'All Hands on Deck' for Kentucky's Pitching Staff in Regional Final vs. Indiana
LEXINGTON, Ky. — The difference between starting out 2-0 vs. 1-1 in an NCAA Tournament Regional is staggering.
In a flash, the road to supers goes from one more win to three more, all of which have to come in a row. It takes a toll, mentally and physically, primarily on the pitching staff.
Making decisions on who to bring in to pitch in a certain situation is hard enough for a head coach before the weekend even begins. What to do when you back is against the wall, however, is an ever harder hurdle to climb.
Coaches like Nick Mingione make the kind of money they do for the countless hours of preparation and game-planning that goes into every game in the season, but especially in the tense moments of the postseason. No matter how you slice it, though, it all comes down to the player that's throwing the baseball off the mound.
Following Kentucky's loss to Indiana on Saturday night, dropping the Wildcats to 1-1 in the Lexington Regional, Mingione and pitching coach Dan Roszel found themselves in that woeful pitching predicament. Having burned ace right-hander Zack Lee, it looked as though it was going to take a hodge-podged effort to claw the Cats through what would be a doubleheader on Sunday.
Carrying 14 total pitchers, two of which – Lee and Friday starter Travis Smith — being unavailable, while trusty righty Mason Moore had thrown 50 pitches and 5.0 innings just two days prior, UK had plenty of arms, but it still needed a couple to step up in big moments.
Enter reliever-turned-starter Austin Strickland, who fired 6.0 innings of scoreless baseball in a 10-0 win over West Virginia to start the day. Thanks to some early offense, he was able to leave with a six-run lead, allowing UK to put in low-leverage left-hander Magdiel Cotto, who tossed 2.0 scoreless himself.
Leading 10-0 in the ninth, Mingione gave the final three outs to James McCoy, a right fielder who made just one pitching appearance this season, in the final midweek game of the year against Tennessee Tech.
Maneuvering through game one as clean as Mingione could've hoped, there was still plenty of bullpen depth to work with as UK took on Indiana in the nightcap. Former Friday-night starter Logan Martin, who has dealt with injury for most of the season, turned in a solid 3.0 innings, allowing just a pair of runs in 57 pitches.
Just as they did in game one, Kentucky's bats provided the pitching staff with a stress-free work environment, as by the time left-handed reliever Evan Byers came out for the fourth inning, the Cats had a 6-2 lead, thanks to an ever-thinning Indiana staff that was reluctant to send out the big guns.
Byers made way for midseason All-American Ryan Hagenow, who had been battling staying 100-percent healthy down the stretch, with his results on the mound being mediocre at best. Being able to pitch in a low-leverage situation served the junior well, as he tallied 4.2 innings, motoring the Cats along to a 16-6 win over the Hoosiers.
Through four games, just seven UK pitchers have thrown multiple innings. Now facing a winner-take-all game vs. Indiana on Monday night, Mingione says it will be "all hands on deck," only ruling out Hagenow.
"We'll have a lot of guys ready to go and toe the rubber back again," Mingione said. "I feel good about where it's at. Sleep on it tonight. And see what we're going to do tomorrow."
Eyes turn to seventh-year senior Darren Williams (4-2, 4.01), who relieved Lee on Saturday night, allowing three hits and a run in just one inning. Mingione has previously referred to Williams as UK's "trump card," but will he be used to start, or come out of the pen?
Lefty Tyler Bosma made 13 starts this season, but fell out of the rotation in favor of Strickland in the final weekend before postseason play. He's completed 4.0 innings just once in his last six appearances. If needed, he can eat innings, though he hasn't thrown in a game since May 13.
Smith threw 76 pitches on Friday, while Moore finished the win over Ball State with 50. Neither can be ruled out, though Moore would be more likely to make an appearance, as he hardly labored when recording 15 outs against 14 batters. Strickland making another trot to the mound seems highly unlikely, as he hurled 100 pitches in his outing. The same goes for Lee, who threw 106.
So, who's left?
- RHP Ryder Giles (1-1, 4.00, 18 IP)
- RHP Seth Chavez (2-1, 4.50, 10 IP)
- LHP Magdiel Cotto (1-0, 5.54, 18 IP)
- LHP Evan Byers (1-0, 1.69, 16 IP)
- LHP Jackson Nove (3-0, 4.43, 22.1 IP)
- RHP Christian Howe (1-0, 3.00, 6 IP)
In comparison to the "maybe" group:
- RHP Mason Moore (3-1, 2.17, 45.2 IP)
- RHP Travis Smith (4-3, 5.28, 44.1 IP)
Simply put, whether it's Williams, Bosma or both, someone has to work through the Indiana batting order at least twice. The relievers that are fully available don't carry much experience, as most are one-inning guys in the first place.
Everything will play out at Kentucky Proud Park, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. EST. The game will air on ESPN+.
Game recap of Kentucky's 4-0 win over Ball State can be found HERE.
Game recap of Indiana's 5-3 win over the Wildcats can be found HERE.
Game recap of Kentucky's 10-0 win over West Virginia can be found HERE.
Game recap of Kentucky's 16-6 win over Indiana can be found HERE.
- For a complete preview of the action this weekend in Lexington, click HERE.
- For some UK baseball postseason lore, click HERE.
- Everything Kentucky head coach Nick Mingione said about the draw HERE.
- More on Mingione HERE.
- More on Kentucky's pitching staff heading into the postseason HERE.
- Find out which Kentuckians are returning to their home state to play HERE.
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