Five Questions Kentucky Baseball Must Answer to End NCAA Tournament Drought

The Bat Cats are back in action this Friday. Here's five questions they must answer if they wish to turn the page on what's been a forgettable few seasons of baseball in Lexington.

On Friday afternoon, Kentucky baseball will take the field at Latham Park in Elon, N.C., squaring off against the Elon Phoenix for the first of three games, kicking off the 2023 season. 

It's year seven of the Nick Mingione era in Lexington — one that should be considered make-or-break — as the Wildcats look to snap a five-year NCAA Tournament drought. 

Kentucky is as revamped as ever, as 12 transfer portal additions spearhead what will be almost an entirely new starting lineup. Hopes are high that the accomplishments that many of the players found at their previous destinations will carry over in some capacity, as the Bat Cats tries to swim with the big fish in the SEC for a change. 

With so many unknowns, it's only right to ponder on where UK has to find consistent success if it wishes to turn the page on what's been a subpar past few seasons of baseball in the Bluegrass. 

Here are my top five burning questions that Kentucky must answer in the 2023 campaign: 

How does Logan Martin fare in the SEC? 

If you've kept up with Kentucky baseball, you wouldn't be surprised to see that this is at the top of the list. The back end of the Wildcats' bullpen was as stout as ever a season ago, but the rotation failed to muster quality starts consistently throughout the year. 

Darren Williams was dealing and on pace to become the Friday night mainstay, but a torn UCL ended that during just his second start in SEC play. From there, it was plenty of long innings, as the staff finished with a 4.89 ERA. Williams is back, but will open the 2023 season in the bullpen. 

So, who's toeing the slab on Friday nights? 

Well, that'll likely be Logan Martin, a Division III transfer from Suwanee. Making the transition from D-III all the way to the best conference in college baseball seems like a daunting task, but Mingione has established that he has the utmost faith in the 6-foot-1, Mayfield, Ky. native. 

Having a dominant arm to take the mound every weekend is a must-have in college baseball, but especially the SEC. Far too many times have UK's bats been stymied by an electric arm, while it's digging into the bullpen for its third pitcher of the game in the fifth inning. 

Martin will be given the chance to shine, but other options will wait in the wings. Returning starters Tyler Bosma and Zack Lee will likely man the other weekend rotation spots, as a bevy of others such as Travis Smith and Magdiel Cotto compete for innings in the midweek slots. 

Which of the position players out of the portal make a splash? 

Baseball America ranked Kentucky's transfer portal class as the sixth-best in the nation. Eight of the 12 additions are position players. 

At least three infield spots will feature new Cats, while two-thirds of the outfield is expected to feel new cleats roaming Kentucky Proud Park. How many of these players will prove worthy of manning a starting spot in the SEC? 

Eastern Kentucky transfer OF Kendal Ewell was named to the Golden Spikes Award Preseason Watch List. He hit .361 for the Colonels last season, notching a 1.089 OPS while slugging 14 home runs and collecting 51 RBI. Will those numbers translate? 

D1Baseball ranked OF Ryan Waldschmidt (Charleston Southern) as the No. 9 transfer in the SEC. He batted .310, walked 36 times and swiped 18 bags. 

Grant Smith has the challenge of filling the big gap left at shortstop by Ryan Ritter. He mashed 16 home runs for Incarnate Word in 2022, while also turning 29 double plays. It'll be tough to match Ritter's defensive prowess, but an uptick in long balls wouldn't hurt. 

Kentucky doesn't need everyone to hit the ground running, but it must have a few of the new Cats emerge as game-changers before SEC play begins. 

Who reliably finishes games out of the bullpen? 

As previously mentioned, Kentucky featured a lights-out back end in 2022, thanks in-part to Tyler Guilfoil crafting one of the better seasons a Wildcat pitcher has had in some time, leading to the Lexington native getting selected in the eighth round of the MLB draft.

Guilfoil, along with Sean Harney and Daniel Harper, compiled 12 of UK's 33 wins on the staff a season ago. Those three have all departed, leaving an opportunity for an old or new arm or two to make their presence known in the bullpen. 

If Martin and others prove reliable in the rotation, it could be Williams thats asked to play the shutdown role late in games, whether that's closing or not. His sub-1.00 ERA from a year ago is too good to ignore, though, so if Mingione feels like the Maysville, Ky. naive needs to be on the mound more, he may be jutted back into a weekend slot. 

Mingione noted during UK's media day that Missouri transfer Zach Hise and East Carolina transfer Ryder Giles will be "counted on" this season. To what capacity? That remains to be seen. 

Cotto possesses an electric fastball and could prove to be a valuable lefty bullpen piece if he doesn't make the cut for the rotation. If he can learn to cut down on walks and locate his stuff better in 2023, he'll be a real weapon for Mingione. 

Kentucky likely won't stumble upon another Guilfoil this season, but anything close to allowing just nine earned runs while fanning 80 in 51 innings of work should do just fine.

Will Kentucky cut down on the strikeouts and increase home run total?

I understand that this is sort of a counteractive two-part question. Often times a higher total of four-baggers equates to more strikeouts, but the Wildcats need to improve in both areas. 

If you've got to rank the importance of the two, cutting down on all the fanning of course takes the cake.

In 2,003 at-bats last season, Kentucky struck out 503 times. That's 25 percent, meaning one of every four ABs resulted in the ball not being put in play, equaling over six K's per-game. Two innings worth of unproductive outs a game.

Mingione was adamant that that number needed to come down this season. Only Texas A&M, Georgia and Ole Miss had a higher strikeout percentage last year. 

South Carolina was the only team to hit less homers than the Bat Cats in 2022, as Kentucky's 59 was one better than the Gamecocks. 

UK had 23 games a year ago in which it produced less than five runs. Just four players had more than five home runs. Thwacking a few more balls an extra mile will help the Cats offense go the extra mile over the course of the season. There needs to be a consistent threat or two in the middle of the order for Mingione. 

Finding the right balance of upping the homers and lowering the strikeouts will be key. 

Can UK take care of business before SEC play? 

I could sit here and tell you that Kentucky must contend consistently in the SEC to really make a push for an NCAA Tournament bid, and that's somewhat true. But, we saw UK go 12-18 in SEC play last season and nearly make the tourney. 

The 33-26 overall record wasn't pretty, and that was partially thanks to a few midweek blunders that bogged down the overall résumé. Losses to Western Kentucky, Ohio, Eastern Kentucky weren't great, while a 20-7 smushing at the hands of Indiana was rather ugly. 

Kentucky needs to avoid slip-ups before the inevitable struggles begin in the SEC. Two out of three on the road against Elon and Southern Illinois is a must, same with the home series against Wright State and Indiana State. 

Take care of business on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, leave yourself wiggle room in conference play, because you'll need it. Kentucky is one of three teams projected not to make the NCAA Tournament, per D1Baseball. Play at an SEC level against the Evansville's and Dayton's of the world, then don't sink when the big boys come around. 

Easier said than done, of course. 

First pitch on Friday between Kentucky and Elon is set for 4 p.m. EST. You can watch the game on FloSports, though a subscription is required. 

Game two will begin at 2 p.m. on Saturday, with the final game slated for 1 p.m. on Sunday. 

Wildcats Today will have coverage of Kentucky baseball during the 2023 campaign.

More on Kentucky's transfer portal additions HERE.

Kentucky's schedule is projected to be one of the toughest in the SEC. More HERE.

You can find Kentucky's entire 2023 schedule here.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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