7 days ago I wasn’t worried… now I am

[UkMccurdy]

Look I know Coach Nick personally. He’s a really good dude, and I enjoy being around him. With that said, he has a job to do and needs results this year to warrant him remaining the coach.

I’m concerned bc this is starting to feel like 2018 again. A late season collapse cost that team a place in the tourney. That team had tons of talent, which this team doesn’t. This team has overachieved a bit. However, just like 2018, this team is on a bit of a slide. Lost last four sec series and went 0-4 this week. I hoped for 2-2… 0-4 is a bad sign.

UK now has 10 games left. UK has gone from a national seed contender to not even being a regional host in 2 weeks time. It’s not inconceivable that UK goes 2-8 or 3-7 down the stretch with the way their opponents have been plying. SOS and RPI will likely get them in with less than 35 wins, but the Cats are trending the wrong direction.

 

[dtjr]

Look I know Coach Nick personally. He’s a really good dude, and I enjoy being around him. With that said, he has a job to do and needs results this year to warrant him remaining the coach.

I’m concerned bc this is starting to feel like 2018 again. A late season collapse cost that team a place in the tourney. That team had tons of talent, which this team doesn’t. This team has overachieved a bit. However, just like 2018, this team is on a bit of a slide. Lost last four sec series and went 0-4 this week. I hoped for 2-2… 0-4 is a bad sign.

UK now has 10 games left. UK has gone from a national seed contender to not even being a regional host in 2 weeks time. It’s not inconceivable that UK goes 2-8 or 3-7 down the stretch with the way their opponents have been plying. SOS and RPI will likely get them in with less than 35 wins, but the Cats are trending the wrong direction.

I completely agree. Having played the softer SEC teams at the start of SEC play helped us but now it looks like what we thought from the beginning of the year.

All of the transfers from lower conferences are now showing why they were at the lower conferences.

Ming has got to recruit better and develop players.

Maybe with SC and Florida at home we can take those series.

 

[Cefiro]

Mitch will 100% extend Mingione, he hates looking for new coaches even though it’s clear he’ll never get a good team here.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Look I know Coach Nick personally. He’s a really good dude, and I enjoy being around him. With that said, he has a job to do and needs results this year to warrant him remaining the coach.

I’m concerned bc this is starting to feel like 2018 again. A late season collapse cost that team a place in the tourney. That team had tons of talent, which this team doesn’t. This team has overachieved a bit. However, just like 2018, this team is on a bit of a slide. Lost last four sec series and went 0-4 this week. I hoped for 2-2… 0-4 is a bad sign.

UK now has 10 games left. UK has gone from a national seed contender to not even being a regional host in 2 weeks time. It’s not inconceivable that UK goes 2-8 or 3-7 down the stretch with the way their opponents have been plying. SOS and RPI will likely get them in with less than 35 wins, but the Cats are trending the wrong direction.

I'll be very surprised if they win 2 more conference games.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

Hear me out. Itll be interesting to see if UK ends up 13-17 in conference play with a top ten RPI if they get in the NCAA. If thats the case then I am afraid this will be the new norm for UK baseball. Mingione has seen that his scheduling has worked to the point where the RPI alone is enough to get him in the tournament. All he has to do is win just enough.

 

[UkMccurdy]

Hear me out. Itll be interesting to see if UK ends up 13-17 in conference play with a top ten RPI if they get in the NCAA. If thats the case then I am afraid this will be the new norm for UK baseball. Mingione has seen that his scheduling has worked to the point where the RPI alone is enough to get him in the tournament. All he has to do is win just enough.

They will sneak in with that record bc the SOS will be too 2-3 in the entire country.

Kind of like West Virginia in basketball this year… below .500 in conference but got in on that metric.

UK also has the 2nd most Q1 wins of any team in the country as of Saturday night. That will help.

Let’s just screw it and go 10-0 and sweep sec tourney and be like 45-13 and the #4 national seed!

A man can dream, right?

So glad we can talk college baseball here fellas… love the sport and have since I started at UK 30 years ago.

 

[sluggercatfan]

BB 1018...To be fair, right now that's the case with FB, BB, WBB are all in the same boat with expectations.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Hear me out. Itll be interesting to see if UK ends up 13-17 in conference play with a top ten RPI if they get in the NCAA. If thats the case then I am afraid this will be the new norm for UK baseball. Mingione has seen that his scheduling has worked to the point where the RPI alone is enough to get him in the tournament. All he has to do is win just enough.

I think this was certainly planned. Stack the RPI so if we're close and don't get in we have another excuse to be upset or we do actually have the RPI save us.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

They will sneak in with that record bc the SOS will be too 2-3 in the entire country.

Kind of like West Virginia in basketball this year… below .500 in conference but got in on that metric.

UK also has the 2nd most Q1 wins of any team in the country as of Saturday night. That will help.

Let’s just screw it and go 10-0 and sweep sec tourney and be like 45-13 and the #4 national seed!

A man can dream, right?

So glad we can talk college baseball here fellas… love the sport and have since I started at UK 30 years ago.

Yeah we can dream.

But sneaking is not what should be the standard. Making the tournament every three of four years and only 1 finish above 4th place in the SEC East should not be acceptable. And I know that Kentucky has zero history to build on in baseball. It just sucks that this is where this program is.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

BB 1018...To be fair, right now that's the case with FB, BB, WBB are all in the same boat with expectations.

I sorta feel as an athletic department, mediocrity has set in.

I know footballs realistic ceiling is 8 wins a year with a few breaks to get to 10. But they’ll never compete for a national title. UK will always be a step behind programs like Alabama and Georgia. It looks like Tennessee has passed them up.

I haven’t watched a men’s basketball game in 6-7 years but look at the complacency that has set in there. I mean there’s a loud portion of the fan base that’s just happy to make the NCAA. I mean, shouldn’t that be the absolute minimum for Kentucky basketball.

I’ve been a die hard Kentucky fan for all of my life. But it’s getting harder.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Yeah we can dream.

But sneaking is not what should be the standard. Making the tournament every three of four years and only 1 finish above 4th place in the SEC East should not be acceptable. And I know that Kentucky has zero history to build on in baseball. It just sucks that this is where this program is.

U6 had less history than UK before McD. Vandy, UT and IU all deal with the same issues that always come up when why we can be good . Just stop!!!

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

U6 had less history than UK before McD. Vandy, UT and IU all deal with the same issues that always come up when why we can be good . Just stop!!!

You hear a lot that UK is behind the 8 ball in baseball because its the most northern school in the SEC blah blah blah. That argument is tired and listless. If the weather in Lexington sucks, theres a pretty good chance the weather in Nashville sucks. UofL hasnt let the weather bother them with 4 trips to Omaha. Michigan, Indiana and Notre Dame are northern schools. Whats their excuse.

 

[RunninRichie]

You hear a lot that UK is behind the 8 ball in baseball because its the most northern school in the SEC blah blah blah. That argument is tired and listless. If the weather in Lexington sucks, theres a pretty good chance the weather in Nashville sucks. UofL hasnt let the weather bother them with 4 trips to Omaha. Michigan, Indiana and Notre Dame are northern schools. Whats their excuse.

UK is still in the south. That excuse is BS.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

UK is still in the south. That excuse is BS.

Absolutely it is. But that has been the recurring excuse around UK baseball for years. Never mind the severe lack of support from the administration, facilities that only rivaled local high school fields and some questionable coaching choices.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Absolutely it is. But that has been the recurring excuse around UK baseball for years. Never mind the severe lack of support from the administration, facilities that only rivaled local high school fields and some questionable coaching choices.

Back in the day l use to have some interaction with C Madision and that poor man had to do EVERYTHING and then they name the old bb stadium after a bb only AD. Kinda like the fb field fiasco.

 

[mrschwump]

Back in the day l use to have some interaction with C Madision and that poor man had to do EVERYTHING and then they name the old bb stadium after a bb only AD. Kinda like the fb field fiasco.

I feel you but at least Hagan played baseball, I doubt Newton knew where the football field was.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

Back in the day l use to have some interaction with C Madision and that poor man had to do EVERYTHING and then they name the old bb stadium after a bb only AD. Kinda like the fb field fiasco.

I dont think people appreciated what Madison did with the resources he was given. I talked to him during a game back at the Cliff and I have not met a nicer guy. Knew his baseball too. I wish he would have gotten some sort of recognition at the new ballpark.

 

[Comebakatz3]

I dont think people appreciated what Madison did with the resources he was given. I talked to him during a game back at the Cliff and I have not met a nicer guy. Knew his baseball too. I wish he would have gotten some sort of recognition at the new ballpark.

You don't think a giant bobblehead is enough? Lol

 

[ulcards1]

You hear a lot that UK is behind the 8 ball in baseball because its the most northern school in the SEC blah blah blah. That argument is tired and listless. If the weather in Lexington sucks, theres a pretty good chance the weather in Nashville sucks. UofL hasnt let the weather bother them with 4 trips to Omaha. Michigan, Indiana and Notre Dame are northern schools. Whats their excuse.

5 trips to Omaha

 

[UkMccurdy]

Yeah we can dream.

But sneaking is not what should be the standard. Making the tournament every three of four years and only 1 finish above 4th place in the SEC East should not be acceptable. And I know that Kentucky has zero history to build on in baseball. It just sucks that this is where this program is.

Agree

Totally

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

5 trips to Omaha

Nobody asked you to chime in…………

 

[UkMccurdy]

5 trips to Omaha

Look, UL is a great program and clearly better than ours. However, I hear an awfully lot from UL baseball fans about how dominant of a program they are. They have been very good winning ACC titles or a share a handful of times. They’ve never won the ACC tourney though and haven’t won a conference tourney of any kind in quite a while… 12-15 years probably. They have been to Omaha 5 times in the last 15 tourneys. They’ve also missed the field twice during that stretch.

Omaha performances for UL have been rather underwhelming. They are usually one of the first teams eliminated in their side of the bracket. The only time you came close to the championship series your pitcher popped off at a Vandy player and pissed Vandy off until they wiped you out like a nuke the rest of that game. UL has never even forced an elimination game in the semis. This lack of hardware is despite having multiple high round MLB draft picks… each season. You’ve had a national player of the year and still couldn’t get far in Omaha. You’ve even had a number one draft pick a couple years back and didn’t even make the tourney field.

I know coach Dan too and he’s an awesome dude. He’s also a great baseball coach! You do realize he is one of the highest paid coaches in the game, right? UL should be good for what they pay him and his staff. Dan is VERY aware that he hasn’t won the big one. Believe me… it gnaws at him.

UL is the better program when compared to UK… no doubt. Maybe you should realize that you aren’t one of the elite ones quite yet though. You’re basically the baseball version of Gonzaga basketball (except for Championship appearances). Win one… then start dropping in message board rooms to rub it in on your mediocre rival 😉.

We haven’t been good.
We have a long way to go to catch you guys.

We ain’t chasing some dynasty though!

 

[sluggercatfan]

I dont think people appreciated what Madison did with the resources he was given. I talked to him during a game back at the Cliff and I have not met a nicer guy. Knew his baseball too. I wish he would have gotten some sort of recognition at the new ballpark.

He and Flynn do a great job when they do broadcast together .

 

[ulcards1]

Look, UL is a great program and clearly better than ours. However, I hear an awfully lot from UL baseball fans about how dominant of a program they are. They have been very good winning ACC titles or a share a handful of times. They’ve never won the ACC tourney though and haven’t won a conference tourney of any kind in quite a while… 12-15 years probably. They have been to Omaha 5 times in the last 15 tourneys. They’ve also missed the field twice during that stretch.

Omaha performances for UL have been rather underwhelming. They are usually one of the first teams eliminated in their side of the bracket. The only time you came close to the championship series your pitcher popped off at a Vandy player and pissed Vandy off until they wiped you out like a nuke the rest of that game. UL has never even forced an elimination game in the semis. This lack of hardware is despite having multiple high round MLB draft picks… each season. You’ve had a national player of the year and still couldn’t get far in Omaha. You’ve even had a number one draft pick a couple years back and didn’t even make the tourney field.

I know coach Dan too and he’s an awesome dude. He’s also a great baseball coach! You do realize he is one of the highest paid coaches in the game, right? UL should be good for what they pay him and his staff. Dan is VERY aware that he hasn’t won the big one. Believe me… it gnaws at him.

UL is the better program when compared to UK… no doubt. Maybe you should realize that you aren’t one of the elite ones quite yet though. You’re basically the baseball version of Gonzaga basketball (except for Championship appearances). Win one… then start dropping in message board rooms to rub it in on your mediocre rival 😉.

We haven’t been good.
We have a long way to go to catch you guys.

We ain’t chasing some dynasty though!

I was just correcting a factual error above, but I will respond to your page long critique of our program. I’m sure you would love to have 5 CWS appearances in 15 years considering that you Have 0 appearances in as many years as UK has played baseball. And although we’re having a down year by our standards this year, 7-0 in front of the biggest crowd you’ve ever had at your ballpark. Most consider us one of the elite programs of at least the last decade and, needless to say, I’m not at all worried about you catching us.

 

[UkMccurdy]

I was just correcting a factual error above, but I will respond to your page long critique of our program. I’m sure you would love to have 5 CWS appearances in 15 years considering that you Have 0 appearances in as many years as UK has played baseball. And although we’re having a down year by our standards this year, 7-0 in front of the biggest crowd you’ve ever had at your ballpark. Most consider us one of the elite programs of at least the last decade and, needless to say, I’m not at all worried about you catching us.

Everything you say here is fair… I’d love to have CWS appearances no doubt.

Have you ever gone out there for it? I’ve heard it’s pretty awesome. If UK ever makes it, then I plan on going!

 

[ulcards1]

Everything you say here is fair… I’d love to have CWS appearances no doubt.

Have you ever gone out there for it? I’ve heard it’s pretty awesome. If UK ever makes it, then I plan on going!

We did go in 2019. It is everything it is cracked up to be. The city really gets into it and everything is first rate. Highly recommend!

 

[Basil Cat]

Everything you say here is fair… I’d love to have CWS appearances no doubt.

Have you ever gone out there for it? I’ve heard it’s pretty awesome. If UK ever makes it, then I plan on going!

It may be fair , but the typical ul hubris oozes here as usual.

 

[ulcards1]

It may be fair , but the typical ul hubris oozes here as usual.

I can assure you i have no hubris about our basketball program right now, or football, although we are excited about the future under Brohm. But our baseball program has been consistently excellent during the McDonnell era and its not hubris to acknowledge that.

 

[Basil Cat]

I can assure you i have no hubris about our basketball program right now, or football, although we are excited about the future under Brohm. But our baseball program has been consistently excellent during the McDonnell era and its not hubris to acknowledge that.

I agree 100% with this. I respect Coach Mac to the highest level. But you said “most” consider ul elite. That just isn’t true. You do have a lot to be proud of in your baseball program , and yes I am very envious of that. Good luck the rest of the season.

 

[Tskware]

I know footballs realistic ceiling is 8 wins a year with a few breaks to get to 10. But they’ll never compete for a national title. UK will always be a step behind programs like Alabama and Georgia. It looks like Tennessee has passed them up.

Yeah I kind of think UT's 35 - 3 record against us in the last 38 games means they may have just barely passed us by.
🤣🤣🤣

 

[sluggercatfan]

I agree 100% with this. I respect Coach Mac to the highest level. But you said “most” consider ul elite. That just isn’t true. You do have a lot to be proud of in your baseball program , and yes I am very envious of that. Good luck the rest of the season.

OK...UK is the only team in the SEC to never make the CWS! Totally inexcusable. All the excuses should fall on deaf ears.
The administration is totally missing the ball on this(pun intended). Against u6 the other night the announced attendance was 5500. Central Kentucky and surrounding counties loves its baseball and the state has very good hs baseball to draw from. U6 threw four pitcher against UK the other night that were all Kentucky. No excuse for that. I consider UK baseall with the analogy from Field of Dreams...Build it and They Will Come. Again, there are no excuses!!

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

Yeah I kind of think UT's 35 - 3 record against us in the last 38 games means they may have just barely passed us by.
🤣🤣🤣

Look, I was trying to put lipstick on a pig here..............

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

OK...UK is the only team in the SEC to never make the CWS! Totally inexcusable. All the excuses should fall on deaf ears.
The administration is totally missing the ball on this(pun intended). Against u6 the other night the announced attendance was 5500. Central Kentucky and surrounding counties loves its baseball and the state has very good hs baseball to draw from. U6 threw four pitcher against UK the other night that were all Kentucky. No excuse for that. I consider UK baseall with the analogy from Field of Dreams...Build it and They Will Come. Again, there are no excuses!!

I am envious of Louisville's baseball program........Be right back. Got to throw up from that..


If any program has less history in baseball compared to UK it is Louisville. They had zero, read that again, zero tournament appearances until 2002. Theyve been to the tournament every year since 2007 except two. Made it to Omaha 5 times in that span. UK has made 1 super regional. If Kentucky can ever put a consistent winning program on the field, Barnhartt and company will have to figure out how to add stands at KPP.

 

[sluggercatfan]

I am envious of Louisville's baseball program........Be right back. Got to throw up from that..


If any program has less history in baseball compared to UK it is Louisville. They had zero, read that again, zero tournament appearances until 2002. Theyve been to the tournament every year since 2007 except two. Made it to Omaha 5 times in that span. UK has made 1 super regional. If Kentucky can ever put a consistent winning program on the field, Barnhartt and company will have to figure out how to add stands at KPP.

This!!!! It's why this makes TOTALLY no sense from a $$$$$ standpoint . Stop the excuses!

 

[SeanCain]

You hear a lot that UK is behind the 8 ball in baseball because its the most northern school in the SEC blah blah blah. That argument is tired and listless. If the weather in Lexington sucks, theres a pretty good chance the weather in Nashville sucks. UofL hasnt let the weather bother them with 4 trips to Omaha. Michigan, Indiana and Notre Dame are northern schools. Whats their excuse.

That’s been of UK’s administration built in excuses for years. In all honesty, UK has only cared about basketball. Look at the historical records of the other sports. They’ve been pretty bad.

 

[Comebakatz3]

I am envious of Louisville's baseball program........Be right back. Got to throw up from that..


If any program has less history in baseball compared to UK it is Louisville. They had zero, read that again, zero tournament appearances until 2002. Theyve been to the tournament every year since 2007 except two. Made it to Omaha 5 times in that span. UK has made 1 super regional. If Kentucky can ever put a consistent winning program on the field, Barnhartt and company will have to figure out how to add stands at KPP.

I think Mingione has now essentially twice shown how UK fans will be more than willing to come out and fill a ball park if the product is good. In 2017 in the NCAA regional the atmosphere in Cliff Hagan was absolutely amazing. I wasn't even there, I was only listening on the radio, and I could tell how electric the crowd was. Hell, I was singing along with them in my own home in the early morning hours. Then this year, with our hot start, the fans started to fill in and did so in droves for the UL game. Showing that if the team gives them faith that they will support them. They aren't going to come for a bad product. Yet we have not really been able to capitalize on this fan excitement either time.

Hate to talk about UT, but a buddy of mine looked at getting tickets for the Tennessee/Kentucky series in a few weeks. I think he said the cheapest seats were like $80 bucks each. 8 years or so ago I had a boss that was a UT baseball season ticket holder. He had the chairback seats that allowed you access to the free buffet, drinks (non-alcoholic) and dessert. He'd regularly give me those tickets because he wasn't interested in going. Sometimes I'd go just for the free meal and to watch a bit of baseball. Almost always went during the UK series. However, I'd always take them when offered and I'd say a good 80 percent of the time, if I couldn't go, I couldn't even find someone to take them from me for free. That is how little UT fans cared for baseball. Now, on ticketmaster they have tickets going for as much as $210 each. That is what a change in the culture can do for a program. UK can do it, but they have to be willing to.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Here is a fun fact:

UK has the 14th lowest SEC baseball budget and we're ranked 41 overall in college baseball for budget.

This is a link from a reddit post on the subject:

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

The budget thing is interesting to me. I’m going to have to pan through it and dive a little deeper. Not surprised by Vandy being #1 overall. I am surprised they would release that though

 

[Comebakatz3]

The budget thing is interesting to me. I’m going to have to pan through it and dive a little deeper. Not surprised by Vandy being #1 overall. I am surprised they would release that though

Yea, I am not sure of the original source of the information or how the person compiled those numbers. So, I can't speak to them actually being entirely correct.

 

[sluggercatfan]

Here is a fun fact:

UK has the 14th lowest SEC baseball budget and we're ranked 41 overall in college baseball for budget.

This is a link from a reddit post on the subject:

View embedded media

Two of my buddies and I attended every game of that 2017 regional and you are right...it was a ball! I remember us having to wait in our cars during the storm and we thought for sure folks would go home, but to our surprise it didn't seem like a single person left. All it would take is the right leadership and drop the excuses!