Mark Maloney on Kentucky sports

In the bottom of the ninth, Chad Wright is caught looking at strike three. Andy Burns coaxes a walk, bringing the potential tying run to the plate. Chris Bisson loops a single to shallow left, moving Burns to second and bringing the potential winning run to the plate. Gunner Glad grounds into a 6-4-3 double play. FINAL SCORE: Auburn 7, Kentucky 5.

Auburn           212  002  000  — 7    6  1
Kentucky        000  100  310  — 5  11  1
W — Price (4-2); L — Meyer (1-4); Sv — Hubbard (11). HR — AU: Mummey (15), Feltcher 2 (16); UK: Burns (6), Nidiffer (7). Att. — 2,040.

Cats hold Auburn in 9th, try to rally from 2 down

Auburn’s Brian Fletcher leads off the top of the ninth with a walk and moves to second on a grounder. UK Coach Gary Henderson replaces Logan Darnell with right-hander Clint Tilford. Darnell, a lefty, gave up three hits over 5 2/3 innings in relief. Second baseman Chris Bisson knocks down Wes Gilmer’s grounder up the middle and throw him out at first, while Fletcher takes third. Catcher Marcus Nidiffer blocks a Tilford pitch in the dirt, keeping Fletcher at third. Tilford then strikes out Dan Gamache with a B-B over the inside corner. Going to the bottom of the ninth: Auburn 7, Kentucky 5.

Nidiffer homers for UK, cuts Auburn lead to 7-5

Marcus Nidiffer

After the first two Kentucky batters are retired, Marcus Nidiffer sneaks a solo homer just over the center-field wall and the outstretched glove of Trent Mummey. Nidiffer’s seventh homer of the season cuts UK’s deficit to two runs. At the end of eight innings: Auburn 7, Kentucky 5.

Auburn goes down 1-2-3 in eighth

Auburn goes down in order in the eighth inning. Going to the bottom half of the inning: Auburn 7, Kentucky 4.

Kentucky scores 3 in 7th, trails Auburn 7-4

Chad Wright

Gunner Glad

When Braden Kapteyn leads off Kentucky’s half of the seventh with a bloop single to center, Auburn Coach John Pawlowski pulls starting pitcher Dexter Price and brings in another righty, Bradley Hendrix. Hendrix retires one batter, but Cory Farris doubles to right, Kapteyn stopping at third. Chad Wright’s chopper to short scores Kapteyn, but Farris gets hung up between second and third. He stays in a a rundown long enough for Wright to advance to second base. Andy Burns brings Wright home with a single up the middle and advances to second on the throw to the plate. Chris Bisson walks. Gunner Glad singles through the right side of the infield and, when right-fielder Ben Jones bobbles the ball for an error, Burns scores and Bisson takes third. Pawlowski yanks Hendrix and brings in another right-hander, Austin Hubbard. He gets Chris Wade to ground out. Going to the eighth inning: Auburn 7, Kentucky 4.

Unusual double play ends Auburn threat in 7th

In the top of the seventh, Auburn’s Wes Gilmer leads off with a double to the gap in right-center and Dan Gamache follows with a walk. Caleb Bowen puts down a two-strike bunt to move the runners to second and third. Justin Haggerty bounces to shortstop Chris Wade. Gilmer holds at third but Gamache doesn’t hold at second. After Wade throws out Haggerty at first, Gunner Glad whips the ball to second baseman Chris Bisson, who gets the ball to Chris McClendon for the tag. Score the double play 6-3-4-5. Seventh-inning stretch time: Auburn 7, Kentucky 1.

Wildcats add two hits but no runs in 6th

In the bottom of the sixth, Kentucky gets a one-out single, up the middle, from Chris Bisson. One out later, Chris Wade singles, the fifth hit given up by Auburn right-hander Dexter Price. The threat ends as Keenan Wiley lines out to center. Going to the seventh inning: Auburn 7, Kentucky 1.

Fletcher goes deep again to give Auburn 7-1 lead

Brian Fletcher

A hit batsman and Brian Fletcher’s second home run of the game (16th of the season) produce two runs for Auburn in the sixth inning. Three homers have produced six Auburn runs. Trent Mummey, the other long-ball artist, drove in the Tigers’ other run with a bases-loaded walk. Going to UK’s half of the sixth: Auburn 7, Kentucky 1.

Cats leave 2 runners on in 5th, trail Auburn 5-1

Kentucky gets a leadoff single from Keenan Wiley and a two-out single from Cory Farris, but can’t score in the fifth. Two runners are stranded as Chad Wright flies to deep center. Going to the sixth inning: Auburn 5, Kentucky 1.

Nidiffer, Darnell quell Auburn threat in fifth

After the first batter grounds out, Auburn loads the bases with a single, walk and fielding error. UK catcher Marcus Nidiffer fires a strike to Andy Burns, successfully picking off Wes Gilmer at third. Logan Darnell then induces Justin Hargett to ground out to second. In the middle of the fifth: Auburn 5, Kentucky 1.

Burns homer puts Kentucky on the board

Andy Burns

Held to a walk through three innings, Kentucky gets a lift from Andy Burns. The third baseman rips the first pitch of the inning for a home run off of the light tower in right-center field. Five of his six homers this season have come on first-pitch offerings. Auburn righty Dexter Price retires the next two batters. Then, Chris Wade just misses a homer — a long foul down the left-field line — and then flies out to right. After four innings: Auburn 5, Kentucky 1.

Darnell strikes out Auburn in order in fourth

UK’s Logan Darnell strikes out the side in the fourth: Hunter Morris, Ben Jones and Brian Fletcher, all swinging. In the middle of the fourth: Auburn 5, Kentucky 0.

Wildcats’ bats remain silent in third inning

Kentucky goes down in order in the third via two fly balls and a called third strike. Through three innings: Auburn 5 runs, 3 hits; Kentucky 0 runs, 0 hits.

Fletcher homer increases Auburn lead to 5-0

Alex Meyer

Auburn’s half of the third inning starts out much like the first inning. Ben Jones draws a leadoff walk and Brian Fletcher follows with a home run, his 15th of the season, over the left-field wall. Then, just as in the first, UK righty Alex Meyer strikes out the next two: Casey McElroy and Wes Gilmer. Unlike the first, though, he doesn’t get a third whiff in a row, as Dan Gamache and Caleb Bowen walk — Meyer’s and seventh free passes of the day. Gary Henderson pulls Meyer and brings in left-hander Logan Darnell. For his third straight at-bat, Justin Hargett works the count full before drawing a walk — this one to load the bases. But Trent Mummey fouls out to third baseman Andy Burns and Auburn leaves the bases loaded for the second consecutive inning. In the middle of the third inning: Auburn 5, Kentucky 0.

Cats get a base-runner but nothing else in 2nd

Auburn right-hander Dexter Price handles Kentucky’s first two batters in the second. The freshman gets Gunner Glad on a fly ball to left and Chris Wade on a pop to short right. Keenan Wiley draws a walk. Right fielder Ben Jones, battling the sun, wind and a long run to Braden Kapteyn’s shallow fly, makes a circus catch. At the end of two innings: Auburn 3, Kentucky 0.

Auburn adds a run in 2nd, leads Kentucky 3-0

Auburn puts runners on first and second with one out, prompting Kentucky Coach Gary Henderson to make a visit to RHP Alex Meyer. The freshman responds, striking out Caleb Bowen but then issues Justin Hargett his second walk of the game. Trent Mummey, who homered in the first inning, pops a foul behind the plate. But catcher Marcus Nidiffer is slow to locate the ball and can’t make the catch. Mummey then walks, forcing in a run. Hunter Morris just misses a grand slam, flying out on a drive to the right-field warning track. In the middle of the second inning: Auburn 3, Kentucky 0.

Wildcats go down in order in first inning

Kentucky goes down in order in the first, with a groundout, lineout and fly out. At the end of one: Auburn 2, Kentucky 0.

Mummey homer gives Auburn early 2-0 lead.

Trent Mummey

In the top of the first, Auburn taketh and Auburn swingeth away. Leadoff man Justin Hargett takes a 3-2 pitch for ball four. Trent Mummey brings him around with a two-run homer to the deck in right-center, his 15th homer of the season. UK freshman right-hander Alex Meyer settles down to strike out the next three batters — Hunter Morris, swinging; Ben Jones, looking; and Brian Fletcher, swinging. After half an inning: Auburn 2, Kentucky 0.

SEC baseball: Auburn at Kentucky, III

Kentucky, which hadn’t won a home baseball series against Auburn since 1989, tries for a three-game sweep Sunday.

We’re about 20 minutes away from the first pitch on a beautiful day at Cliff Hagan Stadium — 64 degrees, mostly sunny and a 7 mph wind blowing out to left field.

Kentucky swept Saturday’s Southeastern Conference doubleheader 6-5 (10 innings) and 6-3.

UK (26-23, 11-15 SEC) still has hopes of qualifying for the eight-team SEC Tournament. The Wildcats start Sunday ninth overall, 1 1/2 games behind Vanderbilt and 2 games back of South Carolina. Vandy goes for a sweep of Georgia on Sunday, with South Carolina taking on Tennessee.

Saturday’s sweep virtually eliminated Auburn (27-24, 8-18) from contention.

 

Sunday’s starting lineups:

AUBURN — Justin Hargett, 2B; Trent Mummey, CF; Hunter Morris, 1B; Ben Jones, RF; Brian Fletcher, LF; Casey McElroy, SS; Wes Gilmer, 3B; Dan Gamache, DH; Caleb Bowen, C. Pitching — RH Dexter Price (3-2, 5.74).

KENTUCKY — Chad Wright, LF; Andy Burns, 3B; Chris Bisson, 2B; Gunner Glad, 1B; Chris Wade, SS; Keenan Wiley, CF; Braden Kapteyn, DH; Marcus Nidiffer, C; Cory Farris, RF. Pitching — RH Alex Meyer (1-3, 4.67).

UMPIRES — Kevin Assman, plate; Nelson Graham, 1B; A.J. Lostaglio, 3B.

Inning-by-inning recap

Bulldogs add a run in the ninth

Cats get nothing in eighth

Henry strikes out the side in eighth

Cats strand a runner in seventh

Georgia strands runner in seventh

Killer Keenan ‘goes yard’ second straight chance

Keenan Wiley

For a second consecutive at-bat, UK’s Keenan Wiley goes deep, lining a leadoff homer well beyond the right-field wall. His second homer of the game also is his second of the season. One out later, Chad Wright reaches on an infield single and Chris Bisson reaches on a fielding error by second baseman Michael Demperio. That finishes Trevor Holder’s day as Georgia Coach David Perno summons right-hander Michael Palazzone from the bullpen. Palazzone gets Chris Wade and Chris McClendon to fly out. At the end of six innings: Georgia 6, Kentucky 4.

Nothing doing for Bulldogs in sixth

Nothing doing for Cats in fifth

Georgia scores three in fifth to take 6-3 lead

Lyle Allen

The first two Georgia batters in the fifth reach safely — Matt Cerione on a single and Rich Poythress on a full-count walk. Another full-count walk — the third walk in as many plate appearances for Bryce Massaneri — loads the bases with no outs. Lyle Allen, who smacked a two-run homer his previous at-bat, drives in Cerione with the go-ahead run on a sacrifice fly to right. UK starter Alex Meyer gets Joey Lewis on a pop to second, but walks Colby May on a 3-2 pitch to again load the bases. Meyer, having given up five hits and seven walks while striking out six, is replaced by right-hander Tyler Henry. Henry puts Levi Hyams in an 0-2 hole. On the third pitch, a ball, UK catcher Marcus Nidiffer tries to catch Poythress straying from third. But the ball skips past third baseman Chris McClendon for a run-scoring error on Nidiffer. Hyams then hits a high chopper down the line. McClendon, looking for a friendly bounce into foul territory, lets the ball go. It skips past, staying fair, for an odd run-scoring double. A walk loads the bases, but Henry retires Johnathan Taylor on a fly to center. In the middle of the fifth inning: Georgia 6, Kentucky 3.

Wiley ties it with first homer of season

Bulldogs retake lead on Allen’s two-run homer

Georgia wasted little time in taking the lead back from Kentucky. Bryce Massanari led off the fourth with a walk. Lyle Allen then lined a two-run homer just over the short (310 feet down the line) wall in right field. The Bulldogs put two more runners on, but they were stranded at second and third. After 3 1/2 innings: Georgia 3, Kentucky 2.

Glad drives in a pair for UK

Gunner Glad

Kentucky gets a pair of one-out hits in the third. Chad Wright bunts to the first-base side for a single and moves to second on Chris Bisson’s “swinging bunt” single towards the mound. Wright takes third on Chris Wade’s fly to right, and a walk by Chris McClendon loads the bases for cleanup hitter Gunner Glad. Swinging at a 2-0 pitch, Glad dropped a Texas League-single into short center. Wright and Bisson scored, with McClendon taking third. Georgia averts further damage as left-fielder Johnathan Taylor makes a diving catch of Bryan Rose’s drive down the line. After three innings: Kentucky 2, Georgia 1.

Cats turn double play to end Georgia’s third

Georgia gets a one-out single from Matt Cerione in the third inning. But Alex Meyer induces Rich Poythress to ground into a 6-4-3 double play (Chris Wade to Chris Bisson to Gunner Glad). Going to the bottom of the third: Georgia 1, Kentucky 0.

Cats get a runner

Kentucky gets its first base-runner as Bryan Rose draws a one-out walk. He gets to second on a wild pitch, but is stranded there. Through two innings: Georgia 1, Kentucky 0.

McClendon’s web gem sets up 1-2-3 inning

Chris McClendon

Georgia goes down in order in the second, thanks to Kentucky third baseman Chris McClendon. Leadoff man Colby May was robbed of a hit when McClendon made a diving stab of a liner down the line, righted himself and threw out May at first. Alex Meyer struck out the next two batters. After 1 1/2 innings: Georgia 1, Kentucky 0.

Cats go down 1-2-3 in first

Georgia starter Trevor Holder sets the Wildcats down in order, striking out two. After one inning: Georgia 1, Kentucky 0.

Bulldogs strike first

Rich Poythress

Georgia takes a 1-0 lead in the first. Johnathan Taylor drew a leadoff walk, stole second and went to third on Matt Cerione’s groundout. Rich Poythress followed with a run-scoring single up the middle — his NCAA-leading 57th RBI of the season. Two more Bulldogs reached base before UK starter Alex Meyer struck out Lyle Allen and Joey Lewis to end the threat. After half an inning: Georgia 1, Kentucky 0.

Play Ball!

At Cliff Hagan Stadium for the start of Kentucky’s three-game Southeastern Conference baseball series against Georgia.

After being rained out Friday night, the teams are scheduled to play two Saturday, at 2 p.m and the regularly scheduled time of 7 p.m.

Lineups for the first game:

Georgia – Johnathan Taylor, lf; Matt Cerione, cf; Rich Poythress, 1b; Bryce Massanari, c; Lyle Allen, rf; Joey Lewis, dh; Colby May, 3b; Levi Hyams, ss; Michael Demperio, 2b. Pitching: RH Trevor Holder (5-2, 3.48).

Kentucky – Chris Bisson, 2b; Chris Wade, ss; Chris McClendon, 3b; Gunner Glad, 1b; Bryan Rose, rf; Marcus Nidiffer, c; Keenan Wiley, cf; Andy Burns, dh; Chad Wright, lf. Pitching: RH Alex Meyer (1-1, 4.04).

Friday’s South Carolina-at-Kentucky baseball game has been postponed due to wet grounds.

The game will be made up Saturday as part of a doubleheader, starting at noon. Both games are scheduled for nine innings.

The three-game series is scheduled to conclude with a single game, Sunday at 1 p.m.

Kentucky-South Carolina: rain delay

Live from Cliff Hagan Stadium at the University of Kentucky, it’s … a rain delay.

The scheduled 6:30 p.m. start between Kentucky and Southeastern Conference foe South Carolina won’t happen. Rain continues to fall on the tarp-covered infield. Umpires and coaches are scheduled to reconvene at 7 p.m. to consider options.

Friday’s contest is the first of a three-game series.

Just in case we eventually do get underway, here are the lineups:

SOUTH CAROLINA (16-6 overall, 2-4 SEC)

Jackie Bradley Jr.

47  Nick Ebert                    1B

17  DeAngelo Mack           CF

42  Parker Bangs     DH                                                                                                 

Sam Dyson

23  Bobby Haney               SS

  8  Scott Wingo                 2B

20  Sam Dyson                RHP (3-1, 2.73)

Chris Bisson

KENTUCKY (15-7, 3-3)

 29  Chris Bisson                2B

  7  Chris Wade                SS

  5  Chris McClendon        3B

12  Marcus Nidiffer           C

46  Keenan Wiley            CF

30  Braden Kapteyn        DH

James Paxton

44  Cory Farris               RF

22  James Paxton          LHP (4-0, 3.30)

UMPIRES — Steve Manders, plate; Kenneth Couch, 1B; Randy Watkins, 3B.

Chris Rusin

Chris Rusin threw eight shutout innings, while Andy Burns went 3-for-3 with three RBI as Kentucky shut out Indiana State 5-0 Saturday at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

Rusin, a senior left-hander, gave up six hits and a walk, striking out nine. Now 2-1, he threw 110 pitches, 73 for strikes, and dropped his ERA from 6.75 to 3.63. Only one Indiana State runner reached second base — in an eighth inning that included two errors and Rusin’s lone walk.

Tyler Henry closed with a 1-2-3 ninth inning.

Burns drove in UK’s first three runs. His second-inning triple scored two runs, and a fourth-inning sacrifice fly made it 3-0.

“It’s a lot off your chest when you get the runs and you can just go out there and throw,” Rusin said. “Nothing to hold back, throw a lot of strikes, get some early action and, hopefully, you can go the whole game.”

UK pitchers have allowed one walk in 18 innings against Indiana State. The Wildcats for a three-game sweep Sunday at 1 p.m.

In addition to his offensive production, Burns contributed some nifty defense from the get-go. The second batter of the game, Koby Kraemer, hit a slow roller in no-man’s land between the mound, third and short. Burns charged, made a clean pick and threw out Kraemer.

An inning later, Sycamores leadoff batter Luke Fieser singled. Tyler Graham tried to advance Fieser with a bunt.

Gary Henderson

However, Burns charged, plucked the popup out of the air, then fired to first to double off Fieser.

“The ball just kept finding me,” Burns said, “and that’s what you’ve got to do in a game like that.”

Coach Gary Henderson liked what he saw from Burns.

“I thought he was much more aggressive at third base. Much more aggressive, looser, more confident,” Henderson said. “And, boy, it’s surprising how often those things go hand in hand with a young player. A little success on one side, then helps out the other side. (I’m) really pleased with his development. Obviously, it was a great day for him.”

Following are the notes filed live during the game.

Baseball final: Kentucky 5, Indiana State 0

UK’s Tyler Henry retired Luke Fieser, Brian Jett and pinch-hitter Brian Ramirez in order in the ninth. Final score: Kentucky 5, Indiana State 0.

A full recap will be coming in Sunday’s Herald-Leader and online at http://www.kentucky.com/820/story/718452.html.

 Wildcats take 5-0 lead to ninth inning

UK’s Andy Burns notches his third hit of the game, a single, but that’s all for UK in the eighth. RHP Tyler Henry will come on in the ninth and try to close the shutout. Through eight: UK 5, ISU 0.

Rusin wriggles out of jam in 8th; UK leads 5-0

Fielding errors on SS Chris Wade and 2B Chris Bisson, plus a two-out walk to Nick Ciolli, put Chris Rusin in a bind in the top of the eighth.  A 6-4-3 double play and called third strike led to two runners being stranded. Bisson’s error was the first by a UK second baseman in 376 days. The previous E was charged to Neiko Johnson in February of 2008. Going to the bottom of the eighth: UK 5, ISU 0

Wildcats take 5-0 lead into the eighth inning

With one out in the bottom of the seventh, UK’s Marcus Nidiffer singles and Chad Wright walks. But RH Brandon Smith retires Neiko Johnson on a liner to center, then gets pinch-hitter Bryan Rose on a called third strike. Though seven innings: UK 5, ISU 0. Rose remains in the game, playing right field.

Kentucky leads Indiana State 5-0 in 7th

Indiana State’s Joe Meggs is stranded after knocking a two-out single up the middle. Going to the bottom of the seventh: UK 5, ISU 0.

Pitching change for the Sycamores: RH Brandon Smith. Starter Eric Valdez worked six innings, giving up five runs, three earned, on six hits and five walks. He struck out four.

Kentucky leads Indiana State 5-0 through 6th

Kentucky gets a sixth-inning single by Andy Burns, but nothing else. Heading to the seventh: UK 5, ISU 0.

Kentucky’s Rusin working on a gem

ISU snaps LHP Chris Rusin’s string of retired batters at nine, getting a two-out single through the right side of the infield by Nick Ciolli. However, that’s all the Sycamores get as Rusin strikes out the side. Through the top of the sixth, Rusin has a five-hit shutout going. All five hits are singles. He has not given a walk and has struck out seven.

Indiana State makes a couple of defensive changes in the bottom of the sixth. Ben Ferrell comes in at second, Brian Jett at first.

Wildcats up lead to 5-0 through five innings

Neiko Johnson

UK adds a run in the fifth to take a 5-0 lead. Keenan Wiley and Marcus Nidiffer opened the inning with back-to-back singles. The runners moved to second and third on Chad Wright’s sacrifice bunt. Wiley scored on Neiko Johnson’s sacrifice fly to short center. ISU 1B Tyler Graham took the cutoff throw on the mound, then threw wildly past catcher Bronco Lafrenz, which allowed Nidiffer to move to third. Cory Farris struck out to end the inning.

Rusin locks down ISU again

In the top of the fifth, LHP Chris Rusin retires Indiana State 1-2-3 for a second consecutive inning. Overall, he has retired seven in a row.

UK pads lead to 4-0

UK’s Andy Burns, who tripled in two runs in the second, added an RBI in the fourth. Neiko Johnson and Cory Farris started the inning with back-to-back walks. Chris Wade’s bunt down the first-base line went for a hit, loading the bases. A sacrifice fly to center, by Burns, scored Johnson and moved Farris to third. Farris scored when Chris Bisson legged out a fielder’s choice, avoiding a double play. Through four innings: UK 4, ISU 0.

1-2-3 in top of the fourth

UK LHP Chris Rusin retires Indiana State 1-2-3 in the top of the fourth.

Cats waste leadoff double

Bottom of the third, UK’s Braden Kapteyn leads off with a double to the gap in left-center. But ISU RH Eric Valdez retires the next three in order, including two strikeouts. Through three innings: UK 2, ISU 0.

Nothing doing for ISU in third

In the top of the third, Indiana State’s gets back-to-back two-out singles by Ryan Strausborger and Koby Kraemer. But UK lefty Chris Rusin punches out Nick Ciolli to end the inning. UK 2, ISU 0.

Kentucky takes 2-0 lead in second inning

Andy Burns

Andy Burns delivered a two-out, two-run triple to the gap in right-center, giving Kentucky a 2-0 lead in the second. Leadoff batter Chad Wright reached on a fielding error by 2B Koby Kraemer. One out later, Cory Farris walked. A strikeout later, Burns tripled. Sycamores CF Ryan Strausborger made a valiant attempt at a catch, but his all-out dive earned just a soft glance off his glove. Burns was stranded when Chris Bisson flied to left.

No score through 1 1/2 innings

Indiana State got a two-out single from Nick Ciolli in the first and a leadoff single by Luke Fieser in the second. Fieser was erased when Tyler Graham popped up to third baseman Andy Burns on a bunt attempt, with Fieser doubled up easily at first base.

UK had a pair of first-inning walks, but Braden Kapteyn was picked off second base to end the inning.

Lineups

Indiana State (9-3) – Ryan Strausborger, cf; Koby Kraemer, 2b; Nick Ciolli, rf; Brady Shoemaker, lf; Luke Fieser, 3b; Tyler Graham, 1b; Joe Meggs, dh; Pascual del Real, ss; Bronco Lafrenz, c. Pitching: RH Eric Valdez (1-0, 2.19).

Kentucky (7-2) – Chris Bisson, 2b; Braden Kapteyn, 1b; Keenan Wiley, cf; Marcus Nidiffer, c; Chad Wright, lf; Neiko Johnson, dh; Cory Farris, rf; Chris Wade, ss; Andy Burns, 3b. Pitching: LH Chris Rusin (1-1, 6.75).

Umpires – John Bennett, home; Don Hudson, 1b; Nathan Huber, 3b.

Weather – (unofficial) 69 degrees, wind 12 mph, in from rf, with gusts up to 23 mph.

Just wondering if Brent Ingram, Kentucky’s crafty knuckler of media relations, might have sacrificed a bucket of chicken in the name of Jobu.

Ingram’s Wildcats (some might say Coach Gary Henderson’s Wildcats) have picked up another top 25 mention in the pre-season baseball polls.

Already tabbed No. 19 by Collegiate Baseball Newspaper, the Cats came in at No. 23 Wednesday in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association poll. UK has been ranked three consecutive seasons in pre-season polls.

Intrastate rival Louisville is ranked No. 11. North Carolina is No. 1. At No. 2 is LSU, the first of five Southeastern Conference teams in the Top 25. (Six other SEC teams received votes.)

UK is coming off a school-record 44-win season that ended in the championship game of NCAA Regional play at Ann Arbor, Mich. The Cats have won a school-record 122 games over the last three seasons.

This will mark the first season with Henderson, the former pitching coach, in charge. Predecessor John Cohen left UK for his alma mater, Mississippi State. The Bulldogs are the only SEC team not receiving votes in the pre-season poll.

Henderson must fill voids left by all-American outfielders Sawyer Carroll and Collin Cowgill, second baseman Ryan Wilkes and pitchers Andrew Albers, Brock Baber, Greg Dombrowski, Scott Green and Aaron Lovett.

The Cats return two of their weekend starters in Chris Rusin and James Paxton. Shortstop Chris Wade, a freshman all-American, returns, as do third baseman Chris “Sparky” McClendon and center fielder Keenan Wiley.

Add to that UK’s highest-rated recruiting class ever, tabbed No. 4 in the nation. Included in that group are middle-infielder Andy Burns, high school all-Americans Braden Kapteyn (RHP/IF) and Cory Farris (OF/C), and 6-foot-8 right-hander Alex Meyer.

The Wildcats open the season Feb. 20-22, facing Troy, then James Madison and Coastal Carolina in the Carvelle Resort Tournament at Conway, S.C. UK’s home opener is scheduled Feb. 27, the first in a four-game series against Western Michigan.

NCBWA Top-35 Pre-season Poll

    School (conference)    2008 record

1.  North Carolina (Atlantic Coast)    54-14

2.  LSU (Southeastern)              49-19-1

3.  Rice (Conference USA)              47-15

4.  Texas A&M (Big 12)                  46-19 

5.  Georgia (Southeastern)        45-25-1

6.  Florida State (Atlantic Coast )      54-14 

7.  Arizona State (Pacific-10)           49-13 

8.  Texas (Big 12)                          39-22

9.  Stanford (Pacific-10)                  41-24-2

10.  Cal State Fullerton (Big West)    41-22 

11.  Louisville (Big East)            41-21 

12.  Miami (Atlantic Coast)              53-11 

13.  Georgia Tech (Atlantic Coast)    41-21

14.  Mississippi (Southeastern)  39-26 

15.  UC Irvine (Big West)                42-18 

16.  Oklahoma State (Big 12)           44-18

17.  Fresno State (Western Athletic)  47-31 

18.  San Diego (West Coast)            44-17

19.  Baylor (Big 12)                        32-26  

20.  Missouri (Big 12)                     39-21

21.  Pepperdine (West Coast)          38-21  

22.  Coastal Carolina (Big South) 50-14

23.  Kentucky  (Southeastern)  44-19 

24.  Florida (Southeastern)       34-24  

25.  UCLA (Pacific-10)                    33-27   

26.  Clemson (Atlantic Coast)          31-27-1  

27.  East Carolina (Conference USA) 42-21

28.  Oklahoma (Big 12)                   36-26 

29.  Arizona (Pacific-10)                  42-19     

30.  Michigan (Big Ten)                   46-14

31.  Oregon State (Pacific-10)          28-24

32.  Texas Christian (Mountn. West) 44-19

33.  Southern Cal (Pacific-10)          28-28 

34.  Tulane (Conference USA)         39-22-1   

35.  Wichita State (Missouri Valley)   48-17 

 Others receiving votes (listed alphabetically): Alabama (35-28), Arkansas (34-24), Auburn (28-28), Bethune-Cookman (36-22), California (33-21-2), Charlotte (43-16), College of Charleston (39-20), Dallas Baptist (37-19), Elon (44-18), Houston (42-24), Lamar (35-23), Long Beach State (38-21), Missouri State (40-17), N.C. State (42-22), Nebraska (41-16), New Orleans (43-21), Notre Dame (33-21-1), Ohio State (30-26), Oral Roberts (48-14), Oregon (0-0), Sam Houston State (37-25), San Diego State (31-28), Santa Clara (33-22), South Carolina (40-23), Southern Miss (42-22), St. John’s (42-16), Tennessee (27-29), UC Davis (35-24), UC Santa Barbara (35-21), UNC Wilmington (44-17), UTSA (39-19), Vanderbilt (41-22), Virginia (39-23).

* 2009 UK opponents in bold

The Lexington Legends aren’t alone among South Atlantic League teams in changing managers (Tom Lawless in, Gregg Langbehn out).

Other new bosses in 2009 include Matt LeCroy (Hagerstown), Dusty Wathan (Lakewood), Ernie Young (Kannapolis) and Aaron Holbert (Lake County). West Virginia, switching affiliations from Milwaukee to Pittsburgh, also will have a new manager.

Young, part of the 2000 Olympic gold-medal team, will work on occasion with a man familiar to Reds fans. Ron Oester is the roving infield instructor in the White Sox organization.

Ex files

Off-season moves by the Astros include the release of right-handers Raymar Diaz, Jake Leonhardt and Luis Pardo, catcher Kevin Carceek, second baseman Greg Buchanan, shortstops Bryan Brown and Tim Torres and outfielder Cesar Quintero. All are ex-Legends.

Pitchers Doug Arguello, Chance Douglass, Paul Estrada, Mark McLemore became free agents, as did shorstops Osvaldo Fernando and Roberto Mena, and outfielder-turned-hitting-coach Todd Self. Arguello has since re-signed with the Astros.

* More on ex-Legends: catcher Danny Fatheree signed with the Cubs, and left-hander Phil Barzilla with the Padres. Catcher Hector Gimenez was granted free-agency by Tampa Bay, right-hander Cory Doyne by Baltimore.

* Two former Kentucky Wildcats have come or gone with New York teams. Second baseman Andy Green, out of Lexington Christian Academy, signed with the Mets. Shortstop Ryan Wilkes was released by the Yankees.

Young Wildcats rank high

We recently went over Kentucky’s fall signing class, which projects for the 2010 season. Of course, there’s always the danger (likelihood?) of losing committments to the Major League draft.

So what of the 2007 fall class — the first-year players who actually made it on to campus and are eligible to play for the Wildcats this season?

The class of 11 players, which includes five high school all-Americans, is ranked No. 4 in the nation by Baseball America. That’s the best ranking ever for a UK class – and not a bad way for former pitching coach Gary Henderson to start out his first season as head coach. Four of the top five teams and six of the top 11 are from the Southeastern Conference. Louisville is No. 20.

“We are very excited about our new group,” Henderson said in a UK press release. “These young men are very gifted physically, but even more impressive as people and competitors. Despite losing some signees to the 2008 MLB Draft in June, we are ecstatic about this group and we expect several of them to contribute in SEC play immediately.”

The high school all-Americans in the class are right-handers Alex Meyer and Braden Kapteyn, catcher Michael Williams, middle infielder Andy Burns and outfielder Cory Farris. According to Baseball America’s Aaron Fitt, the 6-foot-7 Meyer is “the (Southeastern) conference’s best recruit.”

Five recruits are from Kentucky – Farris (Boone County), outfielder Chad Wright (Heath) and three right-handers: Chase Greene (West Jessamine), Sean Bouthilette (Elizabethtown) submarining junior-college transfer Nick Kennedy (Paducah). Wright is the brother of Cats outfielder Brock Wright.

Two more Cats are JUCO transfers: Gunner Glad and Will Campbell.

Only three recruits from the fall 2007 signing period didn’t make it to Lexington — pitchers Robbie Ross and Seth Lintz signed as second-round draft picks and Daniel Webb landed in junior college.

The rankings and the players are listed below. 

Baseball America’s Top-25 Recruiting Classes (SEC team in bold)

1. Arizona State; 2. Vanderbilt; 3. Georgia ; 4. KENTUCKY; 5. Florida; 6. Texas A&M ; 7. UCLA; 8. Arkansas; 9. Texas Christian; 10. Oregon; 11. Mississippi; 12. Texas; 13. Clemson; 14. Virginia; 15. Cal State Fullerton; 16. Wichita State; 17. Fresno State; 18. Stanford; 19. Oklahoma State; 20. LOUISVILLE; 21. Pepperdine; 22. Southern California; 23. North Carolina State; 24. Florida State; 25. Duke. 

2009 UK Baseball Newcomers

Name, POS.        B/T          Ht./Wt.          Cl.           Hometown/School

Michael Williams , C             R/R          6-2 /210          FR           Knoxville, Tenn./Farragut HS

Andy Burns, IF             R/R          6-2/185          FR           Ft. Collins, Colo./Rocky Mountain HS

Nick Kennedy, RHP        R/R          6-1/170          R-SO       Los Angeles/East Los Angeles

Alex Meyer, RHP        R/R          6-8/205          FR           Greensburg, Ind./Greensburg HS

Sean Bouthilette, RHP        R/R          6-2/195          FR           Elizabethtown, Ky./E-town HS

Gunner Glad , IF/RHP    R/R          6-0/190          R-JR        Tulsa, Okla./Tulsa Union/E. Okla.

Chad Wright , OF           L/R          5-10/180          FR           Paducah, Ky./Heath HS

Chase Greene, RHP/IF    R/R          6-1/180          FR           Nicholasville, Ky./W.Jessamine HS

Braden Kapteyn, IF/RHP    R/R          6-4 /205          FR           Lansing, Ill./Illiana Christian

Will Campbell, 1B/OF      R/R          6-5/265          JR            Seattle/Bellevue CC

Cory Farris, C/OF       L/R          6-1/195          FR           Florence, Ky./Boone County HS