Kentucky baseball eliminated from the NCAA Tournament with extra-innings loss
If the Morgantown regional was supposed to be a referendum on whether Kentucky baseball deserved one of the final NCAA Tournament at-large bids, it played out in a fitting mirror of the Wildcats’ controversial regular season resume.
A Kentucky team that was never swept in the regular season showed its potential by winning the first two games of the regional, but after blowing a three-run ninth inning lead Saturday against regional host West Virginia, Kentucky dropped a winner-take-all game Monday against the Mountaineers, 6-5 in 10 innings.
UK was 0-7 in the regular season in rubber matches of three-game series. After beating West Virginia Saturday and losing to the Mountaineers Sunday, Kentucky failed to come through again in what essentially represented another rubber match.
Ultimately, Nick Mingione’s team was good enough to be competitive with the top teams in the country but was not good enough to actually breakthrough in the biggest moments. The Wildcats’ season ended at 33-23, one win shy of what would have been a third super regional in four years.
Key moment
The first two West Virginia batters in the bottom of the 10th inning reached via a single and a walk. Kentucky gained a temporary reprieve when senior right-handed pitcher Jackson Bennett caught a popped up sacrifice bunt attempt, but first baseman Armani Guzman broke the Wildcats’ hearts again with a single that bounced off the glove of diving center fielder Jayce Tharnish.
Guzman, who tallied six hits in two games against Kentucky in the Clemson NCAA Tournament regional last season, was 3 for 6 with two runs and one RBI. He finished the regional with seven hits in three games against Kentucky this year.
At the plate
Two days after chasing West Virginia ace Maxx Yehl from Saturday’s winners’ bracket game in the first inning, Kentucky found little success against the Big 12 Pitcher of the Year. First baseman Hudson Brown’s solo home run in the fourth inning was the only Blemish against Yehl, who struck out six Wildcats and surrendered just three hits.
Kentucky’s season looked finished trailing 5-1 with two outs in the eighth inning, when the offense finally broke through.
Shortstop Tyler Bell and designated hitter Luke Lawrence both singled before Brown launched his second home run of the game to pull within one run. Junior second baseman Ethan Hindle then tied the game at five with a solo home run to left field.
Brown and Hindle each tallied multiple hits.
On the mound
Kentucky entered Monday with few good options left on a pitching staff lacking quality depth for most of the season.
Senior left-handed pitcher Jackson Soucie, who started five games for South Carolina last season, performed admirably in his first start for UK but was limited to three innings in his third appearance of the regional. He surrendered two runs, one of which was earned, on three hits while striking out five and walking two.
After throwing 98 pitches in a Friday win over Wake Forest, ace Jaxon Jelkin came out of the pen for 2 2/3 innings but looked short of his best, surrendering three runs on five hits. Pitching for the third straight day, senior right-handed reliever Ira Austin recorded four key outs to keep the game within four runs.
After throwing 60 pitches Sunday, Bennett was dominant in the eighth and ninth innings before running into trouble in the decisive 10th.
What’s next
With longtime athletic director Mitch Barnhart retiring at the end of the month and UK appearing to prioritize a business-like approach in the search for his replacement, how the school funds baseball moving forward will be a storyline to watch. Kentucky is never likely to prioritize the none-revenue sport in the same way traditional SEC powers do, but Mingione and company have proven capable of being nationally relevant.
There is a strong nucleus set to return if Kentucky can keep its best underclassmen out of the transfer portal, but star shortstop Tyler Bell is all-but-certain to sign a professional contract as a first-round MLB draft pick in July. Rebuilding the pitching staff will be essential, especially if Jelkin, who has one season of eligibility remaining, is drafted.
The baseball transfer portal opened Monday. The MLB draft is set for July 11.
This story was originally published June 1, 2026 at 9:42 PM.