Kentucky entered last season with a roster that had lost 13 players to the MLB Draft, including its entire weekend pitching rotation and almost every starter among position players.

Head coach Nick Mingione knew the season would be a challenge, but the eternal optimist in him did not foresee the extent to which the Wildcats would struggle in 2019. UK finished 26-29, its first losing season since 2011, and dropped every SEC series to go 7-23 in league play.

Entering his fourth year at UK, Mingione hopes experience will make a big difference in 2020.

"Much different feeling this year compared to last year," Mingione said. "I felt like we were starting over last year, so many new faces. We knew it would be hard. It was an extremely difficult season.

"Last season, we had two guys (returning) with 85 at-bats or more. This year, we have eight guys with 90 at-bats or more. So, offensively, we'll have a ton more experience."

There is reason to expect better offensive results this season. The Cats bring back one of the SEC's top power hitters in senior first baseman T.J. Collett (.259, 10 HR, 40 RBI), along with promising bats like senior outfielder Jaren Shelby (.273, 6 HR, 35 RBI) and junior catcher Coltyn Kessler (.297, 5 HR, 29 RBI).

Much of the leadership role will fall on their shoulders, particularly Collett.

"He is the voice, the guy that the players feel comfortable going to, the guy who just shows up in our office and hangs out and spends time with us just because," Mingione said.

Asked what gives him hope for a better 2020 season for the Cats, Collett said: "Just pure experience. You look back at some of our most successful seasons since I've been here, you've got dudes, number one, who are great friends and love each other, and number two, have SEC experience. This year, we have a lineup, that if it works out, we can throw out someone at each position who have SEC at-bats. Last year, I think just Ryan Shinn and myself had maybe 30 combined games total in the SEC."

Austin Schultz, Zeke Lewis, Breydon Daniel, Cam Hill, and Elliott Curtis are also back with the Cats this season after picking up significant playing time a year ago.

Newcomers Oraj Anu, a top junior college signee who was drafted in the 16th round by the Boston Red Sox in 2019, and John Rhodes, a highly regarded freshman from Chattanooga, Tenn., also have the UK staff excited.

"Those two guys have been impressive," Mingione said.

Anu, a 6-foot-1, 235-pound outfielder out of Orlando, is the son of two former athletes. His father played college football for Florida. His mother was a world-class track star and Olympian.

"Just an amazing hitter. He can flat-out hit," Mingione said of Anu, who helped lead his Cape Cod League team to a championship this summer, batting .261 with four doubles, a triple, and seven home runs playing against elite competition.

Mingione gushed about the 6-foot, 200-pound Rhodes. "Just so talented. He might be one of the top two or three fastest guys on our team. He's probably in the top five in power. I'm going to say he's got the strongest arm in our infield. So when you break down his tools -- the run, the hit, the field, the throw, the power -- he really has it all. And to go along with that, he's a tireless worker. That guy just lives in our facility, in the batting cage, on the turf."

This could be the fastest team he has ever coached, Mingione said, so look for the Cats to be even more aggressive on the basepaths in 2020 as they attempt to manufacture runs. "The stolen bases will be important, and our ability to go first-to-third will be important."

The UK boss is also hopeful that speed helps his team improve defensively. The Cats allowed 73 unearned runs in 55 games last season.

The pitching staff will be under the direction of a new pitching coach, Dan Roszel, whose resume includes helping develop MLB All-Star Chris Sale of the Boston Red Sox at the college level.

Kentucky lost its ace, Zack Thompson, who was a first-round draft pick of the St. Louis Cardinals last June. It's unclear who will emerge as the top weekend arms for the Cats, but Mingione expects to see improvement from the numbers last year's staff posted (5.10 ERA, 241 BB in 478 IP).

"I wanted someone who could team them and had that mentality of competitiveness," Mingione said of Roszel. "Our ability to throw strikes, this ballpark demands it. You cannot just sit out there and walk guys."

Juniors Jimmy Ramsey (4-6, 7.26 ERA), Carson Coleman (2-5, 5.14, 5 SV), Mason Hazelwood (2-3, 3.92 ), and Trip Lockhart (1-1, 4.55) are among the top returning pitchers.

The 6-foot-9, 250-pound Ramsey has always been imposing on the mound but has struggled with command at times in his UK career. Mingione said he hopes a new commitment to conditioning and a nice change-up added to his arsenal of a plus-fastball and biting slider will lead to big results for the big right-hander in 2020.

Cole Daniels, Ben Jordan, Braxton Cottongame, Dillon Marsh, and Daniel Harper also return to the pitching staff after working significant innings last season. Mingione also cited freshmen Zack Lee and Cole Stupp, both 6-foot-4 right-handers, as newcomers who could contribute.

The Cats open their season on Feb. 14 with a three-game series at Texas Christian before returning home to play 15 straight at Kentucky Proud Park. The SEC slate opens with another big challenge on March 13 at defending national champion and preseason No. 1 Vanderbilt.