Kentucky Welcoming Back Pair of RHPs Ahead of Regular Season Finale vs. Florida

LEXINGTON, Ky. — No team in America is still fully healthy at this point, but Kentucky baseball has done a good job of ducking the major injury pendulum this season.

The Wildcats' pitching staff was ravaged by season-ending injuries and bothersome ailments for most of 2022, but their luck has turned as try and put the finishing touches on a season that will witness their first NCAA Tournament berth since 2017.

It's not all sunshine and rainbows, though. UK has still had to deal with injury, primarily on the pitching staff.

Division-III transfer Logan Martin was brought in to be the team's Friday-night arm, but injuries have marred his campaign. The hard-throwing Seth Chavez was also brought in via the portal from East Tennessee State to be one of the Cats' lockdown relievers, but he's suffered the same fate through the heart of SEC play.

With three games left in the regular season, head coach Nick Mingione is elated to welcome both right-handers back with the postseason right around the corner.

"I'm super thankful, because Chavez and Logan Martin threw this week and they're back healthy," Mingione told reporters on Wednesday. "I feel like we're to a spot now where we have all of our pieces."

Martin (1-1) has made six starts for Kentucky this season and owns a 4.43 ERA across 20.1 innings. After making his first three scheduled starts to begin the season, he didn't pitch against Southern Illinois due to a non-arm related injury.

He missed an additional weekend and didn't return until the second SEC series of the season at Alabama, where he opened and pitched just 2.0 hitless innings. Since then, he's made just three more starts, never throwing more than 2.0 innings. He hasn't thrown since April 22 vs. Texas A&M.

Mingione noted that Martin — who has struck out 24 batters and walked only 11 — won't be throwing hefty innings for the remainder of the season, but his availability will be crucial for the Cats, whether it's opening games or coming out of the bullpen.

"Logan is not going to be able to throw four or five innings like he did early in the year, but he'll be available this weekend," he said.

As for Chavez, he hasn't pitched since being removed from his outing against Georgia on April 9. He exited the game in the sixth inning after allowing a pair of home runs and a single.

Following his last pitch against the Bulldogs, Chavez immediately took off his glove, grabbed at his throwing arm and motioned to the Kentucky dugout. Trainers came to the mound and then walked off the field with the righty.

Mingione listed him as "day-to-day" ahead of UK's series at LSU in mid-April, but he's still yet to return to the mound.

The fiery 6-foot-4 senior sat out the entire 2022 season due to an arm injury that led to surgery. He's made 10 appearances as a Wildcat, totaling 9.0 innings, allowing four earned runs on eight hits. Chavez has struck out 13 batters and walked five, owning a 2-1 record with one save.

Mingione told Wildcats Today that both Martin and Chavez were available to pitch against Tennessee last weekend, but neither toed the slab on Rocky Top. That could be a different story this weekend at home against No. 4 Florida.

"I feel like we finally have all of our pieces back," Mingione said. And they're healthy, which it's been a while since we've got that. So, feel really good about that."

First pitch in game one between the Wildcats and Gators on Thursday, May 18 is set for 6:30 p.m. EST and will air on SEC Network+.

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