Kentucky Baseball will host red-hot No. 2 Texas at Kentucky Proud Park this weekend for the first time ever. This will mark the first ever conference series between the two programs, as this is the first season that Texas has been a member of the Southeastern Conference.
These two teams are on completely different paths right now, as Texas has won 27 of its last 30 games while Kentucky has lost 10 of its last 15. The Longhorns are excelling in their first season of SEC play, as their 11-1 start to conference play is tied with No. 1 Arkansas at the top. Defending SEC Co-Regular Season Champions Kentucky currently sits in 10th place with a 5-7 record.
Friday night’s game will be broadcast on SEC Network+, but the final two games of the series will be broadcast on SEC Network.
After two consecutive years of missing the College World Series, College Baseball’s winningest team looks likely to make their way back this season.
The Longhorns, led by former Texas A&M head coach Jim Schlossnagle, have dominated through their first 12 SEC games. They are outscoring teams 81-45, with their one loss coming to No. 3 LSU on March 21 (8-2). Other than that, it’s been nothing but winning in Austin.
Junior catcher Ryan Galvan was named a Midseason First Team All-American and freshman left-handed pitcher Dylan Volantis was named a Midseason Second Team All-American by D1Baseball. As a team, the Longhorns are hitting for a .292 batting average (10th in SEC) with a stellar 3.03 team ERA (second in NCAA).
Galvan is one of four Longhorn hitters with at least a .300 average, but one of those hitters will not be available this weekend in Lexington. Junior right fielder Max Belyeu, who was hitting for a .358 batting average with seven doubles and six home runs through 24 games, will miss the rest of the season with a thumb injury. A major blow for a Texas team with National Championship aspirations.
Although its offense seems a bit underwhelming for the No. 2 ranked team in the country, its pitching makes up for it in a big way. The starting trio of senior left-hander Jared Spencer, junior left-hander Luke Harrison and junior right-hander Ruger Riojas that Kentucky will face this weekend boasts a combined 3.02 ERA (40 ER) in 119 1/3 innings pitched this season.
In his first season of College Baseball, freshman left-hander Dylan Volantis has been dominant in 28 1/3 innings (one start, 10 relief appearances). He is holding opposing batters to a .184 batting average and boasts a 0.95 ERA, which is first among ALL SEC arms.
Texas and Kentucky have faced two common opponents this season in No. 6 Ole Miss and No. 14 Louisville. The ‘Cats and Longhorns have both lost to Louisville, while Texas run-ruled the Rebels 10-0 on February 15. Kentucky hosted Ole Miss at Kentucky Proud Park two weekends ago and lost the final two games of the series after opening the weekend with a walk-off victory.
It’s been a frustrating stretch for Nick Mingione’s team, as the ‘Cats have lost three of their last four games. All four games were tied in the ninth inning, but Kentucky just could not come away with the win.
They are in unfamiliar territory (at least recently), as they’ve lost 12 games before April 9th for the first time since 2022 (missed NCAAT). 10 of these 12 losses have come in their last 15 games.
After being tabbed as a member of the “Last Four In” group in D1Baseball’s Midseason Field of 64 Projections, this inability to finish games may have them on the wrong side of the bubble. However, a series victory over No. 2 Texas this weekend would be a MAJOR NCAA Tournament resume boost.
Kentucky will need big performances at the plate from its leading hitters in senior outfielder Cole Hage (.346 AVG, 9 HR), senior third baseman Patrick Herrera (.333 AVG, 20 RBI) and freshman phenom shortstop Tyler Bell (.322 AVG, team-leading 12 doubles). Following this trio however there is a major drop-off (statistically), and that has been a big problem for the Wildcat lineup.
Freshman right-hander Nate Harris will make his second SEC start in the Friday series opener. Harris held Ole Miss to just three hits and no runs in 3 2/3 innings last Friday night. Nick Mingione spoke highly of the freshman on his radio show this week.
“I don’t know how we could’ve been happier and I’ll just start with Nate Harris,” Mingione said. “Freshman getting his first SEC start and goes 3 1/3 and doesn’t give up a run. It’s like ‘wow, alright, here we go!’ Freshman starting out a series.”
Senior right-hander Nic McCay and sophomore left-hander Ben Cleaver will close the final two games on the mound for the ‘Cats. Cleaver has emerged as one of the young breakout stars in all of College Baseball this season, as his 2.57 ERA in 42 innings ranks fifth in the SEC (first among sophomores).
“He’s just so competitive,” Mingione said about Cleaver on Monday. “This is a guy that threw 100 pitches the week before (against Auburn) and obviously with the Thursday, Friday, Saturday series he was shorted a day. I saw just a tough, competitive dog. I mean this guy continues to attack the strike zone. Didn’t walk a guy with 11 punch outs against a team that can really hit and he attacked, attacked, attacked. His competitive spirit is unbelievable.”
It will take Kentucky’s best effort of the season to upset the Longhorns and come away with a big series victory this weekend at Kentucky Proud Park.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Texas leads 1-0
Friday, April 11, 2025 (Kentucky Proud Park – 6:30 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: RHP Nate Harris (3-1, 3.16 ERA, 25.2 IP) vs TEX: LHP Jared Spencer (4-1, 3.20 ERA, 45.0 IP)
Saturday, April 12, 2025 (Kentucky Proud Park –12:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network
UK: RHP Nic McCay (3-0, 3.44 ERA, 36.2 IP) vs TEX: LHP Luke Harrison (2-0, 2.55 ERA, 35.1 IP)
Sunday, April 13, 2025 (Kentucky Proud Park – 12:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network
UK: LHP Ben Cleaver (3-1, 2.36 ERA, 42.0 IP) vs TEX: RHP Ruger Riojas (6-1, 3.23 ERA, 39.0 IP)
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