Kentucky Puts Winning Streak on the Line in Weekend Series at Alabama

Kentucky will play 11 of its next 15 games away from Kentucky Proud Park, beginning with three in T-Town against a solid SEC foe.
Kentucky Puts Winning Streak on the Line in Weekend Series at Alabama
Kentucky Puts Winning Streak on the Line in Weekend Series at Alabama /

It doesn't get any easier from here for Kentucky baseball. The Bat Cats will ride a 15-game winning streak into Sewell-Thomas Stadium in Tuscaloosa, Ala. for a three-game series against the Alabama Crimson Tide, beginning on Friday night. 

The trio of outings make up the second SEC series of the season for both teams. No. 23 Kentucky swept Mississippi State in Lexington to open the conference slate, while Bama dropped two of three at Florida — the No. 2 team in the country. 

"They have a really good lineup," UK head coach Nick Mingione said of the Tide. "They know how to score, they have some veteran guys that have been in the program. So you know, much like every conference weekend, it's gonna be an absolute battle. We're going to need our guys to show up and keep doing what they've been doing and compete hard and do all the little things it takes to win."

Alabama will without question be the toughest test that UK has faced all season thus far. Head coach Brad Bohannon guided his ball club to a 14-0 start this season, before a dropped series at home to Columbia preluded the Florida set, bringing the Tide to an 18-4 record.

Alabama is third in the SEC in batting average (.330), fifth in slugging percentage (.576) and third in on-base percentage (.447). It's played 11 games so far this season where it's scored 10 or more runs. 

Fifth-year first baseman Drew Williamson is slashing .429/.544/.814 entering the series, leading the way for Bama with the fifth-highest BA and fourth-highest OBP in the SEC. 

Five other starters are all hitting over .300. Third baseman Colby Shelton has mashed a team-high 11 homers, the third-most in the conference (Kentucky has 16 home runs as a team). Designated hitter Will Hodo and left fielder Tommy Seidl are hitting .368 and .375, respectfully. 

Keeping the Tide at bay in the batters box will be a challenge for Kentucky pitchers, one of whom is making a return after missing some time due to injury. Redshirt freshman and Division-III transfer Logan Martin will take the mound for the Cats on Friday night. He missed two starts due to a non-arm related injury, leading to seventh-year senior Darren Williams starting in his place instead of coming out of the bullpen. 

Here are the probable arms for the weekend:

  • Friday: UK — RHP Logan Martin (2-0, 4.20) Bama — RHP Ben Hess (3-0, 3.46)
  • Saturday: UK — LHP Tyler Bosma (3-1, 4.63) Bama — RHP Luke Holman (4-0, 1.29)
  • Sunday: UK — RHP Zack Lee (3-0, 2.59) Bama — LHP Grayson Hitt (3-1, 4.37)

Hess has proven to be a reliable Friday-night arm thus far, averaging around five innings a start. In five games, he's fanned 34 batters, tied for the 11th-best mark in the SEC. He's also allowed just five walks, which is behind only LSU's ace Paul Skenes. 

Holman has dazzled in his first five appearances (four starts), allowing only three earned runs and 10 hits in 21 IP. Opponents are hitting a measly .135 against the 6-foot-4 sophomore. He too owns a stellar strikeout-to-walk ratio, sitting down 30 while handing out only five free passes. 

Hitt offers more of a mixed bag, but the lefty has also held strong. While his opponent BA is also under the Mendoza Line at .193, he's walked 16 batters and given up 11 earned in 22.2 IP across five starts. Alabama's pitching staff is about as middle of the road as it gets in the conference. Its team ERA of 3.59 is seventh-best, though still formidable. 

Kentucky counters with a 2.89 team ERA (fourth best in SEC) that features a wicked collection of pitchers. Lee has been phenomenal in the Sunday-starter role, leading the team with 24.1 IP. Out of the bullpen, right-hander Ryan Hagenow is yet to allow a run in seven outings totaling 12.1 innings.

UK hasn't won a series in Tuscaloosa since 1993. It'll have to do just that if it wishes to continue the longest winning streak in the nation.

"Our team has been able to stay focused, you know, and the way they've been able to do that is, it doesn't matter if we're at home or on the road or who the opponent is, we're just going to continue to stay focused on the task at hand," Mingione said. 

Friday and Saturday’s games will be streamed on SECN+, while Sunday's will air on the SEC Network. First pitch on Friday is set for 7 p.m. EST. 

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Hunter Shelton
HUNTER SHELTON

Hunter Shelton is a writer for Sports Illustrated-FanNation's Wildcats Today, covering football, basketball, baseball and more at the University of Kentucky. Hunter is a Lexington native and has been on the UK beat since 2021.