Kentucky baseball will confront last year’s nemesis in first game of SEC Tournament

The University of Kentucky baseball team will open its pursuit of a Southeastern Conference Tournament title against defending national champion LSU at Hoover, Alabama, on Wednesday morning.

The Wildcats (39-12 overall, 22-8 SEC) enter the 12-team tournament as the No. 3 seed. LSU (37-20, 13-17) is the No. 11 seed and advanced to meet Kentucky by winning the first game of the six-day tournament on Tuesday morning.

LSU eliminated No. 6 seed with Georgia with a 9-1 victory.

After Tuesday’s four single-elimination “play-in” games, the format switches to double elimination for the eight teams remaining in the hunt on Wednesday.

The Kentucky-LSU matchup is the first of four games scheduled Wednesday and will get underway at 10:30 a.m. EDT (SEC Network).

Kentucky and LSU did not meet during the 2024 regular season. The last time the Wildcats and Tigers collided, LSU knocked UK out of the NCAA Tournament in last season’s super-regional round. The two-game sweep in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, propelled the Tigers to the College World Series where they went on to win the NCAA championship.

LSU, ranked No. 1 for much of last year, also took two of three from the Cats in Baton Rouge during the 2023 regular season.

This season, Kentucky won a share of its first SEC regular season championship since 2006. UK is well-positioned to host a regional and, if the Wildcats get that far, a super regional, in the NCAA Tournament as Kentucky pursues its first appearance in a College World Series ever beginning next week.

Kentucky is one of three current league teams never to win the SEC Tournament, joined by Georgia and Missouri. LSU has won a league-best 12 tourney titles.

All-SEC recognition

▪ Kentucky’s Nick Mingione was named SEC Coach of the Year on Monday in a vote of his coaching peers in the league. Mingione has now won the award twice in his eight seasons leading the Wildcats, having also claimed the honor in 2017.

▪ UK designated hitter Nick Lopez received All-SEC First Team honors Monday in a vote of the league’s coaches. Outfielder Ryan Waldschmidt was named to the Second Team. Third baseman Mitchell Daly, pitcher Mason Moore and second baseman Emilien Pitre were selected for the All-SEC Defensive Team

Lopez, a graduate transfer from Southern Cal, is batting .380, with six home runs 47 RBI and 52 runs scored.

SEC Tournament

At Hoover, Ala.

All times Eastern

TUESDAY

(Single-elimination format)

▪ No. 11 seed LSU 9, No. 6 Georgia 1

▪ No. 10 South Carolina 10, No. 7 Alabama 5

▪ No. 8 Vanderbilt 6, No. 9 Florida 3

▪ No. 5 Mississippi State 2, No. 12 Mississippi 1

WEDNESDAY

(Double-elimination format begins)

10:30 a.m.: No. 3 Kentucky vs. No. 11 LSU (SEC Network)

About 2 p.m.: No. 2 Arkansas vs. No. 10 South Carolina (SEC Network)

5:30 p.m.: No. 1 Tennessee vs. No. 8 Vanderbilt (SEC Network)

About 9 p.m.: No. 4 Texas A&M vs. No. 5 Mississippi State (SEC Network)

THURSDAY

Games at 10:30, 2, 5:30 and 9 p.m. (SEC Network)

FRIDAY

Games at 4 and 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

SATURDAY

Single-elimination semifinals begin at 1 and about 4:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

SUNDAY

3 p.m.: Championship game (ESPN2)

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