LEXINGTON, Ky. — UK will play Ohio (31-26) at noon on Friday in the first game of the Lexington Regional. Indiana earned the two seed in the regional and will play North Carolina State.
"I'm just so happy to have a regional back here," UK head coach Nick Mingione said. "I remember standing right here in that (first base) coaching box in 2006. I remember looking down that left field line and seeing all those people lined up and thinking 'this is an awesome place.' You guys heard me say in my press conference that we were going to win here. I had the vision of this happening. To our players and our coaching staff's credit, here we are."
The Wildcats were on cusp of a national seed, but the committee went with Stanford. The Lexington Regional is paired with the Louisville Regional, meaning UK would travel to Louisville for a super regional if both teams when their regional tournaments.
Ohio won the Mid-American Conference tournament to advance to the NCAA Tournament. The Bobcats finished the season fifth overall in the conference. UK defeated Indiana at Cliff Hagan Stadium earlier in the season. NC State was a preseason top 10 teams by some publications, but a 34-23 finish pushed them to the three seed in the region.
"I think it's a really good regional," Mingione said. "Rob Smith at Ohio, I have as much respect for him as any coach. (Ohio) looks like a really good team. I just looked up some of their stats. Couple of guys who can hit the ball out of the yard. They field .980 as a team. They can really pitch. They got a guy in the back end with 15 saves. We're going to really have our hands full that first day."
Mingione said he wasn't concerned with UK faltering down the stretch. The Wildcats dropped four of their last five games, which ultimately might've cost them a shot at being a national seed.
"I'm not a big believer in momentum," Mingione said. "I just believe every single day and every single pitch provides an opportunity. After we got beat at the Southeastern Conference Tournament, we went and met in the hotel. I thought it was as good of a meeting as I've ever had with our team.
"I just love the way we've prepared. At the same time, our season is on the line. I love that. This is my favorite time of the year. It started today with our practice. I want them to embrace that too."
2017 NCAA Baseball Lexington Regional | Tournament Central Site
Cliff Hagan Stadium – Lexington, Ky. (All Times Eastern)
Friday, June 2
Game 1 – Ohio vs. Kentucky – Noon – ESPNU
Game 2 – NC State vs. Indiana – 7 p.m. – WatchESPN
Saturday, June 3
Game 3 – Winner Game 1 vs. Winner Game 2 – TBA – TV TBD
Game 4 – Loser Game 1 vs. Loser Game 2 – TBA – TV TBD
Sunday, June 4Game 5 – Winner Game 4 vs. Loser Game 3 – TBA – TV TBD
Game 6 – Winner Game 3 vs. Winner Game 5 – TBA – TV TBD
Monday, June 5 (If necessary)
Game 7 – Winner Game 6 vs. Loser Game 6 – TBA – TV TBD
