The end of the regular season has become a bit more dramatic for Kentucky.

Mississippi State completed a three-game series sweep of the Wildcats on Sunday with a 6-1 victory at Dudy Noble Field in Starkville. The Bulldogs took the first two games during a Saturday doubleheader, 14-4 and 6-5.

It marked the first time that the Cats have been swept in 2025 and the first time in their last 21 league series. They have matched a season-long four-game losing streak.

Kentucky (25-20, 10-14 SEC) has seven games remaining in the regular season, three against the Sooners in Lexington, a mid-week game against Northern Kentucky, and three against Vanderbilt in Nashville. After being swept by Mississippi State, those games loom larger as the Cats attempt to hang onto an NCAA bid.

Most college baseball observers believe UK needs a minimum of 13 SEC wins to receive a berth, barring an unexpected long run in the SEC Tournament. Teams that reach 14 league wins are traditionally a lock to make it to the NCAA field of 64.

That means Nick Mingione's squad has put itself in a position where it must at least split the final six games, no easy task in the SEC, particularly when the last three will be played at tradition-rich Vanderbilt.

Kentucky put itself in a tough position by dropping all three games in Starkville to an MSU team that just fired its head coach earlier in the week. By contrast, the Bulldogs (29-19, 10-14 SEC) breathed new life into their NCAA prospects.

Dudy Noble Field has been a tough venue for the Cats. They have lost eight straight there and 12 of 13.

Starter Ben Cleaver (5-3) pitched well enough to keep UK in the game, allowing four runs on three hits and four walks in 5.1 innings on the mound, but the bats were a problem all weekend for Big Blue.

Kentucky managed only 17 hits combined in the three games, going 3-for-26 with runners in scoring position. The Cats also faced some hard luck with two potential home runs in the first inning turning into a triple and an out, and another would-be home run brought back over the wall by the MSU defense in the ninth inning.

Mississippi State broke open a 2-1 game with a three-run sixth inning. The big blow was a two-run single with the bases loaded by catcher Joe Powell, who gave the Cats problems in all three games. He finished with six RBI for the weekend.

Ben Davis (2-2) earned the win for MSU out of the bullpen with three innings of scoreless relief after starter Karson Ligon allowed just one run in the first three innings.