WKU Towel Whips UK

After a promising start, UK fell to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers 11-8. 

                The rally started with Braden Kapteyn doubling and followed with a pair of doubles from Thomas McCarthy and J.T. Riddle.  With Kapteyn scoring a run, Luke Maile homered out to left field to bring the score to 4-2.  The inning didn’t end there though.  Matt Reida singled after Brian Adams and Michael Williams both struck out.  Chad wright was hit by a pitch bringing Taylor Black to bat.  The senior shortstop homered and pushed the score up to 7-2.  The BatCats STILL weren’t done with the inning though!  The entire UK lineup was faced in the inning.  The last run in the inning was from Kapteyn who walked and was drove home by a pair of singles which would bring the final total for the inning to 8-2.

                The lead was short lived though.  WKU took the lead with 8 runs in the 7^th bringing the score to 11-8.  The BatCats simply  couldn’t rally in the late innings.  

Cats Rebel against the Rebels

After trouble in the early innings, the BatCats proved they are a bunch of fighters and narrowed their loss to 12-10 against Ole Miss last night.  Even with their late game rally, it wasn’t enough to pull ahead but I am still pleased with the outcome.

Ole Miss only had two innings where they didn’t hang up a run against the UK pitchers.  Freshman Corey Littrell allowed most of the damage in his 3.1 innings in the game.  He allowed 9 runs on 8 hits.  I once again look to Gary Henderson for a bit of the blame.  If a pitcher allows 3 runs in the first inning I would think my bullpen would be working ASAP.  Then again, I wouldn’t start a freshman pitcher who hasn’t been consistent in his last few starts against non-conference teams when my team still had a chance of taking the series.  It is good to give a young guy a chance but I would like to see UK in the SEC tourney this year.

The offense was slow but when the rally started in the Kentucky 7^th it exploded.  Before this UK only had 3 runs against Ole Miss’s 12 and by the end of the inning it was looking like UK could pull one of the best comebacks I’ve ever seen.  No home runs were hit but four singles, a double and an error would allow UK to put up 4 in the inning.  This rally would continue into the 8^th for UK where more small-ball playing would allow UK 3 more runs.

Even with the loss, I can say this was one of the more thrilling games I’ve listened to.  I’ve rarely been nervous over a game and this was one of the few where my fingernails were chewed off and there is a nice dent in my floor from pacing.  Hopefully today’s game will be just as exciting if the BatCats haven’t said screw it, we lost the series anyways.

UK Continues to Struggle on the Road

                After a close win against in-state rivals, University of Louisville, the BatCats show they still have what bug the Basketball team had.  The Cats lost 3-2 against Ole Miss despite an awesome performance by Michael Williams.

                So why does UK keep losing?  We have talented returners and a handful of phenomenal freshmen.  I feel the blame can be on the coach.  Just last week he placed a pitcher who had never batted in the centerfield when he had other fielders that could have filled the spot.  Also, he has a habit of leaving pitchers in when they are walking batters and getting hits.  Maybe it is time for a new coach, maybe one who actually cares about the team and not the paycheck he is getting for losing.

Curse of the Road

UK baseball is starting to look a whole like UK basketball. The Cats are 13-3 at home and 2-11 on the road.  The BatCats have claimed only one SEC series and gotten swept on the road for two weekends in a row.  But the similarities between the two teams don’t stop there when you look at the offense.

The BatCats have their own version of Enes Kanter in Neiko Johnson.  However, the fifth year senior will be back on the field after breaking his finger when he attempted to steal second.  After surgery and a few weeks rest, the speedy fielder will be getting his cast off tomorrow so fans can expect to see him in a month or so.

Also, the BatCats are relying heavily on freshmen with the infield almost completely gone after graduation and the MLB draft.  The Cats lost UT Gunner Glad, second baseman Chris Bisson, first baseman Lance Ray, catcher Marcus Nidiffer and center fielder Kennan Wiley.  One freshman has really stood out.  J.T. Riddle has been a dominate bat for the Cats.  He was a force against Tennessee and continues to rack up hits in every game.

The BatCats also have the overrated player who everyone expects to lead the team and ends up flopping at least for a few games.  Senior Taylor Black was a powerhouse at the end of the season last year and everyone expected him to lead the offense this season.  Just this weekend he recorded only one hit.  So much for leading the offense.

My big question is who will become the BatCats’s Jorts?  Who will break out and become a star to be held in the hearts of fans for years to come?  With so much talent, the BatCats should be doing better than they are in the SEC.

The Tide Rolls the Cats in Opener

               Even with Junior Alex Meyer pitching 6.2 innings, the Crimson Tide of Alabama defeated the Kentucky BatCats 4-0 Friday night in the Series opener.  Meyer struggled in the beginning of the game but found his pace after the second inning before allowing two more runs in the seventh.  On the other hand Alabama senior pitcher, Nathan Kilcrease, pitched a complete game with only seven hits and no walks. 

                The BatCats offense struggled to make hits when hits are needed.  Junior transfer third baseman Thomas McCarthy managed a club high with three hits with freshmen J.T. Riddle and Matt Reida recording a single.  Senior shortstop Taylor Black extended his seven game hitting streak with a single in the eight.

                This isn’t the same team fans saw play UT last weekend.  Riddle swung a hot bat all weekend to excite fans while junior Braden Kapteyn continued to be a star.  I’ll be the first to admit, this young team is a lot better than I expected but UK doesn’t need another team who has a perfect home game record but a complete failure on the road.

               The BatCats will face the Crimson Tide again today at 3:05 at The Joe. 

Cats Trampled by The Herd

In another disappointing lose, the UK Wildcats lost to Marshall 6-4.  Once again, junior Braden Kapteyn steps up to lead to be the star of the offense with sophomore start Taylor Rodgers showing a strong start
.

In his six innings Rodgers allowed only two runs with seven strikeouts and no home runs or walks against him.  Rodgers’s performance came as no surprise.  In his college debut against West Virginia, he posted 7.2 innings of shutout pitching with only six hits and a single walk.  He also ran up 35 consecutive innings without a walk and pitched a total of 83 innings.  Rodgers was voted the 7^th best new-comer in the SEC.  He could see himself in the position of the Sunday starting pitcher if Alex Meyer is faced with walks like he has been in the past.  He was replaced in the 6^th inning by newcomer Trevor Gott who showed a weak start and was given the loss.  In his two innings, Gott allowed four hits on three runs which put the Herd ahead of the Cats.

A huge offensive disappoint is senior shortstop Taylor Black.  With the holes in UK’s batting, Black was expected to rise to take place of the power hitting duo of Marcus Nidiffer and Gunner Glad.  Last year, Black exploded mid-season after being benched for a game and earned 11 home runs, boosting his average from .128 to a .290.  In eight at bats this season, Black hasn’t hit a thing.  If this team wants a chance at beating LSU and South Carolina again, Black will have to start slugging again.  Maybe another night on the bench will do him some good.

Sophomore Luke Maile had another good night as the DH for UK.  He recorded two hits, two RBIs and a run for himself.  Sharing catching duties with Michael Williams could prove useful to him, especially late in the season when most everyday catchers are worn out.  That is if Williams can avoid another four strikeouts in one night.

However, among the disappointments is the rising star Braden Kapteyn.  He is starting to become an all-around force for the Cats.  Used as a DH and relief pitcher last year, Kapteyn  had a record of 7-0 and six saves on the mound paired with six home runs and a .294 average.  Kapteyn saw a summer of late inning relief pitching for the Harwich Mariners and named a Cape Cod League All-Star.  UK will be lucky if he stays for his senior year.

UK is already starting to improve on their season which can give hope to the fans.  If one or two of the newcomers or returners can master the power hitting with the new bats and the pitchers can throw more strikes, UK could see themselves in the SEC tournament.

UK will face Miami (OH) tomorrow at 11 AM.

Cats fall to No. 20 College of Charleston

In the season opener, the UK wildcats fell to the No. 20 College of Charleston Cougars.  Charleston’s batters scored 11 runs with 14 hits versus UK’s 6 runs and 5 hits.

The first inning started well for the Cats.  Both senior Neiko Johnson and senior Taylor Black were hit by pitch and took an easy base.  Junior Chad Wright reached base on fielder’s choice.  With a runner in scoring position, junior Braden Kapteyn hit and allowed for a double play.  Sophomore starter Jordan Cooper allowed two hits and one run but left three men on base.

Kapteyn turned things around for the Cats with the first home run in the season, scoring three runs with one hit in the top of the third inning and bringing the score to 3-1.  His home run was matched by back to back Cougar home runs; one earning three runs which brought the score to 4-3.

Freshman Corey Littrell came in to pitch for Cooper during the bottom of the fourth.  Littrell allowed only two hits in the 4^th and 5^th before allowing Charleston five runs with five hits in the 6th.  Senior sidewinder Nick Kennedy stepped in and allowed one run and two hits.  Sophomore Walter Wijus closed for the Wildcats and only gave up two hits with no runs.

While the pitching was struggling, the batting was trying to hit a steady stride.  In the 6^th, the Cats recorded two runs from sophomore Luke Maile and Kapteyn on junior Michael Williams’s double.  The only other run for the Cats came from freshmen Lucas Witt in the 8^th when he was able to reach on fielder’s choice.

With the major holes  in the offense from graduation and the MLB draft, the new and returning Bat-Cats have to step it up if they want to make it anywhere in the always tough SEC.   Out of ten batters, only four batters recorded a hit.  While the new bats may be to blame for part of this, it is no full excuse.  The pitchers will also have to step up their game and get better control of the ball to prevent walks and wild pitches.  Cooper tripled his number of walks from last year in two innings.  It makes me wonder…Will UK really have a year of the pitchers?  Or will they have a heartbreaking season?

Tomorrow the Cats face Marshall at 5 PM.  The game can be listened to and followed through UK's website.