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Kentucky’s Nick Mingione coachs against Louisville at Jim Patterson Stadium in the 119th Battle of the Bluegrass. April 21, 2026 | Scott Utterback/Courier Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Kentucky Baseball made it! The Bat Cats were named one of the last four teams to make the NCAA Tournament on Monday, earning a trip to the Morgantown regional as the 3-seed.
When asked about the Cats sneaking in, NCAA Committee chairman Michael Alford said, “What really stood out with Kentucky was 15-9 against teams in the field. When you look at teams that have won 15 games against teams in the tournament, most of them are hosting. Also, they swept Alabama. That really stood out. And they did not get swept this year.”
As for who else joins the Cats, the regional is deep and talented.
-National number 16 (1) seed West Virginia
-(2) Wake Forest
-(3) Kentucky
-(4) Binghamton
The games will be played on the following schedule:
Friday:
- Game 1: Kentucky vs. Wake Forest, noon on ESPN2
- Game 2: No. 16 West Virginia vs. Binghamton, 5 p.m. on ESPN+ (streaming)
TV has not been announced for the remaining games, but the schedule breaks down like this:
Saturday:
- Game 3: Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2
- Game 4: Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2
Sunday:
- Game 5: Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3
- Game 6: Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5
Monday:
- Game 7 (if necessary): Rematch Game 6
Up first for Kentucky is a matchup with a Wake Forest team that will test Kentucky’s pitchers in a real way.
Wake Forest stats, players to watch, strengths, and weaknesses
The Demon Deacons are a team that loves to hit the long ball. They are led in home runs, RBI, and slugging percentage by Luke Costello. In addition to Costello, Wake Forest has ace Chris Levonas, who has a sub-3 ERA and over 100 k’s on the season.
Strengths
- Offensive Firepower: The lineup is deep and powerful, carrying a team OPS of .918. With five starters boasting an OPS over .900, they can string together explosive innings.
- Top-End Starting Pitching: Levonas and Matthew Dallas (2.45 ERA) give them a legitimate, shutdown 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.
Weaknesses
- Pitching Depth: Once you get past their top arms, the staff gets vulnerable. Pitchers Blake Morningstar and Tyler Wood have bloated ERAs, meaning they could struggle in a double-elimination format if they get pushed deep into their bullpen.
- Defense: They have a .969 fielding percentage with 59 errors. For context, the national NCAA Division I average typically hovers around .973. While 59 errors isn’t catastrophically bad over a full 57-game season, their defense is slightly below average and could cost them extra outs in tight games.
Kentucky loves to put pressure on opponents through steals and small ball, so if Wake Forest decides to save Levonas for game 2, the Cats can really put some runs on the board.
Binghamton stats, players to watch, strengths, and weaknesses
The number 4-seed Binghamton has the unenviable task of playing West Virginia first. But the Bearcats aren’t a bad team at all.
Players to Watch
- Matt Bolton: The catalyst of the offense. He hits .349 with a 1.024 OPS, and his plate discipline is elite (42 walks to just 15 strikeouts). He is also a threat on the basepaths with 15 steals.
- Sean Sweeney: Batting .360 with a .914 OPS, providing excellent contact hitting.
- Conner Griffin: Their most heavily utilized pitcher, logging 57.1 innings with a 4.87 ERA.
Strengths
- Contact & Discipline: They have several hitters batting near or above the .280 mark who put the ball in play consistently. Bolton’s ability to get on base provides a reliable spark.
- Solid Defense: A team fielding percentage of .974 puts them right in line with the national average, meaning they generally make the routine plays behind their pitching staff.
Weaknesses
- Run Prevention: A team ERA of 6.18 with opponents hitting .274 against them. They lack a true shutdown ace, as their top innings-eaters all sit with ERAs north of 4.20.
- Lack of Power: They don’t have the slugging capability to trade blows in a shootout, and a lot of teams in this region can put a lot of runs on the board. The team OPS sits at .796, which is significantly lower than the other teams in the region.
West Virginia stats, players to watch, strengths, and weaknesses
The Mountaineers ended Kentucky baseball’s season last year in a painful 13-12 regional final. The Cats blew a late lead, a theme that has carried through the last 2 seasons.
Players to Watch
- Gavin Kelly: The centerpiece of the Mountaineers’ lineup, hitting .379 with an incredible 1.160 OPS and 13 home runs.
- Paul Schoenfeld: A dynamic dual-threat batting .350 with a .962 OPS and 24 stolen bases.
- Chansen Cole: An absolute workhorse on the mound. He threw 80 innings, racking up 110 strikeouts with a 3.04 ERA.
- Maxx Yehl: Anchors the staff with a 2.16 ERA, a 1.06 WHIP, and 83 strikeouts in 79.1 innings.
Strengths
- Elite Starting Pitching: This is their calling card. A team ERA of 3.82 is phenomenal at the college level. Yehl, Cole, and Ian Korn (2.57 ERA) give them a terrifying rotation that will be incredibly tough to score on.
- Suffocating Defense: They boast a .980 fielding percentage with only 38 errors on the season. This is an elite defensive unit that rarely gives opponents free bases.
- Balanced Offense: The team hits .303 overall. They don’t rely solely on the long ball; they have a great mix of power (Kelly) and speed (Schoenfeld).
Weaknesses
- Back-End Bullpen Blowups: Their top arms are spectacular, but their depth pieces (Thacker, Huether, Stiffler) have ERAs over 7.00. If an opposing team can chase their starters early, the underbelly of the Mountaineers’ bullpen is very attackable.
So the key will be to run their starters early and get to the bullpen.
Kentucky fans will be familiar with Morgantown after the women went into West Virginia and advanced to the Sweet 16, knocking off the Mountaineers in a tense round of 32 battle. If the Bat Cats want to do the same, they’ll need Jaxon Jelkin, Ben Cleaver, and a struggling bullpen to pitch at an elite level.
Can they advance? Sure.
Will they? That’s the question.
What do you think? Sound off below!
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