It’s almost baseball time in the Bluegrass!
The Kentucky Wildcats have been picked to finish 10th in the SEC in a vote by league coaches. In addition, Kentucky seniors Devin Burkes and Robert Hogan each received 2025 Preseason All-SEC honors.
Burkes, a catcher, earned First-Team honors, and Hogan, a relief pitcher, was voted to the Second Team by the league’s coaches. Both were integral parts to Kentucky’s first-ever trip to the College World Series last season.
Burkes, from Bradenton, Florida, is entering his third season as the Wildcats’ primary catcher and is a two-time All-NCAA Regional honoree. In his career, he has clubbed 36 doubles, two triples, 15 home runs and driven in 98 runs while also drawing 79 walks and 34 hit by pitch with 30 stolen bases.
The heartbeat of the team, Burkes has guided UK’s pitching staff to two Super Regionals, a College World Series and an SEC championship the past two years.
Hogan, from North Oak, Minnesota, blossomed into a high-leverage arm in UK’s bullpen last season. He appeared in 24 games, going 1-0 with a save and 3.10 earned run average in 40.2 innings. Hogan added 2.1 scoreless innings in the 3-2 Super Regional-clinching victory over Oregon State.
The Cats are entering their ninth season under head coach Nick Mingione and have won 262 games during his tenure, including last season’s school-record 46-win campaign that featured an SEC regular season championship and Mingione’s second National Coach of the Year honor in seven full seasons at the helm.
Predicted SEC Order of Finish
1. Texas A&M (10) – 228
2. Tennessee (1) – 215
3. Arkansas (3) – 214
4. LSU (1) – 204
5. Florida (1) – 183
6. Georgia – 165
7. Vanderbilt – 156
8. Texas – 146
9. Mississippi State – 112
10. Kentucky – 102
11. Oklahoma – 101
12. Auburn – 100
13. Alabama – 98
14. South Carolina – 61
15. Ole Miss – 60
16. Missouri – 31
() – First place votes