The Kentucky baseball team recently made history by winning an NCAA Regional for only the second time in program history. They will now compete in the Super Regionals, which takes place at Alex Box Stadium. The stadium in located in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, which is home to the LSU Tigers. Kentucky played at the same stadium earlier in the year and lost two games to one in a series which was highly contested.
However, knowing the environment and having played there before may bring a certain level of comfort to the team. UK pitcher Austin Strickland mentioned that being familiar with their surroundings to some extent can provide confidence, especially since playing in a Super Regional environment is different from playing in an ordinary game in April. Head coach Nick Mingione also believes that the players who have already had the experience of playing in Baton Rouge can draw positively from it.
During the first appearance in Baton Rouge, Kentucky lost the first game 16-6 to the LSU Tigers. The Bayou Bengals were led by All-American pitcher Paul Skenes, who pitched six innings and recorded 13 strikeouts. Kentucky fought back to win the second game 13-10 and then lost the rubber game 7-6. However, Mingione liked how his team settled into the series and that the players got more comfortable as the weekend progressed.
Now, the Kentucky baseball team is hoping that their familiarity with the stadium, community, and the LSU fans can help them as they head into unchartered territory for the UK program. The Super Regionals are a significant step for the team, and the players and coaches will be giving their best shot at advancing even further. Making it to the Super Regionals is something the team and their fans should be proud of, and winning it will be even more remarkable.
