No. 15 Kentucky Welcomes No. 21 Louisville to Lexington on Four-Game Losing Streak

LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky baseball is one of two teams left in the SEC to not lose a midweek game this season. The No. 15 Wildcats are 9-0 and haven't had a real challenge presented to them on a Tuesday or Wednesday.

More on Kentucky's perfect run of midweek games HERE.

That will change on Tuesday night at Kentucky Proud Park, as the No. 21 Louisville Cardinals will head to Lexington for the first meeting of the season between the rivals. It was scheduled to be game two between the ballclubs this season, but game one set for April 11 at Jim Patterson Stadium in Louisville was postponed due to a mass shooting that took place in the city on April 10.

Kentucky has lost three SEC series in a row, dropping two of three at Georgia, at No. 1 LSU and at home against Texas A&M this past weekend. The skid hasn't totally marred the above average season the Wildcats currently find themselves in, but momentum has come to a gradual halt over the course of April.

Despite that, head coach Nick Mingione's team is still the hotter of the two, when compared to the Cardinals, which will take the field on Tuesday night looking to snap a four-game losing streak. Entering last week as the No. 12 team in the nation in the D1Baseball rankings, Louisville suffered a 7-3 midweek loss to Indiana, then a trio of one-run defeats in Durham, N.C. at the hands of the Duke Blue Devils, now the No. 20 team in the country.

The Cards are now 26-13 (8-10 ACC), have lost sight of hosting a Regional and are trending downward in a hurry, with missing the postseason becoming a possibility. They're 3-8 away from home this season, but coach Dan McDonnell's team has won its only two games played at KPP since it opened in 2019. Since 1995, Kentucky actually has a 26-25 lead in the series against Louisville, though its lost 13 of the last 16, including both games played in 2022.

On the mound for Kentucky on Tuesday night will once again be redshirt freshman Travis Smith, set to make his ninth start of the 2023 season. In eight starts, he owns a 3-0 record, throwing 26.1 innings. He's allowed 14 runs (13 earned), good for a 4.44 ERA. The Wildcats are 8-0 in his starts, but the Cardinals will easily be his toughest challenge to date.

Louisville may be without leadoff hitter and shortstop Christian Knapczyk, who missed the entirety of last week due to injury. He's slashing .328/.442/.418 and has been one of the major forces in the Cardinals' lineup all season. They also just welcomed back catcher Jack Payton, the best hitter on the team, currently slashing .386/.490/.661. As a team, Louisville is hitting .287. JT Benson (.318/.435/.533) and Will Cook (.306/.469/.469) are bats to watch in the Louisville lineup.

In the Cards' midweek loss to Indiana, it was a bullpen game for the pitching staff. Sophomore right-hander Kade Grundy out of Somerset, Ky. has made a bulk of the Tuesday starts this season, usually hovering around 3.0 innings a start. He owns a 3-0 record like Smith and has a 4.61 ERA.

While winning the Battle of the Bluegrass is important to the Wildcats, their goals should be set on taking care of business in SEC play. Sitting at No. 2 in the RPI and No. 1 in strength of schedule, a win or loss on Tuesday night won't be imperative. It's unclear whether the game at Louisville will get rescheduled, as there are just four weeks left in the regular season.

First pitch between Kentucky and Louisville is set for 7 p.m. EST. The game will air on the SEC Network.

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