Instead of making a statement. Like “he doesn’t have it” I want to see what you guys think. Simple question is does mark pope have the ability as a coach to get us back to the top of the SEC? Can he bring us a title? He was hired with a shaky resume so he’s gonna have to be evaluated on the job. It’s unfortunate but he doesn’t have a blue blood resume nor track record of success. unlike any other UK coach in my lifetime pope was unproven before he was brought in. I see people say “give him 4 years”. Boys and girls you don’t do that unless the man has a track record. I think it’s completely fair to question popes ceiling as a college coach. Life is short. What do you say? Does the man have it or are we just wasting time like we did with cal?

Feels really weird to post this so early, but by popular demand I am getting a jump on things. Obviously, regardless of what happens this weekend (or next) we've had an oustanding year. Co-SEC Regular Season Champions and most SEC wins in UK baseball history. Huge accomplishments from Mingione, SEC COTY, and his team. I am not sure how much crow is left, but looks like I need to go back for seconds. Still, I think all of us want to see UK being consistently a contender and the next step in that process is 2025. Here is a very very early look of what that might look like. I'll try to continue to update as more information comes in throughout the next weeks/months. Also, as usual, if there is anything I have gotten wrong, please reply and correct me and I will be more than happy to fix it.

No Eligibility:
Ty Crittenberger (OF)
Nick Lopez (DH)
Ryan Nicholson (1B)
Mitch Daly (3B)
Rueben Church (3B)
Grant Smith (SS)

Cameron O'Brien (P)
Dominic Niman (P)
Johnny Hummel (P)
Trey Pooser (P)
Ryan Hagenow (P)

Draft Eligible:
Pitre (2B) - Drafted 58th overall.
Burkes (C)
McCoy (OF)
McCarthy (OF)
Waldschmidt (OF) - Drafted 31st overall
Herrera (UTL)
Higdon (OF)

Smith (P)
Hogan (P)
Moore (P)
Robinson (P)
Hise (P)
Byers (P)
Nove (P)
Frieda (P)

A lot of names here, but I just don't see a ton of them drawing a ton of interest from the major leagues at this point and time. I highlighted the two most likely to take the leap to the MLB, but I could also see Pitre taking a long look. Smith taking a long look and possibly Hogan. Burkes is an interesting one as at the end of last year I had him on my likely to leave list and do not have him there this year. Burkes is a RS Junior this season, so he can return next year but there are some advantages to trying to get drafted in your junior year and going rather than coming back for a senior year. One of those being that you have more leverage for some more money if you can threaten to return to school.

Departing/Transferring
Skowronski (UTL)
Howe (P)
Higdon (OF)
McCarthy (CF)
Fawley (C)
Smith (RHP)
Schramm (OF)
Frieda (RHP)
Applegate (RHP)
Hise (RHP)
Lafferty (RHP)
Bowen (UTL)

Depth Chart:

1B: Hage, Brown, Koontz
2B: Bell
SS: Gargett, Hindle, Franklin, Lawrence
3B: Herrea
C: Burkes, Small, Pelletier
RF: McCoy, Hansen
CF: Cameron, Montoya, Marcy
LF: Pratt, Harris
DH: Hage

First thing to note is that this isn't a depth chart in the sense that I think these people will start as much as it just is a glance at where I think guys might be competing for playing time. Obviously, things change a lot if certain players decide to leave/return and there are a lot of guys who could play multiple spots.

I want to note here that I am not sure if Gargett, Hindle and Cameron will classify as redshirts. I know the rule now is that you can play a certain number of games in a season and still redshirt, but I am not sure if they fall under that. I am going to still list them as redshirts because I think that they likely did, but I could be incorrect here.

A lot of yellow here indicating that we could be a really young team next year. The fact that there are a lot of yellow spots leads me to believe that UK will likely dive deep into the transfer portal to find some older guys to plug into some positions where they might not feel they are strong/deep. 1B looks like a place where we might have a need as does LF. Right now, I just don't have anyone in my head that fills that hole in left. Even Pratt and Harris kind of seem to fit the RF mold more than LF given their size as freshmen and UK has only sparingly used freshmen under Mingione, so I am inclined to believe that they'd have to be real special (or UK real desperate) for those guys to become everyday starters in 2025.

Pitre going so high in the draft takes him off the board for UK in 2025. That was likely, but not a foregone conclusion. So, UK will need to replace their steady Eddy at 2nd. That will be a tall task given that Pitre was not only a fantastic defensive 2nd baseman, but also a strong hitter near the top of the lineup.

Key:
Freshman
Redshirt Freshman
Sophomore
Junior
Senior
Grad Student
JUCO/Transfer Portal

PITCHING

Friday Starter:
Saturday Starter:
Sunday Starter:

This is scary. No one at the moment appears to be a clear favorite to land in these roles, at least to my knowledge. UK brought in transfers, and of course, there will be development with returners. However, UK returns just 1 start. Not 1 starter... 1 start, out of 60. Cooper Robinson holds that lone start. However, it is unlikely that he fills one of these roles (he's started just 3 games over 3 years, 1 per year). Most of our guys that are incoming transfers, to my knowledge, don't appear to have been starters from their numbers. So, UK might be looking at returners to fill these roles. Hogan would be a guess of someone who might step into one of them. After that... well, someone more connected to me will have to fill in those gaps.

Weekday Starter:

Anyone's guess here. Last year we went with a redshirt freshman with Lafferty. Lafferty headed to Pitt, so he's no longer an option, but I could see UK working another RS freshman in this role. I could see someone like Cleaver stepping into this role. Still, there are a ton of options here, so the fall will be telling.

Relief:
Jake Titus (RHP)
James McCoy (RHP)
Hayden Smith (LHP)
Robert Hogan (RHP)
Raymond Saatman (RHP)
Cooper Robinson (RHP)
Evan Byers (LHP)
Jackson Nove (LHP)
Jacob Price (RHP)
Ben Cleaver (LHP)
Evan Hart (LHP)
Tommy Skelding (RHP)
Nile Adcock (RHP)
Scott Rouse (RHP)
Nic McCay (RHP)
Ethan Walker (LHP)
Oliver Boone (RHP)
Chase Alderman (RHP)
Cole Hentschel (LHP)
Simon Gregersen (RHP)
Adam Hachman (RHP)

We lose a whole lot of reliable arms to graduation, but we get a chunk of them back. Hogan returns and he has the most innings out of the bullpen this year with 36. Nove isn't far off at 27.2. Byers has also been leaned on heavily. We also have a lot of lefty options, which we don't always have.

Rouse was a starter at Radford, but the ERA doesn't jump out at you as being overly impressive at 5.94 with 69.2 innings pitched and 14 appearances. 78 strikeouts and 33 walks.

Adcock will be a junior next year (I believe) and is 6'2 180. Not the ideal makeup for a starter, but he was a starter in JUCO, starting 13 games and having a 2.92 ERA through 74.1 innings pitched with a real good 94 strikeouts. Walked just 25. I think he's heading to UK, but a google search has very few mentions of him that link him to Kentucky. Basically one article by DT and this thread. Other articles don't seem to mention him. So, can someone confirm?

FRESHMEN

Tyler Bell (SS) - Drafted 66th overall - still heading to UK.
Leighton Harris (LHP)
Bradley Ferrell (RHP)
Nate Harris (OF)
Zak Spurrier (RHP)
Nolan Belcher (C)
Logan Grubb (LHP)
Tristan Hunter (RHP)
Aidan Larkin (SS)
Hayden Mains (RHP)
Khaleel Pratt (OF)
Jack Sams (SS)
Cameron Owens (SS)

Obviously Bell hasn't signed at this time, but being taken so high is a very big indication that the team feels like they can and will sign him. So, I would next expect him to make it to campus.

to run the ol' pickett fence at opposing defenses and take care not to let the paint dry? Just wondering.

In the article Bud Dupree got a shout out for his testing numbers as well. And being in the league 10 years now. Hard to believe it's been that long

[COLOR=var(--tw-prose-headings)]Kentucky CB Maxwell Hairston[/COLOR]​

[COLOR=oklch(0 0 0 / 0.8)]Hairston’s interceptions took a dive during his pre-Draft season (5 to 1) as he struggled to stay on the field for a struggling [COLOR=var(--fallback-p,oklch(var(--p)/var(--tw-text-opacity)))]Kentucky[/COLOR] squad, yet the ball skills weren’t really in question. A bigger question for Hairston was how he’d stack up physically in a cornerback class that doesn’t have the top-end prospects in the top 10 beyond Travis Hunter.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=oklch(0 0 0 / 0.8)]Well, running a 4.28-second 40 to earn the best time in Indy certainly put those questions to rest. Hairston did exactly what you’d hope a borderline 1st-Round pick would do. In addition to that pace-setting 40-time, he also recorded a 39.5-inch vertical with a 10-9 broad jump. Those are important numbers for a sub-6 foot corner who didn’t have the season that many expected him to have in [COLOR=var(--fallback-p,oklch(var(--p)/var(--tw-text-opacity)))]Mark Stoops’[/COLOR] defense.[/COLOR]
[COLOR=oklch(0 0 0 / 0.8)]

https://www.saturdaydownsouth.com/sec-football/the-sec-players-who-gained-the-most-from-their-nfl-combine-performances/[/COLOR]

We got took to the ole woodshed Saturday, however I give a lot of credit to Pearl more than anything else.. He completely played up the 20 loses and Auburns history against us to get his team to feel like they were the underdogs. Then he does a pregame interview and gets it into the conversation that Ky gets a biased whistle ? So his players come out with huge chip on their shoulder. The refs just in first half call not one but two phantom calls where we never touched the guy. Our best hope and player gets touch fouls on him and let’s not forget Butlers F1 that was a basketball play. Heck even Jay Bills said so ? Our team took a whipping but so did Mark Pope. If I’m Mark I’d put the Auburn players taking a belt to Rupp ass figuratively and I’d put that on loop in the practice facility ? I’m hopeful Mark builds us a monster roster in the coming years and we forget this but it’ll be awhile ! Thoughts ?

I love Pope.
I think he’s a great coach and person.
I think he understands the job and will get it done.
I do hate the circumstances he’s having to deal with.
Injuries have killed this team.
We’ve won some games I thought weren’t possible to win under the circumstances.
Officials have literally raped us this season. I mean low down scum raped us.
Multiple teams have played games against us that they could only dream of.
I mean how many banked 30 footers can our opponents actually make?
Hell, 2 or 3 in a row at times.
I hate losing and get frustrated as hell, then I come to my senses and use my brain as to why.
These things are out of Pope’s control and it isn’t fair for people to keep slamming and bitching.
He put together a good group of guys in literally no time and we were heading in a good direction.
I know today stunk for 1000 reasons, but there is the best part of the season left.
Let’s see how we can finish out.
You never know what could happen.

I stand with Pope.
Give him time and support and I think we’ll all be happy!!!!!!!!

And pope can’t read the game. Game in game out we are giving up big runs because one guy breaks us down. It takes pope 3-4 possessions to figure it out and that’s why we lose. Go back and watch the games. It’s always a spurt we give because of a bad lineup and generally one player. This isn’t a skill you learn or develop it’s inherent in great coaches.

By now we should have a tightened rotation and defensively Perry can’t be in it.

Pretty much "my fault".

Statistics for 2024-25

Game is Friday, Dec 5th and are on sale to the general public March 7th at 11:00 AM EST. Ticketmaster.

The reality of this basketball season is finally happening. People are starting to dish on Pope and praise Pearl. They question Pope's recruiting ability and falling all over Pearl. Well, let's look more deeply into the two. Pearl has been a head coach for 29 years. Most people don;t realize this is Pearl's 10th year at Auburn! His first six players are transfers - his best players are transfers that have been with the program multiple years. Now look at Coach Pope. He didn't have a single player on the roster when he signed at UK. He came into the game late in the recruiting and transfer season. He is on the brink of a 20 win season with historical win numbers over top 20 teams. His top 3 players have been hurt and missed a lot of games. So, I ask - just what do you expect from Coach Pope? I know the answer - its a SEC Championship and at least a final four appearance. That's always Kentucky fan's expectations - either or both would be fantastic of course! But it's time to be realistic - the season is not over and this team has and is achieiving a lot! They play their hearts out. Coach Pope feels the frustrations as both a Coach and a UK Alum - we are so lucky to have someone who wants to be at UK and loves UK. He loves UK in the same mold as Coach Rupp and Coach Hall did! Enough said!

Go Big Blue!

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UK as the 13th overall - 4 seed

He says Michigan winning over Illinois today would put them on the 3 line over UK. Let’s root for Illinois.

I think taking care of LSU should lock UK into a 4 seed at worst. He currently has Mizzou as a 5 seed so the last regular season game could be huge.

At what point does Pope ditch the in-game analytics and play our best guys? Some of his substitution patterns are inexplicable. Tonight’s game should not have been close.

I believe Pope is our guy, but he needs to reevaluate his philosophy. I’m afraid it will cost us in the post season.

Tell me why next year, or in the coming years, we will be dramatically more talented than we are now? Pope has not proven he can secure elite talent yet. Without that, how will our rosters be that much better than today’s? Slightly better portal guys? Also, the talent is more spread out now than ever.

Do you just sit Butler and Jackson no matter what? I don't think that game is winnable. They slaughtered ole miss by 30 pts.

Just the insomnia acting up but maybe it’s because I’m getting older (50 last September) I find it harder to sleep in hotel rooms on business.

Use to be I could take a shower, pour a scotch and watch Sportscenter and conk out. Now I just scroll on my phone because I just get restless with my thoughts and can’t sleep well into the next day.

A lot of the times it’s because I miss my wife and kids. I already got one out of the house and graduated college. Two more now in high school and my oldest daughter will be off to college in five months to Michigan. I feel like I’m missing the last bits of fatherhood on these nights I guess.

I don’t know. Maybe I’m just crazy and turning into an old man with the world moving too fast. Probably should drink more Scotch.

This board is MUCH more active after a loss.

And about half of them are knowledgeable basketball fans.

The other half …. Well everybody has the right to an opinion,

Even if it’s kind of an odd one.

Last 2 games:
Oklahoma 8 minutes ZERO points
Auburn 4 minutes ZERO points

I could tell by their hangdog faces and slack posture in the locker room pregame AND halftime that we were going to lose.

Contrast that with Pearl's energy in Auburn's locker room.

Something needs to change. Our guys look defeated.

He has a responsibility to fight for his team and he has absolutely failed at that. Its as bad as the turnover machine we've become. The players are rattled and that falls back on Pope.

He has to do better.