UK opens SEC Tourney against Auburn
Senior second baseman Luke Becker helped lead the Cats to a series win over Auburn earlier this season.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
Kentucky hopes to recapture some momentum this week in Hoover, Ala., as it opens play in the SEC Tournament.
The Wildcats enter the league tourney as the No. 10 seed after limping to the finish line in the regular season. Injury-plagued UK was swept in its final weekend series at Vanderbilt, setting up a matchup with No. 7 seed Auburn on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET.
It's the single-elimination round of the tourney, which could have NCAA seeding implications for both the No. 21 Cats and No. 22 Tigers.
Nick Mingione's squad took two of three games from Auburn in their March series at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Kentucky (34-21) brings one of the top power hitting lineups in the country into the matchup. The Cats led the SEC and finished third nationally with 80 home runs this season. Senior infielder/outfielder Luke Heyer and junior first baseman/catcher Kole Cottam each belted 18 home runs to pace UK.
The Cats' starting pitcher has yet to be announced. Mingione has several options, including last season's SEC Pitcher of the Year -- junior right-hander Sean Hjelle -- sophomore left-hander Zack Thompson, junior right-hander Justin Lewis or freshman right-hander Daniel Harper. The latter may be the best bet as UK will need to lean on its depth for the double-elimination portion of the tourney if they get past the Tigers.
Auburn (37-19) boasts perhaps the top pitching prospect for the upcoming MLB Draft in All-American Casey Mize, but the Tigers are expected to send Jack Owen to the mound on Tuesday. The freshman left-hander is 2-2 with a 6.19 ERA this season. He did not pitch against the Cats in the March series.
Infielders Will Holland (.329, 10 HR, 45 RBI) and Brendan Venter (.324, 12 HR, 43 RBI) lead the Auburn offensive attack.
*****
GAME DETAILS
No. 21 KENTUCKY (34-21) vs. No. 22 AUBURN (37-19)
Date/Time: Tuesday, May 22 (2 p.m. ET)
Location (Facility): Hoover, Ala. (Hoover Metropolitan Stadium)
Series History: Auburn leads 78-45
Last Meeting: UK won two of three in Lexington in March
Radio: UK Sports Network (Darren Headrick); ukathletics.com
TV/Online: SEC Network
*****
2018 SEC Baseball Tournament
Tuesday-Sunday, May 22-27
Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Hoover, Ala.
* All times CENTRAL
Tuesday, May 22
Game 1 9:30 a.m. #6 Vanderbilt vs. #11 Texas A&M [SEC Network]
Game 2 TBD #7 Auburn vs. #10 Kentucky [SEC Network]
Game 3 4:30 p.m. #8 LSU vs. #9 Mississippi State [SEC Network]
Game 4 TBD #5 South Carolina vs. #12 Missouri [SEC Network]
Wednesday, May 23
Game 5 9:30 a.m. #3 Georgia vs. Winner Game 1 [SEC Network]
Game 6 TBD #2 Ole Miss vs. Winner Game 2 [SEC Network]
Game 7 4:30 p.m. #1 Florida vs. Winner Game 3 [SEC Network]
Game 8 TBD #4 Arkansas vs. Winner Game 4 [SEC Network]
Thursday, May 24
Game 9 9:30 a.m. Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 [SEC Network]
Game 10 TBD Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 [SEC Network]
Game 11 4:30 p.m. Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 [SEC Network]
Game 12 TBD Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 [SEC Network]
Friday, May 25
Game 13 3:00 p.m. Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11 [SEC Network]
Game 14 TBD Winner Game 10 vs. Loser 12 [SEC Network]
Saturday, May 26
Game 15 Noon Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 11 [SEC Network]
Game 16 TBD Winner Game 14 vs. Winner Game 12 [SEC Network]
Sunday, May 27
Game 17 2 p.m. Winner Game 15 vs. Winner Game 16 [ESPN2]
The second game of each session will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
Senior second baseman Luke Becker helped lead the Cats to a series win over Auburn earlier this season.
Jeff Drummond/Cats Illustrated
Jeff Drummond • CatsIllustrated.com
@JDrumUK
Kentucky hopes to recapture some momentum this week in Hoover, Ala., as it opens play in the SEC Tournament.
The Wildcats enter the league tourney as the No. 10 seed after limping to the finish line in the regular season. Injury-plagued UK was swept in its final weekend series at Vanderbilt, setting up a matchup with No. 7 seed Auburn on Tuesday at 2 p.m. ET.
It's the single-elimination round of the tourney, which could have NCAA seeding implications for both the No. 21 Cats and No. 22 Tigers.
Nick Mingione's squad took two of three games from Auburn in their March series at Cliff Hagan Stadium.
Kentucky (34-21) brings one of the top power hitting lineups in the country into the matchup. The Cats led the SEC and finished third nationally with 80 home runs this season. Senior infielder/outfielder Luke Heyer and junior first baseman/catcher Kole Cottam each belted 18 home runs to pace UK.
The Cats' starting pitcher has yet to be announced. Mingione has several options, including last season's SEC Pitcher of the Year -- junior right-hander Sean Hjelle -- sophomore left-hander Zack Thompson, junior right-hander Justin Lewis or freshman right-hander Daniel Harper. The latter may be the best bet as UK will need to lean on its depth for the double-elimination portion of the tourney if they get past the Tigers.
Auburn (37-19) boasts perhaps the top pitching prospect for the upcoming MLB Draft in All-American Casey Mize, but the Tigers are expected to send Jack Owen to the mound on Tuesday. The freshman left-hander is 2-2 with a 6.19 ERA this season. He did not pitch against the Cats in the March series.
Infielders Will Holland (.329, 10 HR, 45 RBI) and Brendan Venter (.324, 12 HR, 43 RBI) lead the Auburn offensive attack.
*****
GAME DETAILS
No. 21 KENTUCKY (34-21) vs. No. 22 AUBURN (37-19)
Date/Time: Tuesday, May 22 (2 p.m. ET)
Location (Facility): Hoover, Ala. (Hoover Metropolitan Stadium)
Series History: Auburn leads 78-45
Last Meeting: UK won two of three in Lexington in March
Radio: UK Sports Network (Darren Headrick); ukathletics.com
TV/Online: SEC Network
*****
2018 SEC Baseball Tournament
Tuesday-Sunday, May 22-27
Hoover Metropolitan Stadium, Hoover, Ala.
* All times CENTRAL
Tuesday, May 22
Game 1 9:30 a.m. #6 Vanderbilt vs. #11 Texas A&M [SEC Network]
Game 2 TBD #7 Auburn vs. #10 Kentucky [SEC Network]
Game 3 4:30 p.m. #8 LSU vs. #9 Mississippi State [SEC Network]
Game 4 TBD #5 South Carolina vs. #12 Missouri [SEC Network]
Wednesday, May 23
Game 5 9:30 a.m. #3 Georgia vs. Winner Game 1 [SEC Network]
Game 6 TBD #2 Ole Miss vs. Winner Game 2 [SEC Network]
Game 7 4:30 p.m. #1 Florida vs. Winner Game 3 [SEC Network]
Game 8 TBD #4 Arkansas vs. Winner Game 4 [SEC Network]
Thursday, May 24
Game 9 9:30 a.m. Loser Game 5 vs. Loser Game 6 [SEC Network]
Game 10 TBD Loser Game 7 vs. Loser Game 8 [SEC Network]
Game 11 4:30 p.m. Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 6 [SEC Network]
Game 12 TBD Winner Game 7 vs. Winner Game 8 [SEC Network]
Friday, May 25
Game 13 3:00 p.m. Winner Game 9 vs. Loser Game 11 [SEC Network]
Game 14 TBD Winner Game 10 vs. Loser 12 [SEC Network]
Saturday, May 26
Game 15 Noon Winner Game 13 vs. Winner Game 11 [SEC Network]
Game 16 TBD Winner Game 14 vs. Winner Game 12 [SEC Network]
Sunday, May 27
Game 17 2 p.m. Winner Game 15 vs. Winner Game 16 [ESPN2]
The second game of each session will begin 30 minutes after the conclusion of the first game.
