In the midst of a brutal conference stretch in which Kentucky will have played No. 11 Ole Miss, No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Tennessee, it will host Miami (OH) at Kentucky Proud Park in a mid-week matchup Tuesday night.
The ‘Cats haven’t had the season they likely would have expected coming off a Men’s College World Series berth, as they have totaled 14 losses before April 14 for the first time since 2019 (finished 28-29, 7-23).
Kentucky is certainly still in the hunt for its third consecutive NCAA Tournament appearance however, as it is currently projected as a No. 3 seed in the Chapel Hill Regional in On3’s Jonathan Wagner‘s latest Field of 64 Projections.
Miami (OH) Redhawks (19-16, 14-4)
The Redhawks are off to a blistering 14-4 start in the Mid-American Conference, good for second in the league behind just Ball State (13-2). Head coach Brian Smiley’s team is outscoring opponents 166-111 and is averaging 8.3 runs per game.
Miami (OH) is well represented among the best in the MAC, as three of the top 15 hitters in the conference are Redhawks. Senior DH Ty Batusich (.356 BA) ranks fourth in the MAC, while senior shortstop Dillon Baker (.336) ranks 12th and senior center fielder Anthony Zarlingo (.328) ranks 15th.
Junior first baseman Evan Appelwick is among the best in the conference when it comes to hitting home runs, as his 15 are tied for the most among all MAC hitters. That total is tied among fifth most in the entire country.
Kentucky and Miami (OH) clashed last season in Lexington, where the eventual College World Series bound ‘Cats held off the Redhawks 9-5. On that Miami (OH) team however was Ryland Zaborowski, who would transfer to Georgia and is currently one of the favorites to win SEC Player of the Year this season.
Senior left-hander Kaden Pfeffer will likely start for the Redhawks on Tuesday, as he started against Cincinnati in this season’s Nuxhall Classic at Prasco Park. On the season, he is currently 0-0 with a 4.43 ERA in 20 1/3 innings pitched.
Kentucky Wildcats (19-14, 6-9)
The ‘Cats will be looking to get back on track in their mid-week matchups this week, as they have dropped three consecutive to No. 17 Louisville, Xavier and Murray State.
Kentucky has lost 12 of its 18 games, with nine of these 12 losses coming by three or less runs. Nick Mingione’s team has been right there, but hasn’t quite been able to finish off games due to lack of execution with runners on base/runners in scoring position. In those 12 losses, the ‘Cats are stranding around eight runners on base per game.
Just three Wildcat batters are hitting for over a .300 average, with senior third baseman Patrick Herrera now leading the team (.330). Senior left fielder Cole Hage (.325), who had led Kentucky in batting average for nearly the entire season, is now second on the team. Freshman shortstop Tyler Bell ranks third with a .321 average, which ranks fifth among SEC freshmen.
Nick Mingione will likely deploy senior left-hander Ethan Walker to start against Miami (OH) Tuesday night. Walker, who started against No. 17 Louisville last week, is 0-0 with a 6.00 ERA in 21 innings (six starts) this season. The Kentucky pitching staff has been exceptionally strong over its last two SEC series (No. 11 Ole Miss and No. 1 Texas), as it allowed just 25 earned runs over 64 innings (3.25 ERA).
ALL-TIME SERIES: Kentucky leads 29-15
Probable Starters
Tuesday, April 15, 2025 (Kentucky Proud Park – 7:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: LHP Ethan Walker (0-0, 6.00 ERA, 21.0 IP) vs M-OH: LHP Kaden Pfeffer (0-0, 4.43 ERA, 20.1 IP)
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