COLUMN: Kentucky Confirms Contender Status Despite Series Loss at No. 1 LSU

While it lost two of three games, Kentucky made a statement over the weekend in Baton Rouge.

BATON ROUGE, La. — Audible groans filled Alex Box Stadium with every bunt laid down. Boo-birds sang with every mound visit. Every stolen base, hit-and-run and heads-up play frustrated No. 1 LSU. 

If there was still any doubt left in the small-ball style that nearly pushed Kentucky to a road series win over a top-ranked ballclub, it was wiped away over the weekend, even if the No. 12 Bat Cats lost two of three games.

Game One: LSU 16, Kentucky 6

Game Two: Kentucky 13, LSU 10

Game Three: LSU 7, Kentucky 6

It was the first time that Kentucky played on a national stage this season. The college baseball world had seen the stats and heard all about the identity, but head coach Nick Mingione's team put on a dink-and-dunk display that even Bobby Cox or Tony La Russa would've been proud of. 

There are plenty of words you could use to describe the way that Kentucky plays, but ineffective isn't one of them.

As the game of baseball has fully transitioned into an era of launch angles, long balls and analytics, Mingione has taken his team back in time. He told local reporters all about it when speaking before the season started in February, calling his plan "mass chaos."

That chaos can — and has — worked against everyone. As it turns out, it doesn't matter if its a tee-ball team or the Houston Astros in the field...a sacrifice bunt works all the same. 

This isn't meant to be a manifesto praising Mingione's season-long game plan, but it bears repeating that this has been the plan for this Kentucky team from day one. The overall talent in the Cats' lineup doesn't rival the nine that LSU puts out every day, but it doesn't have to. Playing to the personnel you have is crucial to success, hence why UK is finally on track to snap its NCAA Tournament drought. 

It wasn't all bunting, either. Kentucky ran up a season-high five runs on the Tigers' Thursday-night starter Paul Skenes, an electrifying arm that'll likely be one of the first few picks in the upcoming MLB draft. UK scored 25 runs, the most that LSU has allowed in a three-game set this year. 

On the mound, things weren't perfect. The decision to intentionally walk Dylan Crews to load the bases that led to LHP Evan Byers hitting Tommy White for the series-winning run on Saturday wasn't the smartest choice, but Mingione looks like a genius if it ends up in an inning-ending out. 

Game one felt like a punt, and neither Darren Williams, Zack Lee or midseason All-American Ryan Hagenow stepped up particularly well in their appearances for their standards, but other arms picked up some slack. Mason Moore has emerged as one of the best relievers in the bullpen, Ryder Giles excelled in a high-leverage situation in place of Hagenow and Austin Strickland continued to hold his own. 

The infield turned seven double plays, but also had a couple of costly errors. A fly ball that was lost in the sun by Nolan McCarthy in right field hurt in game one, but he proceeded to find similar luck in game two that led to a three-run triple. 

The point? Kentucky threw plenty of solid uppercuts at the top-ranked Tigers, but it didn't even land its best punch. Some defensive miscues and pitching woes from the LSU bullpen helped out, sure, but UK gifted those runs back over the course of the series — and then some. 

Does this make Kentucky one of tip-top teams in the SEC, or a true threat to make a run to the College World Series? Not yet, but the thought heading into the weekend was assessing the Cats as either contenders — worthy of its top-12 ranking — or pretenders — beneficiaries of an easier schedule that's masked by RPI numbers.

There should be no cheers over a losing series, but the valiancy that was brought forth by Mingione's group is admirable and worthy of pushing the pretender thoughts to the side. Kentucky is 10-5 in SEC play at the halfway mark and is showing all the signs of a team that's on track to hosting its first regional since 2017 — the last year it made the tournament. 

Stock Report: Bunts Are the New Home Runs in Lexington

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