UK baseball notebook (5/15): Cats back up to No. 6
LEXINGTON, Ky. — After dropping a series to Georgia last weekend, it was important for the UK baseball team to bounce back and have a strong showing in its final home series against Tennessee. The Wildcats did just that, finishing the weekend 4-0 with a midweek win over a tough Indiana squad and then three wins over Tennessee.
Second baseman Riley Mahan led the charge offensively against the Vols, going 9-of-13 (.692) with two doubles, a triple, three home runs, six runs scored and eight RBI. Mahan leads UK with 14 home runs on the season. Mahan was named SEC Player of the Week for the third time this season.
Freshman lefthanded pitcher Zack Thompson earned two wins during the week. He allowed two earned runs over six innings against Indiana on Tuesday. He pitched in relief on Sunday against Tennessee after starter Justin Lewis got into a jam in the 4th inning. Thompson pitched 3.1 innings against the Vols and was given the win.
CATS REMAIN IN NATIONAL SEED DISCUSSION
The sweep puts UK back in contention for a national seed and also gives the Wildcats a chance to win the conference when it travels to Florida this weekend. The Gators have won 10 straight SEC games and are currently first in the conference with a 19-8 record. UK is tied for second place with LSU with a record of 18-9 in the conference. If the Wildcats win the series this weekend then it could win the conference outright. UK hasn't won the SEC since 2006.
Winning a series this weekend over Florida would likely be enough for a national seed. The Wildcats are seventh in the RPI and have the 13th toughest schedule in the country. It would be the first time in school history the Wildcats have earned a national seed. More surprising is it would come during Nick Mingione's first season in Lexington.
CATS PICK UP JUCO COMMITMENT
UK picked up another top JUCO prospect last week, landing a commitment from Arizona Community College Athletic Conference Player of the Year Ben Aklinski. Aklinski is an outfielder who hit .361 in both seasons with Phoenix College. He hit 12 home runs and drove in 50 runs while collecting 72 hits on the season. With three outfielders set to graduate this season, Aklinski will have a chance to compete for an outfield spot right away in 2018.