Live Updates: Kentucky Baseball Opens Season at Elon

College baseball is back.

Kentucky opens its 2023 season on the road, taking on the Elon Phoenix in a three-game set at Latham Park in Elon, N.C.

It's year seven of the Nick Mingione era in Lexington, and the Bat Cats are determined to end their five-year NCAA Tournament drought. Below, you can find all of the necessary reading to get prepped for the 2023 season:

Nick Mingione aiming for "selfless baseball from Kentucky's new-look roster

Kentucky's transfer portal class

Full 2023 schedule

Preseason coaches poll picks UK to finish sixth in SEC East

Five questions Kentucky must answer this season

Below are live updates from Kentucky's season-opener against the Phoenix. Here's the Wildcats' starting lineup:

LF Ryan Waldschmidt (R)
RF James McCoy (S)
C Devin Burkes (R)
2B Émilien Pitre (L)
1B Hunter Gilliam (R)
DH Kendal Ewell (R)
3B Isaiah Byars (R)
CF Nolan McCarthy (R)
SS Grant Smith (R)

RHP Logan Martin tabbed for the start.

Facing a lefty in the opener, this is how we'll roll:

🆚Elon
📍Elon, N.C.
⌚️ 4 p.m. ET
📻 https://t.co/PNX1ubK9Ig
💻https://t.co/ZZCJqKeUvC (💲)
📊 https://t.co/zzRfsT8sQB pic.twitter.com/EMtJsccuhG
— Kentucky Baseball (@UKBaseball) February 17, 2023

Elon's starting lineup:

RF Adam Berry (L)
CF Kenny Mallory Jr. (L)
LF Charlie Granatell (R)
DH Luke Stephenson (R)
1B Cole Reynolds (L)
2B Tanner Holliman (R)
SS Will Vergantino (R)
C Parker Haskin (L)
3B Connor Coolahan (R)

LHP Shea Sprague on the mound.

- Sprague tore up the Colonial last season as a freshman. In 19 games, he went 6-3, earning a 1.89 ERA (10th in the nation) and 1.02 WHIP (24th). 41 Ks to 13 BBs. 2022 Collegiate Baseball Freshman All-American. Legit arm and a good first challenge for the Kentucky batters.

FINAL SCORE: 2-0 ELON

TOP 1: Waldschmidt works a walk after getting into an 0-2 hole. Seven-pitch AB ends in a free pass for the Charleston Southern transfer. The walk is erased after McCoy dribbles a grounder to short, Vergantino and Holliman turn a double-play.

Burkes flies out to straight-away center and the Cats are retired.

BOTTOM 1: Martin gives up a pair of singles, but also fans a pair, both of which came on offspeed. Reynolds grounds out to short and Elon goes scoreless in the first.

TOP 2: Sprague makes quick work of the Cats in the second, getting Pitre to chop to second, striking out Gilliam looking and fanning Ewell on three pitches. Kentucky hitless through two innings.

BOTTOM 2: Martin leaves a 2-2 offspeed pitch over the plate, Elon 2B Tanner Holliman takes it over the left field fence to give Elon a 1-0 lead.

Haskin works a walk on a full count with one out, then steals second base. Martin gets Coolahan to fly out to CF for the second out of the inning. Berry strikes out for the second time to retire the side.

TOP 3: Byars lays down a bunt to the third base side, but Coolahan makes a nice play to get the out. Nolan McCarthy pokes a single to right field, nice piece of hitting with two strikes. He's then picked off by Sprague.

Grant Smith is hit by a pitch, but Waldschmidt pops out behind the plate to end the top half of the third.

BOTTOM 3: Elon notches a pair of singles, the latter coming from Reynolds, sneaking through the left side to score a run. Martin strands two runners but also hits a batter.

TOP 4: McCoy opens the inning with a ripper up the middle, but an out and double play from Pitre quickly ends the inning. Quality work from Sprague.

BOTTOM 4: Martin settles in for a 1-2-3 inning, gets a strikeout looking on Coolahan.

TOP 5: Gilliam laces a single up the middle. Ewell strikes out for the second time, then Sprague gets his second pick-off of the game. Byars pops out to retire the side.

BOTTOM 5: Martin allows a lead-off single, but nothing doing for the Phoenix.

TOP 6: Smith gets a single with one out. Waldschmidt flies out to right then McCoy grounds out, stranding just the second runner of the game for the Wildcats. Sprague has thrown 68 pitches, allowed four hits and struck out three.

BOTTOM 6: UK Pitching change — Darren Williams in for Logan Martin

Martin finishes with 5 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K. Threw 77 pitches.

Williams' first at-bat back from Tommy John surgery results in a nasty strikeout via breaking ball. Byars then lets a ground ball go under his glove at 3B, allowing Holliman to reach base, then stealing second.

Williams walks one, then gets a foul out and another K to strand two runners. Elon has left seven on base.

TOP 7: Burkes works a walk on a full count.

Pitching change — LHP Liam Dabagian in for Sprague

Pitre lays down a bunt, advancing Burkes to 2nd base. Gilliam and Ewell can't get him home, back-to-back grounders to the third baseman Coolahan end the inning.

BOTTOM 7: Williams doesn't skip a beat, strikes out the side. He's now got five Ks in 2 IP. Welcome back, indeed.

TOP 8: Byars is unable to start the inning off strong for the Cats, he flies out to right field on a 1-2 pitch. Dabagian still in the game for the Phoenix.

Nolan McCarthy grounds one to short, but Will Vergantino overthrows the first baseman. The ball goes out of play, McCarthy advances to 2nd.

Smith pops out to 2B, Waldschmidt flies out to CF. Kentucky has just four hits through eight innings, left four runners on base. Only three strikeouts at the plate, but UK is 0-11 with runners on base, 0-4 RISP.

BOTTOM 8: Williams paints the corners, racks up two more strikeouts. Finishes his day with 3 IP, no hits and 7 Ks. Filthy, filthy stuff.

TOP 9: Pitching change — RHP Ben Simon in for Dabagian

Simon fans McCoy, then gets Burkes looking.

Pitre up with UK down to its last out, but he suffers the same fate as the others, striking out to end the game.

Darren Williams shines in his return to the mound, striking out seven in 3 IP. Logan Martin was solid in his first start, but Kentucky notches just four hits, goes 0-11 with runners on base. Shea Sprague was terrific for Elon, 6 shutout innings.

Want the latest on national football and basketball recruiting, including Cats targets? Head over to SI All-American for the latest news, blogs, and updates about the nation's best prospects.

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