and third with one out.
Jelkin surrendered four runs on nine hits in six innings. He struck out five batters and walked none. Right-handed reliever Nile Adcock was credited with the win after surrendering the lead on an eighth inning solo home run from Wake Forest star third baseman Dalton Wentz.
Soucie earned his second save of the season with the 1-2-3 ninth inning.
What’s next
Kentucky awaits a matchup with the winner of regional No. 1 seed West Virginia and No. 4 seed Binghamton at 5 p.m. on Saturday in Morgantown. Those teams play at 5 p.m. Friday. Television broadcasts will be set after the conclusion of Friday’s games.
This story was originally published May 29, 2026 at 3:15 PM.