Bandwagon Baseball Fan , Here.

[The-Hack]

Could some of you put into perspective UK’s 12-1 start in the SEC?

To a simplistic Pro baseball fan, this record sounds pretty strange.

Baseball on the pro level is about a 60/40 proposition, at best.

Do good teams typically start off this hot?

How many total SEC games will UK play in the regular season?

If UK hosts a Super Regional, is that the same as a double bye on the way to the College World Series?

Could someone educate a college baseball late comer??

Thanks in advance!!

 

[K86]

I’ll take a shot at some of this. Starting off at 11-1 in the SEC is unreal. The SEC baseball schedule is brutal. We hear all the time about the SEC being a football conference. IMO it’s more of a baseball conference. Every team with the exception of Mizzou has an overall winning record at this point. But Mizzou swept last years national runner up (Florida) this weekend. 10 of the top 25 are from the SEC.

The rest of the UKs SEC schedule is against the elites of the conference. UK plays 30 SEC games this year.

The regionals and super regionals are somewhat like March Madness. The regionals start off with 16 locations with 4 teams each. The 16 regional winners go to 8 super regionals for a best of 3 series. Then the 8 supers winners go to the CWS. I hope this helps.

Get fully on board with this team and program…it’s going to be fun.

 

[permdaddy]

11-1. Combination of playing really good ball and a back loaded schedule is the simplest way I can explain it.

UK is the first SEC team ever to start 9-1 or better in back to back seasons so it's very unusual.

30 SEC games. 10 3 game series.

There are no byes. Post season goes

Regionals.... top 16 seeds host ....4 team double elimination tournament winner advances to Supers. UK is in great shape to host.

Super Regionals ...top 8 seeds host ... Best of 3 series at the higher seed unless there is a scheduling reason they can't host. Winners advance to College World Series... Again in good shape but the schedule gets MUCH harder.

College World Series ...8 super regional winners play a double elimination tournament. Last 2 teams play a 3 game series for the title.

 

[backinky2018]

Could some of you play into perspective UK’s 12-1 start in the SEC?

To a simplistic Pro baseball fan, this record sounds pretty strange.

Baseball on the pro level is about a 60/40 proposition, at best.

Do good teams typically start off this hot?

How many total SEC games will UK play in the regular season?

If UK hosts a Super Regional, is that the same as a double bye on the way to the College World Series?

Could someone educate a college baseball late comer??

Thanks in advance!!

11-1 is an unreal start. It happens at times (arky this year, UT several years ago), but it's extremely rare. The SEC in baseball is what the SEC in football is reported to be (i.e. zero bad teams, unreal home field advantages, huge stadiums, etc).

30 regular season games. 5 home series, and five away. The SEC east still exists, so UK plays the other 6 east teams, and then four from the west (this year those four are arky, Aubie, Bama, and Ole Miss). That turns out to be a pretty good draw, except for Arkansas. A&M is excellent, LSU has talent, but is in a deep hole to start, Miss state is much improved.

In order to advance to the supers, UK must win its regional. No automatic byes to supers, you have to win to get there. If UK can finish in the top 8, then they will be a "national seed", and in line to host a regional and a super regional. Regionals are 4 team pods and double elimination. If UK hosts a regional, then it's the 1 seed and is matched up with a 4 seed (typically a Mac team or sun belt team that is close geographically). The 2 seed is likely an ACC team or a Big 10 team or a big 12 team (last year the 2 seed was Indiana; the other year UK won its home regional, NC state was the 2 seed and Indiana was the 3).

If UK wins its home regional and is a top 8 seed, it will host a super (there are other ways to host a super, but it requires some luck and some upsets elsewhere). The super regional opponent depends on UK's seed. So, for example, if UK is the #5 national seed, then the #12 seed will visit Lexington for a best two out of 3 series - winner goes to Omaha. If the 12 seed is upset in its home regional, then that regional winner will advance to Lexington in place of the 12 seeded team.

Last year, UK was the #12 national seed, so it was forced to visit the #5 national seed (LSU) for the super. Unfortunately, if UK had been rated #11 or #13, it would have hosted a super b/c the #4 and #6 national seeds were both upset in their home regionals.

Once in Omaha, you're isolated to your side of the bracket. So, if Uk is the #5 national seed, it will be on the same side of the bracket as the top seeded team, the 4 seeded team, etc. The winner of that side of the bracket plays the winner of the other side of the bracket in the college World Series final. The brackets are double elimination into the final series. Once in the final series, the two teams play a best two out of 3 for the title.

 

[The-Hack]

Thanks!!

I will assume a nine-inning shutout by your starter is as rare in college baseball as it is in the pros.

Knowing very little about baseball, something stands out to me: UK isn’t just winning games, they are pounding their opponents by 5 or more runs.

And I seldom tune in when they are behind. Hence, they usually dominate from start to finish.

Baseball is so darned non-linear that Kentucky’s numbers sound fictional.

 

[backinky2018]

One other procedural note - if UK hosts a regional, no other SEC teams will be placed in its regional. It's possible to play another SEC team in a super (happened to us last year), but we are assured of not having to play an SEC team in the regional portion of the tournament.