Realistically, what happens here on out?

[Big_Blue_1018]

Kentucky sets at 21-16 and 5-10 in conference play. They have 18 games left on the schedule. 15 conference games and Dayton, Tennessee Tech and UT Martin during the week. I’m curious what everyone thinks the final record will be and wether or not we sneak into the SEC tournament. The NCAA is nothing more than a pipe dream at this point. My take:

Vandy: UK loses 2/3. 22-18 6-12

Dayton: Should win. 23-18 6-12

Florida: I had UK winning this series and I still do. 25-19 8-13

UT Martin: Win 26-19

Tennessee: Sweep. 26-22 8-16

Tennessee Tech: UK should win. 27-22

South Carolina: I still think UK wins this series but not as confident as I was. 29-23 10-17

Auburn: I thought UK would win this one but I’ve changed my mind. 30-25 11-19

I think the Cats make the SEC. But that’s all.

 

[Comebakatz3]

You are more confident than me. I am not sure we win another series. I think we likely win a game in each series, sans UT. So, that gives us 4 more wins... 9 total, and I think we might finish in those bottom 2.

It is kind of a race to the bottom.

Missouri plays: Ole Miss, LSU, Florida, Georgia and Miss State
Ole Miss plays: Missouri, Miss State, Arkansas, TAMU and LSU

We have to finish a game ahead of both of those to be ahead of them. We tie, and we're behind. I think both of them are less at risk of getting swept than we are because we face TN and they don't.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

I’m doing everything I can to stay somewhat confident. I’ll fully admit, it’s hard.

 

[SeanCain]

I don’t think we win another series the rest of the season. Bottom line is we just don’t have the talent of the SEC teams we have left. Winning is contagious but so is losing. I hate to say it but I hope we lose if it means we make a change in coaching.

 

[Comebakatz3]

I don’t think we win another series the rest of the season. Bottom line is we just don’t have the talent of the SEC teams we have left. Winning is contagious but so is losing. I hate to say it but I hope we lose if it means we make a change in coaching.

Frankly, I'd be really mad if we barely make the SEC and we still don't make a change. So, to me, we either need to absolutely kill it the rest of the way and no doubt make the NCAA tournament, or we might as well just limp to the finish line and ensure that we'll have a new coach come June.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

Frankly, I'd be really mad if we barely make the SEC and we still don't make a change. So, to me, we either need to absolutely kill it the rest of the way and no doubt make the NCAA tournament, or we might as well just limp to the finish line and ensure that we'll have a new coach come June.

I would never hope for any UK team to lose but this is about where I am at this point.

 

[parrott]

^ Think the losses are more expected than hoped for. Like you, will never hope for them to lose but expecting at this point. Sad to say.

 

[backinky2018]

Not sure why anyone in their right mind would expect UK to win road series against South Carolina or florida. South Carolina has series wins against Ole Miss and Texas at home. Florida has series win against arkansas at home.

UK was shellacked against Mizzou. Stick a fork in us, we're done.

 

[CB3UK]

I didn't follow a second of yesterday's UK-UofL game. That's how disenchanted I am with the state of things with the Bat Cats right now. I knew we'd get our butt beat and frankly I didn't feel like dedicating three hours to that when I could be listening to a competitive MLB game at work instead.

When you have a diehard like me doing that, Mitch....you've gotta wake up and make a change. It's not like UK baseball is UK basketball where you can depend on the fan base.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

Not sure why anyone in their right mind would expect UK to win road series against South Carolina or florida. South Carolina has series wins against Ole Miss and Texas at home. Florida has series win against arkansas at home.

UK was shellacked against Mizzou. Stick a fork in us, we're done.

I have more hope of a series win against South Carolina than I do against Florida. And I’ll fully admit the only reason I picked UK to win those series is the serious blue shaded glasses I have on. I still want to hold out hope but I know it’s highly unlikely.

 

[Comebakatz3]

I have more hope of a series win against South Carolina than I do against Florida. And I’ll fully admit the only reason I picked UK to win those series is the serious blue shaded glasses I have on. I still want to hold out hope but I know it’s highly unlikely.

It is baseball, so anything is possible, but I'm certainly not confident.

 

[Comebakatz3]

I strongly dislike this.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

I strongly dislike this.

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💯 agree with this. I still feel like Barnhartt is going to try to play the injury card and keep Mingione. That’s all Hendrick and Gabriel talked about this weekend.

 

[dtjr]

💯 agree with this. I still feel like Barnhartt is going to try to play the injury card and keep Mingione. That’s all Hendrick and Gabriel talked about this weekend.

God I hope not.
Next year will be a disaster as well with all new players.

 

[Tskware]

I strongly dislike this.

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He is trying to put lipstick on a pig. That won't matter if the final record is as bad as we all expect.

 

[Comebakatz3]

I just mostly see it as silly. They are counting TCU as 2 top 10 wins, which is just ridiculous given that they were only ranked top 10 by one polling service and it was the worst one. As it sits right now, teams that are currently top 10... we’ve got 2 wins against top 10 Georgia. That’s it. We’re 7-12 against Quad 1 teams. Not exactly something to write home about.

I definitely feel like they are setting up the injury narrative again. It is mentioned a whole lot on broadcasts. For me, we weren't going to be very good even with everyone healthy. I think you have to overcome that adversity, and if anyone was able to that it in terms of pitching, it was this team. We have a ton of pitchers with starting experience (Harney, Lee, Williams, Stupp, Cotto, Bosma, Hagenow, Hazelwood, and Logue). All of these have now started SEC games, or did so last year. 9 guys. So, losing a few, while it hurts depth and everything... it isn't impossible to overcome. Even still, it is our hitting that has really been the bigger issue.

Also, I was going to try to post the Warren Nolan prediction of how we finish the season, but every time I click on it, it seems to change. I’ve seen it go from 11-19 to 10-20, then back to 11-19, and last I looked it was 12-18. Ohh, wait… my most recent click has us 8-22. Lol I have no idea if they are updating it, or if it just constantly changes or what. The 8 wins it predicts has us only winning against USC. All over the place.

 

[enjyretirement2020]

I just mostly see it as silly. They are counting TCU as 2 top 10 wins, which is just ridiculous given that they were only ranked top 10 by one polling service and it was the worst one. As it sits right now, teams that are currently top 10... we’ve got 2 wins against top 10 Georgia. That’s it. We’re 7-12 against Quad 1 teams. Not exactly something to write home about.

I definitely feel like they are setting up the injury narrative again. It is mentioned a whole lot on broadcasts. For me, we weren't going to be very good even with everyone healthy. I think you have to overcome that adversity, and if anyone was able to that it in terms of pitching, it was this team. We have a ton of pitchers with starting experience (Harney, Lee, Williams, Stupp, Cotto, Bosma, Hagenow, Hazelwood, and Logue). All of these have now started SEC games, or did so last year. 9 guys. So, losing a few, while it hurts depth and everything... it isn't impossible to overcome. Even still, it is our hitting that has really been the bigger issue.

Also, I was going to try to post the Warren Nolan prediction of how we finish the season, but every time I click on it, it seems to change. I’ve seen it go from 11-19 to 10-20, then back to 11-19, and last I looked it was 12-18. Ohh, wait… my most recent click has us 8-22. Lol I have no idea if they are updating it, or if it just constantly changes or what. The 8 wins it predicts has us only winning against USC. All over the place.

In the past Mingione has been known to control the narrative that is being given to the fan base. He is a controller, he doesn't like to answer questions. Again….coming up with excuses. Every team in the country deals with injury issues!! Injuries to one or two players shouldn’t have any bearing on your season, other players just need to step up. There's a reason you have 35 guys on a roster. Use them.

They need to quit giving excuses, it’s getting tiring.

 

[Tskware]

In the past Mingione has been known to control the narrative that is being given to the fan base. He is a controller, he doesn't like to answer questions.

They need to quit giving excuses, it’s getting tiring.

To be fair, the above applies to about 80% of Div I college coaches.

 

[CB3UK]

They've got to learn to read the room. Fans aren't going to buy in to another year of Mingione. We haven't even bought in to it runs year.

I doubt he'd take it, but I'd sure like to see us bring Andy Green home.

 

[CB3UK]

In the past Mingione has been known to control the narrative that is being given to the fan base. He is a controller, he doesn't like to answer questions. Again….coming up with excuses. Every team in the country deals with injury issues!! Injuries to one or two players shouldn’t have any bearing on your season, other players just need to step up. There's a reason you have 35 guys on a roster. Use them.

They need to quit giving excuses, it’s getting tiring.

Bingo. Same story as the Reds. You have to have depth, especially in a sport like baseball where injuries are guaranteed to happen.

Not having depth isn't an excuse. It's yet another failure to do your job.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Bingo. Same story as the Reds. You have to have depth, especially in a sport like baseball where injuries are guaranteed to happen.

Not having depth isn't an excuse. It's yet another failure to do your job.

That is the thing, though… we had/have depth. I haven’t paid enough attention to other teams, but I can almost guarantee you that we have as many, if not more, pitchers with starting experience than most other teams. I mean, we have thrown 18 different pitchers this season. Of those 18, I believe that 11 of them have started one or more games prior to this year. 3 of them have one. Every other person has multiple, even if it was a long time ago, as was the case with Harper. So, the only ones who didn’t come into the season with a start are 3 freshmen, 1 redshirt freshman, Rueben Church (aka, not a pitcher), Mag Cotto and Seth Logue (who are both now starters as sophomores).

So, really, if you want to look at the now… you have 13 of 18 people who have pitched for you that have started at one point or another. So, clearly, they have the ability to start. The issue is that the guys behind the ones that did really well and got hurt… they haven’t stepped up, and/or haven’t been developed to a point where they can step up and not be a drop off. That’s the real issue, and not depth.

 

[3632]

That is the thing, though… we had/have depth. I haven’t paid enough attention to other teams, but I can almost guarantee you that we have as many, if not more, pitchers with starting experience than most other teams. I mean, we have thrown 18 different pitchers this season. Of those 18, I believe that 11 of them have started one or more games prior to this year. 3 of them have one. Every other person has multiple, even if it was a long time ago, as was the case with Harper. So, the only ones who didn’t come into the season with a start are 3 freshmen, 1 redshirt freshman, Rueben Church (aka, not a pitcher), Mag Cotto and Seth Logue (who are both now starters as sophomores).

So, really, if you want to look at the now… you have 13 of 18 people who have pitched for you that have started at one point or another. So, clearly, they have the ability to start. The issue is that the guys behind the ones that did really well and got hurt… they haven’t stepped up, and/or haven’t been developed to a point where they can step up and not be a drop off. That’s the real issue, and not depth.

In the meantime, they still lose out on local kids to ul and some other programs because they are just slow and lethargic in recruiting and deciding what they even want.

 

[Tskware]

I strongly dislike this.

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Per the current USA Today college top 10 poll, Kentucky has only played one team in the top 10 so far this year and got swept. To be fair, they are 4-5 against top 20 opponents (Arkansas, TCU and Georgia)

 

[Comebakatz3]

Per the current USA Today college top 10 poll, Kentucky has only played one team in the top 10 so far this year and got swept. To be fair, they are 4-5 against top 20 opponents (Arkansas, TCU and Georgia)

I think Georgia may have been top 10 when I looked at the polls yesterday, so that's where that came from.

Also add in the Louisville loss, so 4-6. Louisville ranked 17th I believe.

 

[Comebakatz3]

According to Warren Nolan's RPI prediction thingy... this is how we finish. This thing changes constantly, so take it with a giant grain of salt:

	Current	Predicted	Alabama	Arkansas	Auburn	Florida	Georgia	Kentucky	LSU	Ole Miss	Miss State	Missouri	South Carolina	Texas AM	Tennessee	Vanderbilt
Florida	6-12	13-17						2-1			0-3	2-1	3-0
Kentucky	6-12	8-22			1-2	1-2							0-3		0-3
Ole Miss	6-12	13-17		1-2					1-2			3-0		2-1
Missouri	5-13	10-20				2-1	1-2			0-3	2-1
South Carolina	6-12	11-19	2-1			0-3		3-0						0-3

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

According to Warren Nolan's RPI prediction thingy... this is how we finish. This thing changes constantly, so take it with a giant grain of salt:

	Current	Predicted	Alabama	Arkansas	Auburn	Florida	Georgia	Kentucky	LSU	Ole Miss	Miss State	Missouri	South Carolina	Texas AM	Tennessee	Vanderbilt
Florida	6-12	13-17						2-1			0-3	2-1	3-0
Kentucky	6-12	8-22			1-2	1-2							0-3		0-3
Ole Miss	6-12	13-17		1-2					1-2			3-0		2-1
Missouri	5-13	10-20				2-1	1-2			0-3	2-1
South Carolina	6-12	11-19	2-1			0-3		3-0						0-3

This probably isn’t that far off. The only thing I disagree with is being swept by South Carolina. That being said, I could see Auburn coming in here and sweeping Kentucky. Especially if UK has nothing to play for.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

They've got to learn to read the room. Fans aren't going to buy in to another year of Mingione. We haven't even bought in to it runs year.

I doubt he'd take it, but I'd sure like to see us bring Andy Green home.

My one reservation I have against Andy Green, can he recruit. Other than that, I think he would do well here but he would have to get the right coaches around him.

 

[Comebakatz3]

This probably isn’t that far off. The only thing I disagree with is being swept by South Carolina. That being said, I could see Auburn coming in here and sweeping Kentucky. Especially if UK has nothing to play for.

When I first looked at this this morning, we had another win. I think the prediction was we won the USC series, but got swept by Florida. So, the thing is changing constantly.

Looking at it again right now, it has us with just 1 more win the entire way, a win over Auburn. So, like I said, it changes all the time, but regardless, right now it predicts us to finish last in the SEC.

Here is the link if you're interested in checking it out:

Predicted RPI Team Sheet for Kentucky Wildcats Baseball | WarrenNolan.com

A Prediction of the 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament Selection Committee Team Sheet for Kentucky Wildcats with Predicted RPI, Strength of Schedule, Records, and Game Results Ordered by RPI

www.warrennolan.com

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

When I first looked at this this morning, we had another win. I think the prediction was we won the USC series, but got swept by Florida. So, the thing is changing constantly.

Looking at it again right now, it has us with just 1 more win the entire way, a win over Auburn. So, like I said, it changes all the time, but regardless, right now it predicts us to finish last in the SEC.

Here is the link if you're interested in checking it out:

Predicted RPI Team Sheet for Kentucky Wildcats Baseball | WarrenNolan.com

A Prediction of the 2022 NCAA Baseball Tournament Selection Committee Team Sheet for Kentucky Wildcats with Predicted RPI, Strength of Schedule, Records, and Game Results Ordered by RPI

www.warrennolan.com

I’ll admit I haven’t dove into that site but is there a way to go back at the beginning of the season to see what the predictions might be?

 

[Comebakatz3]

I’ll admit I haven’t dove into that site but is there a way to go back at the beginning of the season to see what the predictions might be?

Hmm, probably not. My latest click has us winning 10 games and winning the Auburn and USC series, but getting swept by both Florida and Tennessee.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

Hmm, probably not. My latest click has us winning 10 games and winning the Auburn and USC series, but getting swept by both Florida and Tennessee.

Yeah I just saw that too.

 

[mrschwump]

Up to date Top 150 draft list at the MLB site. NO UK player listed, two signees(Dana/Zibin) at 113 and 148 respectfully.

Vandy and LSU with MONSTER recruiting classes, nobody else even close.

 

[CB3UK]

My one reservation I have against Andy Green, can he recruit. Other than that, I think he would do well here but he would have to get the right coaches around him.

Oh it's definitely a pipe dream. Padres are investing in their roster and he lives in San Diego. You still gotta reach out to him and see.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Up to date Top 150 draft list at the MLB site. NO UK player listed, two signees(Dana/Zibin) at 113 and 148 respectfully.

Vandy and LSU with MONSTER recruiting classes, nobody else even close.

I don't think Zibin is a UK signee. I believe he is going to USC.

Also, no Ritter? That is kind of surprising considering Mingione says he's the best shortstop he's ever seen.

 

[mrschwump]

I don't think Zibin is a UK signee. I believe he is going to USC.

Also, no Ritter? That is kind of surprising considering Mingione says he's the best shortstop he's ever seen.

Double checked, no Ritter in Top 150. He was something like 120 last year, spent the summer in the Cape, then came back to UK. Pretty significant fall.

Totally confused on Zibin. Top of article says UK commit, bottom says SCAR. Could be because he's a Canadian, could go back to HS for another year.

 

[Comebakatz3]

Double checked, no Ritter in Top 150. He was something like 120 last year, spent the summer in the Cape, then came back to UK. Pretty significant fall.

Totally confused on Zibin. Top of article says UK commit, bottom says SCAR. Could be because he's a Canadian, could go back to HS for another year.

I think he was a UK commit and then later changed his mind and has more recently committed to USC. I don't know that for sure though.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

Oh it's definitely a pipe dream. Padres are investing in their roster and he lives in San Diego. You still gotta reach out to him and see.

But he’s coaching in Chicago. Just a small flight to Lexington. And I know some good realtors.

 

[3632]

But he’s coaching in Chicago. Just a small flight to Lexington. And I know some good realtors.

He coaches in chicago but family is based in Nashville and lives there off-season.

 

[Big_Blue_1018]

He coaches in chicago but family is based in Nashville and lives there off-season.

Nashville is only 4 hours away. Looking better and better. 😁😁

 

[sluggercatfan]

My one reservation I have against Andy Green, can he recruit. Other than that, I think he would do well here but he would have to get the right coaches around him.

Just don't think Green leaves the mlb...he'll probably get another shot as manager. Would much rather give him a shot as the current situation. His selling g point could be that ...hey, I've been to the show I know what it takes.