2017 Rank: 41. UK looked like a surging program the last time we conducted this exercise in 2017. In Nick Mingione’s first season that spring, the Wildcats posted the best season in program history, a 42-23 campaign that resulted in their first home regional and their first trip to super regionals. Kentucky returned abundant talent in 2018, and the program looked destined to make back-to-back regionals for the first time ever. But injuries and underachievement torpedoed the 2018 team, which finished 34-22 overall and 13-18 in the SEC, missing out on an at-large berth despite a top-30 RPI. The felt like a missed opportunity for UK to build upon its momentum; 2019 was a rebuilding year, as expected, as the Wildcats cratered to 7-23 in the SEC, and Mingione’s coaching staff turned over after the season, with Jimmy Belanger leaving for Florida State and Roland Fanning getting replaced by Will Coggin. There’s still a lot to like about this program, which moved into a spectacular new $49 million stadium before the 2019 season, a testament to the university’s strong commitment to baseball. The question is, can Kentucky become the kind of program that competes for regionals every year in the rugged SEC, or will it continue to make a viable postseason run every few years, which has been the pattern over the last decade and a half? Given the depth of the conference, it won’t be easy to break through to the top half, and UK is one of the most weather-disadvantaged programs in the SEC. But its status as an SEC program in the lower Midwest also opens up some intriguing recruiting pathways into the Midwest. Perhaps UK can build a powerhouse using the same formula as in-state rival Louisville. Time will tell whether or not that’s a realistic goal. But one regional trip in the last five years is a disappointment. — Aaron Fitt
