Kentucky Baseball Stock Report: Bunts Are the New Home Runs in Lexington

Kentucky Baseball Stock Report: Bunts Are the New Home Runs in Lexington

Kentucky baseball's winning streak has finally come to an end, as Alabama swiped a 4-3 win on Sunday, the Bat Cats' first defeat since Feb. 25. The good news, though, is UK still took two of three on the road against the Crimson Tide in Tuscaloosa, improving its record to 21-2 (5-1 SEC). 

• Game One: Kentucky 4, Alabama 3 (F/12)
• Game Two: Kentucky 9, Alabama 5
• Game Three: Alabama 4, Kentucky 3

The 17-game streak was No. 23 Kentucky's longest since starting the 2012 season 22-0 and was the fourth-longest win streak in school history. Make no bones about it, this aren't your average Bat Cats. 

The jury will remain on just how legit UK is for now, as there are still eight SEC series to be played and plenty of time to falter. But for now, head coach Nick Mingione's team is one of the hottest teams in the nation. It's not been perfect, though. 

Here's a stock report as the pivotal month of April approaches: 

STOCK UP: Small Ball

I get it. Watching Kentucky play might not be for the newer fan who only cares about launch angle and exit velocity. There's nothing sexy about sacrifice bunts. But, some crotchety baseball purist somewhere is happily sitting in his chair as the cleanup hitter drops a safety squeeze, bringing home the third run of the day via a ball that trickled just a few feet in front of home plate. 

Mingione has concocted a recipe that consists of bunts, hit-and-runs and steals. He raved about it when speaking to reporters during Media Day before the beginning of the season. You saw the Cats do it early in the year against subpar competition, but they're still doing it now against SEC competition. 

Kentucky has laid down 26 sac bunts in 24 games. The next highest in the SEC? Alabama, with nine. If you take the bottom six teams in the sac-bunt category and add their totals together, Kentucky still has more. 

The Cats have stolen 44 bases, which leads the conference by eight. As far as i'm aware, there is no "hit-and-run" statistic that's continuously updated, but i'd have to imagine that UK would rank atop that as well. 

The reason it's working so well is because Kentucky is getting on base at a high rate. Its .437 team OBP is third in the SEC, its .307 team batting average is fifth, its seventh in walks and has been hit by a pitch a whopping 57 times, second behind only South Carolina. 

Laying down bunts and swiping bags can and has worked against any and everyone that UK has come across thus far. College baseball pitchers will walk batters. College baseball defenses will make errors. Aggressive baserunning and bang-bang plays are two of the leading causes for that. 

Mingione knows that his they'll run themselves out of an inning occasionally, but one wasted inning is worth the trade when you're getting a couple of extra runs every game in return. Don't expect anything to change anytime soon. 

STOCK DOWN: James McCoy 

James McCoy entered his redshirt freshman season with some hype. After batting .302 in 172 at bats for the Kenosha Kingfish of the Northwoods League over the summer, he was also named the No. 83 2023 MLB Draft College Prospect by D1Baseball. 

It's been a struggle at the plate for the Dunwoody, Ga. native. Of the 97 players in the SEC that meet qualifications, McCoy's .211 batting average is 95th. He owns just a .342 slugging percentage and is tied for the most strikeouts in the SEC with 35. 

Seven of his 16 hits have gone for extra bases and he has drawn 16 walks, but it's not been the production that was expected out of him entering the season. With Nolan McCarthy excelling the way he did over the weekend in Tuscaloosa with a three-RBI game on Saturday and an outfield assist at home plate on Sunday, McCoy's starts in right field could dwindle. 

Early in the season, McCoy was unlucky with a few big swings, as the Lexington wind and size of Kentucky Proud Park kept a couple of balls from leaving the yard. An extra homer or two can easily change the momentum for a hitter. UK needs McCoy to find a hot streak as it moves into the heart of SEC play. 

STOCK UP: Infield Production on Offense and Defense

If you look at Kentucky's starting lineup, you'll see four fifths of the infield slotted second through fifth in the batting order. 

First baseman Hunter Gilliam now owns a 17-game hitting streak, tied for the fifth longest in UK history since 2005. He's reached base safely in all 23 games that he's played and is seventh in the conference with a staggering .404 BA. His 35 RBIs are also seventh. He has seven doubles, five homers and leads just about every hitting stat for the Cats through 24 games. 

Next to him on the right side of the infield is Émilien Pitre, who is top-15 in the SEC in batting average (.378), OBP (.509), doubles (eight) and stolen bases (seven). Shortstop Grant Smith hits ninth in the order and owns a .309 BA. Third baseman Jase Felker (.355/.494/.403) played his way into a starting spot, while catcher Devin Burkes (.301/.432/.548) has nine two-baggers on the season, anchoring the three-spot. 

It's not just the offense, though. Kentucky as a team has committed just 19 errors and has the fourth-best fielding percentage in the conference at .979. Felker and Pitre account for nine of those, though Pitre's can be somewhat forgiven, as he leads the SEC in assists with 68. Smith is right behind him with 66, showcasing the groundball-inducing pitching staff. 

Kentucky has also turned 18 double-plays, second in the SEC behind only Vanderbilt. Opponents have just 10 stolen bases against Burkes thus far, one of the top marks in the league. All around, the Cats' infield has been steady and solid in and out of the batters box. 

STOCK UP: Ryan Hagenow

The Kentucky pitching staff owns a 2.89 ERA, the ninth best in the nation, as well as a 1.07 WHIP, the sixth best. There are plenty of arms to point to, but one veteran is making his case as one of the best late-inning relievers in the game. 

6-foot-5 junior Ryan Hagenow has pitched 14.2 innings across 10 appearances this season. He's given up just four hits and three walks and is yet to allow a run. Opponents are batting .082 against the right-hander. He has 22 strikeouts and just an 0.49 WHIP. This strong start follows a 2022 season that saw the Knoxville, Tenn. native make only 14 appearances, where he finished with a 5.76 ERA. 

Mingione called him out the bullpen for all three games against Alabama over the weekend. He delivered a 1-2-3 save in the bottom of the 12th in UK's first win over the Tide on Friday, striking out two. He then struck out two more in the ninth inning on Saturday. He then came in to relieve Seth Chavez in the wild bottom of the eighth on Friday and got a quick out to get his team back to the dugout. 

With Darren Williams piggybacking Logan Martin, Hagenow may be emerging as the Tyler Guilfoil of 2023 — a reliable arm who can come in and get outs in high-leverage situations. 

Kentucky will stay on the road for its midweek matchup on Tuesday, heading to Bowling Green, Ky. to take on Western Kentucky.

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