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.