How the low point of Kentucky’s baseball season sparked an impressive start to SEC play

In Kentucky baseball’s final weekend tuneup series before Southeastern Conference play, the Wildcats looked far from a team about to make a change to the top of the standings of college baseball’s most difficult league.

Nick Mingione’s team stumbled after a hot start to the season to lose the first two games of a three-game series against Kennesaw State at home.

Kennesaw State entered the series at just 7-6 but won the Friday and Saturday games by a combined score of 23-3. Kentucky rallied to salvage something from the series with a 5-2 win on Sunday, but Mingione was still not pleased.

“I didn’t get after them on Friday or Saturday after we lost, but I think I was more mad after the win because we just didn’t play with energy, effort, edge, real toughness,” Mingione said. “We weren’t playing real Kentucky baseball.

“We’re at our best when we are just competing, we’re focused on what we’re trying to do, it’s not about the opponent. We’re in every pitch with each other for 2½, 3½, 4½, however many hours it takes. There is a level of focus and edge and toughness about us. And real, true belief. We didn’t have it.”

Mingione’s tongue-lashing apparently hit the right chord.

Two days later Kentucky fell behind 6-0 to Murray state in the third inning but scored 10 unanswered runs to avoid another embarrassing loss. The Murray State win was followed by a home sweep of Georgia in UK’s first SEC series.

Kentucky has since won two of three at Missouri and swept Ole Miss with midweek wins over Evansville and Miami (Ohio) mixed in.

“From Sunday to Tuesday it was a totally different team,” Mingione said. “After the (Murray State) game on Tuesday … I just said, ‘I got my team back.’ That’s what just happened.”

After a midweek game against Louisville was twice rained out this week, Kentucky (24-4 overall) enters the weekend tied with No. 1-ranked Arkansas for the best record in SEC play (8-1). Only Texas A&M (26) has more total wins than Kentucky. The Wildcats’ four losses are fewer than all but Arkansas and Texas A&M in the SEC.

While Arkansas (1) and Texas A&M (3) are both ranked in the top three of this week’s coaches’ poll, pollsters appear slow to buy into Kentucky’s success.

Perfect Game ranked the Wildcats No. 12 nationally, but the other major polls (NCBWA, coaches, D1Baseball and Baseball America) rank Kentucky between 15th and 18th. The computers are higher on the Wildcats with a No. 7 ranking in the NCAA’s RPI metric.

None of the three SEC teams Kentucky has played so far have a winning record in league play. Winning on the road in the league is always difficult, but the shine of the Wildcats’ two road series wins is lessened somewhat by Missouri’s and Ole Miss’s combined 4-14 SEC record. Even the RPI views Kentucky’s schedule to date harshly, ranking its strength of schedule 64th nationally.

The good news for Mingione and company is they have plenty of opportunities to turn skeptics into believers starting this weekend against an Alabama team ranked 14th in the coaches poll.

Six of Kentucky’s final seven weekend series are scheduled against teams currently ranked in the coaches’ top 25. Included in that stretch are home series against No. 4 Tennessee, No. 1 Arkansas and No. 6 Vanderbilt.

If Kentucky holds its own against that competition, the Wildcats look in line to reach the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 1950. Even a .500 record over the rest of SEC play might be enough to secure a regional hosting bid for Mingione’s team. A top-eight national seed, which would include the ability to host a super regional if Kentucky advanced through the first weekend of the tournament, is within reach too.

Mingione has been impressed by the fun-loving atmosphere his players have created in the dugout, a mindset that should serve Kentucky well as the quality of competition increases. The return of shortstop Grant Smith and outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt to full health has boosted the offense. The performance of College of Charleston transfer Trey Pooser as the team’s Friday night starter the last two weekends has stabilized the pitching staff.

All of those factors will say much about the success moving forward, but for now, the low point of the season against Kennesaw State might end up being its most important too.

“This is a team that’s kind of flipped the switch,” shortstop Grant Smith said. “A desire to win at the highest level. Coach Minge talks about it all the time: It’s whatever you can do everyday to win a game. I think we’ve done that, embraced the culture and really dived into the team aspect.”

This weekend

No. 14 Alabama at No. 16 Kentucky

Friday: 6:30 p.m. (SEC Network+)

Saturday: 2 p.m. (SEC Network+)

Sunday: Noon (SEC Network)