Kentucky Wildcats
SEC (41-15, 18-12)
The Kentucky baseball team came out of the blocks flying in 2012 winning 22 straight games, taking it to the likes of South Carolina, Ole Miss and LSU at home and won a series on the road against an always tough Arkansas squad. However, they have limped a little bit down the stretch heading into the postseason and a decent performance in Hoover at the SEC Conference tournament could help this team regain momentum.
Big Wins: 3/16 thru 3/18 South Carolina (4-3, 4-3, 6-2), 4/14 at Arkansas (5-4, 2-1), 4/21, 4/22 LSU (8-1, 7-6), 5/5 Florida (2-1)
Bad Losses: 3/23 at Tennessee (1-4), 5/15 at Murray State (3-7)
Coach: Gary Henderson (4 seasons at Kentucky)
Why They Can Surprise:
The offense is anchored by Austin Cousino and Luke Maile who have combined for over 20 homeruns this season. When the Wildcat offense is dialed in they can light up the scoreboard in a hurry as they have over 50 homeruns as a team. Cameron Flynn also is another strong power source for Coach Gary Henderson’s squad and he is approaching double-figures in homeruns. This team also averages ten hits a game so they provide themselves with plenty of opportunities to put games away early and to not put their pitchers under the pressure of having to lock-down teams on the mound.
Why They Can Disappoint:
The Wildcats don’t have dominant pitching, outside of their ace Cory Littrell. Opponents are batting .265 against this staff so there will be opportunities for teams to put runs on the board in the postseason. Thus, if the offense does not turn around their late season offensive mini-slump, the Wildcats could be ripe for the picking for an early upset in the Regionals. The number two and three starters, Jerad Grundy and Taylor Rogers, have earned run averages over 4, so if you can knock out Littrell the door then becomes wide open.
Key Field Players:
Austin Cousino, Freshman, OF, .330 BA, 9 HR, 38 RBI, 11 SB
Luke Maile, Junior, C/IF, .319 BA, 12 HR, 49 RBI
Thomas McCarthy, Senior, OF, .300 BA, 29 RBI
Michael Williams, Senior, IF/C, .297 BA, 32 RBI
Cameron Flynn, Junior, OF, .284 BA, 9 HR, 33 RBI
Key Pitchers:
Cory Littrell, Sophomore, Starting Pitcher, 2.64 ERA, 8-1 W/L, 85.1 IP, 74 SO
Trevor Gott, Sophomore, Relief Pitcher, 2.61 ERA, 3-0 W/L, 20.2 IP, 32 SO, 9 SV
Alex Phillips, Senior, Relief Pitcher, 3.24 ERA, 5-2 W/L, 50.0 IP, 41 SO
By the Numbers:
Batting Average: .298 (34th in nation, 3rd in conference)
Scoring Offense: 6.3 (47, 2)
Doubles per Game: 1.98 (34, 1)
Triples per Game: 0.07 (287, 12)
Home Runs per Game: 0.96 (12, 2)
Slugging Percentage: .446 (19, 2)
Stolen Bases per Game: 0.77 (205, 8)
Earned Run Average: 3.62 (68, 7)
Fielding Percentage: .973 (45, 6)
Double Plays per Game: 0.77 (146, 8)
Recent Postseason Appearances:
| 2008 | Regional | lost to Michigan, defeated Eastern Michigan, defeated Michigan, eliminated by Arizona |
| 2006 | Regional | lost to Ball State, defeated Notre Dame, defeated Ball State, eliminated by Charleston |
| 1993 | Regional | lost to USC, eliminated by Texas |
| 1988 | Regional | defeated Rutgers, defeated St. John's, lost to Stanford, eliminated by Stanford |
*all team stats through 5/20
See All Baseball Postseason Capsules
