Kentucky Wildcats News

Kentucky Baseball beats Ball State in the NCAA Tournament

The Bat Cats are 1-0 in the NCAA Tournament.

By John Morgan Francis and Jason Marcum Updated Jun 2, 2023, 5:13pm EDT

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UPDATE

The Kentucky Wildcats defeated Ball State 4-0 on Friday to kick off NCAA Tournament play!

Bluegrass natives Travis Smith and Mason Moore produced just the third shutout by Kentucky in NCAA Tournament history, and the first in 74 years.

Catcher Devin Burkes went 2/3 with two runs, a walk, and a solo home run.

“We are at our best when we’re on the attack, and we’re super aggressive. We go for it. We just keep coming. That is us at our best,” head coach Nick Mingione said after the win. “Overall, great game by both teams. I loved the way we defended. We talk about pitching and defense all the time. And we got that.”

Up next, Kentucky is back in action Saturday at 6 pm ET vs. the Indiana Hoosiers.

The NCAA Lexington Regional has arrived as play gets underway later on today at Kentucky Proud Park. The featured teams are Ball State, Indiana, Kentucky, and West Virginia.

This weekend’s schedule is — for now — set to go through Sunday, but a potential winner-take-all game could be played on Monday if necessary.

In the first game, the Kentucky Wildcats will host Ball State at noon ET. The game will be televised on the SEC Network.

That game will be followed by West Virginia taking on Indiana at 7 pm ET, which will be televised via ESPN+.

You're going to want to be here tomorrow!

NCAA Lexington Regional begins tomorrow, get your ticket before they're gone!
️ https://t.co/VpPy8OugHi pic.twitter.com/jwJWS5u8f0
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) June 1, 2023

Tickets are still available for multiple sessions via Ticketmaster, and while the weather forecast is projected to be rather hot with highs in the lower 90s each day, there’s essentially zero chance of rain throughout the entire weekend.

A few facts for Kentucky Baseball as they head into the NCAA Tournament.

The Wildcats are 36-18 overall and finished eighth in the Southeastern Conference.
Kentucky was second in the SEC and 11th in the country in on-base percentage.
The Cats have stolen 89 bases, second in the league and 50th in the country.
UK is second in tied for second in the league in triples and tied for sixth in the SEC in doubles.
UK has 53 sacrifice bunts this season, with is sixth in the country.
UK’s pitching staff has been carried by senior Zack Lee. He has 13 starts for a 5-2 record and a 3.58 ERA.

Courtesy of UK Athletics