Ryan BlackLouisville Courier Journal
LEXINGTON, Ky. — Kentucky’s season will last at least one more game.
In a win-or-go-home NCAA tournament regional contest against West Virginia at Kentucky Proud Park Sunday, Kentucky rolled to a 10-0 victory.
"I felt we played our best style of baseball, where we got a lead (and) we added to our lead," Kentucky coach Nick Mingione said. "And we pitched and defend at a super high level."
With the win, UK moves on to face Indiana at 6 p.m. Sunday in the Lexington Regional. The Wildcats must win that game, too, to force a winner-take-all matchup against the Hoosiers on Monday.
Kentucky (38-18) never trailed in its 10-run triumph over West Virginia: The Wildcats scored two runs in the bottom of the first and never looked back.
West Virginia, which claimed a share of the Big 12 regular-season title — along with Oklahoma State and Texas after finishing 15-9 in conference play — for the first time in program history, ends the 2023 campaign with an overall record of 40-20.
"This was probably the greatest season in the history of West Virginia baseball," WVU coach Randy Mazey said. "We ranked top 10 in the nation for the first time in I don't know how long, 50-some years. We tied the single-season win mark at 40. We won the Big 12. And we have a Big 12 Championship trophy back at home that we're going to display forever."
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The Mountaineers scored at least one run in their first 59 games this season; they didn’t make it to 60. Thanks to Kentucky’s stellar pitching, West Virginia suffered its only shutout of the season.
Austin Strickland, who toed the mound to start the game for the Wildcats, went six innings and allowed four hits. He notched six strikeouts and issued one walk.
"I've been feeling really good in my delivery, really good with what my pitches are doing, where they're going to move, when they're going to move," Strickland said. "And there's a lot of confidence that comes from that: knowing your stuff and knowing yourself."
Magdiel Cotto came on in the bottom of the seventh and went two innings, striking out three of the seven batters he faced.
James McCoy pitched the ninth inning, giving up a single before sitting down the next three batters to bring the contest to a close.
"For us to shut(out) that team ... you just don't do that to that team, that offense, what they can do," Mingione said. "They're a special team. They won 40 games. Our guys just executed at a super high level."
The only West Virginia batter who had much success was J.J. Wetherholt, who went 3-for-4 with a double. That performance raised his average on the season to .454, edging ahead of Florida Atlantic’s Nolan Schanuel for the best mark in Division I. He's the first college player to hit better than .450 in a single season since Buster Posey (.463) at Florida State in 2008.
"I think he makes that stat way better, because everyone knows who Buster Posey is," Wetherholt said. "It's something I didn't think would happen this year for me. ... But it's definitely a really cool thing."
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Kentucky offense clicks
Kentucky wasted no time finding its rhythm at the plate Sunday, with Jase Felker —second in UK’s batting order — doubling down the line to bring home Jackson Gray, who was hit by a pitch to reach base. Two batters later, Emilien Pitre grounded out to first to score Felker and push the Wildcats’ lead to 2-0.
Kentucky added another run in the second via an RBI double from Nolan McCarthy. The Wildcats scored in the third — at least temporarily. Devin Burkes initially was ruled safe as he slid into home; West Virginia challenged the call, and the ruling was overturned to keep the score 3-0.
The Wildcats used the long ball to extend the lead to five in the bottom of the fourth: McCarthy smashed a two-run homer to right center. Kentucky added a run apiece in the fifth and seventh innings. Burkes had a bases-clearing, three-RBI double in the eighth to put the finishing touch on the win.
Kentucky tallied nine hits, four of the extra-base variety, in the season-extending victory.
"Our guys, we've just been barely off," Mingione said. "We've just been missing our quality at-bat goal by one or two at-bats each game. It hasn't been far away."
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @RyanABlack.
