Hello all. Good Thursday afternoon to everyone. We will have Kentucky taking the podium in Omaha for the College World Series introductory press conference here shortly. I'll be sharing all the notes and tidbits that the Cats have to share here in this thread. Stay tuned...
KENTUCKY Q&A:
* Nick Mingione: Excited, thankful. A handful of wins away from being national champions, which is everyone's goal when the season starts.
* Mitchell Daly... Some of the nerves started wearing off when they got out there for the first practice. Just ready to go play now. Daly has been there before with Texas as a freshman. Didn't appreciate how hard it was to get there at the time. Trying to share that with his teammates, don't take it for granted.
* Johnny Hummel on the SEC preparing them for this event... It's the best conference, so they feel like they're ready. Just have to go play their game they've always played. Mitchell Daly adds that the schedule has prepared them for this.
* Daly on the park in Omaha... Play on some natural surfaces in the SEC. They're comfortable with turf or natural. This park kinda plays big like KPP, so they feel like it's a smooth adjustment for them.
* Minge tells a story about Hummel coming from a D2 program where sometimes there was 7-8 people in the stands. Then he goes to closing out a game at a place like Mississippi State and came off the mound with huge eyes. "Man, that was awesome!"
* Minge says Daly might be one of the biggest winners in college baseball right now. Every year, he's been with a team in the super regionals. Says he and Hummel are "true winners."
* Asked if he's reached out to anyone about making this trip, Minge points out that he had the experience of coming with Mississippi State, but he has reached out to a few people who have been here more recently. There's a lot going on out there this week in "the Mecca of college baseball." You get pulled in a lot of different directions, but you have to keep the main focus on the task at hand.
* Asked about Robert Hogan's recruitment and development, Minge says he was watching him on video scouting, and just saw a player with tremendous energy and confidence. Then watched him another time and it didn't look like the same guy. He had two bracelets on his hand when he came for his visit. Said he wore one for a really good friend in Texas who had autism and another for his faith. Turned out, Minge knew the guy in Texas. Met him in 2018 at the Minute Maid Classic and became friends. Felt like fate. Hogan is a guy who has really developed and played great this season. Walks out there like he owns the mound now.
* Asked about his favorite moment of the season, Minge's son Reeves says watching the celebration after they won the super regional.
* On his coach of the year honor... Talks about the first time he won it in 2017, he was naive, thought things were easy. "Boy, was I wrong. This life will humble you in a second." Says it's really a reflection of the team. It's a team award. The thing it underscores is I have surrounded myself with amazing people.
* Minge says to people of Omaha, if you want a team to root for, this is your team to get behind. We would love for you to jump on board the Kentucky bandwagon. Have a Nebraskan, Eli Small, on the roster. Come root him on.
KENTUCKY Q&A:
* Nick Mingione: Excited, thankful. A handful of wins away from being national champions, which is everyone's goal when the season starts.
* Mitchell Daly... Some of the nerves started wearing off when they got out there for the first practice. Just ready to go play now. Daly has been there before with Texas as a freshman. Didn't appreciate how hard it was to get there at the time. Trying to share that with his teammates, don't take it for granted.
* Johnny Hummel on the SEC preparing them for this event... It's the best conference, so they feel like they're ready. Just have to go play their game they've always played. Mitchell Daly adds that the schedule has prepared them for this.
* Daly on the park in Omaha... Play on some natural surfaces in the SEC. They're comfortable with turf or natural. This park kinda plays big like KPP, so they feel like it's a smooth adjustment for them.
* Minge tells a story about Hummel coming from a D2 program where sometimes there was 7-8 people in the stands. Then he goes to closing out a game at a place like Mississippi State and came off the mound with huge eyes. "Man, that was awesome!"
* Minge says Daly might be one of the biggest winners in college baseball right now. Every year, he's been with a team in the super regionals. Says he and Hummel are "true winners."
* Asked if he's reached out to anyone about making this trip, Minge points out that he had the experience of coming with Mississippi State, but he has reached out to a few people who have been here more recently. There's a lot going on out there this week in "the Mecca of college baseball." You get pulled in a lot of different directions, but you have to keep the main focus on the task at hand.
* Asked about Robert Hogan's recruitment and development, Minge says he was watching him on video scouting, and just saw a player with tremendous energy and confidence. Then watched him another time and it didn't look like the same guy. He had two bracelets on his hand when he came for his visit. Said he wore one for a really good friend in Texas who had autism and another for his faith. Turned out, Minge knew the guy in Texas. Met him in 2018 at the Minute Maid Classic and became friends. Felt like fate. Hogan is a guy who has really developed and played great this season. Walks out there like he owns the mound now.
* Asked about his favorite moment of the season, Minge's son Reeves says watching the celebration after they won the super regional.
* On his coach of the year honor... Talks about the first time he won it in 2017, he was naive, thought things were easy. "Boy, was I wrong. This life will humble you in a second." Says it's really a reflection of the team. It's a team award. The thing it underscores is I have surrounded myself with amazing people.
* Minge says to people of Omaha, if you want a team to root for, this is your team to get behind. We would love for you to jump on board the Kentucky bandwagon. Have a Nebraskan, Eli Small, on the roster. Come root him on.
