Ryan BlackLouisville Courier Journal
LEXINGTON — When Ryan Nicholson saw the ball into his glove for the final out of Sunday's 5-0 victory over Indiana State, it set off a celebration among Kentucky's players. They jumped up and down. They high fived. Eventually, they dumped a cooler on coach Nick Mingione's head after the Wildcats' triumph in the NCAA Tournament Lexington Regional at Kentucky Proud Park.
Yet compared to last year, when UK also won an NCAA regional at home, Sunday's reaction was more subdued. Even Mingione noticed: In 2023, players dogpiled between first and second base. And then they jogged around the park to acknowledge all their supporters after dispatching Indiana.
This year, as the No. 2 overall national seed in the tournament, expectations are higher. While winning a regional is a nice accomplishment, Kentucky (43-14) wants more. To win a super regional series — and in doing so, clinch a spot in the College World Series for the first time in program history.
Mingione and his players channeled their inner Kobe Bryant: "Job's not finished" just because they swept through the regional round.
"I'm just thankful to be in this position," Mingione said. "But they understand the goal: If you were to ask our players what the goal on the field was, they would tell you that our goal was to be national champions. This was one step."
UK put its best foot forward in brushing aside Indiana State, in shutout fashion, on Sunday, cruising to a 5-0 victory and a place in the super regionals for the second year in a row. What will make this super regional different than the two previous appearances (2017 and 2023): The Wildcats won't have to leave Lexington.
"We've always said that the path to Omaha, the easiest path is through your home field," Mingione said. "And for the third time in seven seasons, we're two wins away.
"It's going to take a total team effort."
Kentucky will host Oregon State, which won the Corvallis Regional, in a best-of-three series later this week.
Winning that series will send UK somewhere it's never been: to Omaha, Nebraska, home of the College World Series. Kentucky is the only school in the 14-team SEC never to punch a ticket to the CWS. Incoming league members Oklahoma and Texas have been frequent participants in college baseball's signature event, too.
But first things first: Kentucky had to get through the regional. And it hoped to avoid having to return to KPP Monday for a winner-take-all game against Indiana State (44-15).
Check and check.
"When you can't get on top of it as the opponent, it's really frustrating because it's like a ball that keeps rolling at you and it never stops," said Indiana State coach Mitch Hannahs, whose team failed to score for the first time since April 23, 2022, when it lost 14-0 (in seven innings) against Evansville.
After that run-rule loss to the Purple Aces, the Sycamores had scored in 138 consecutive games entering Sunday night's weather-delayed tilt with the Wildcats.
"You're hoping to break through and get a big knock at a crucial time just to quiet it down for a moment," Hannahs said. "But obviously when you get shut out — you're chasing three (runs) right off the bat — you can't really get a lot going. ... In postseason play, your opportunities are limited.
"When you get them, you've got to take advantage of them."
UK did just that.
And every part of the team contributed to Sunday's victory.
The Wildcats scored runs in each of the first three innings to give starting pitcher Mason Moore some breathing room. Moore returned the favor by tossing six innings of shutout ball.
"When you have a defense like we have, I wasn't afraid to make the pitch down the middle or where I needed to," said Moore, who allowed four hits and three walks while notching six strikeouts. "I think that's what helped me out the most tonight was just trusting my defense, trusting the guys behind me and knowing they'll make plays."
None made a better one than shortstop Grant Smith in the fifth inning, when he authored a highlight-reel catch that helped extinguish the Sycamores' best scoring opportunity, preventing a runner from tagging at third for a run.
"Just a crazy play," Smith said. "I honestly don't even remember it. I kind of blacked out. I thought me and Waldy (left fielder Ryan Waldschmidt) were going to collide, so I'm grateful that didn't happen."
UK second baseman Émilien Pitre provided some insurance in the top of the seventh, hitting an opposite-field two-run homer that barely cleared the left-field fence — and landed in the Wildcats' bullpen.
"When I saw the left fielder backing up — he had no clue where the fence was behind him; he kept backing up — and I thought, 'That has a chance,'" Pitre said. "I saw 'G' (Grant Smith), he wanted to tag. ... Right off the bat, I knew I got it good, but I didn't know it was going over the fence right away."
After Moore exited prior to the start of the seventh, Jackson Nove came in and threw ⅔ of an inning in relief before Cameron O'Brien trotted in from the bullpen for the final out of the frame. O'Brien stayed on the mound for the final two innings to secure the Wildcats' win.
"Cam had the look tonight," Mingione said. "He had the energy. He rammed multiple pitches /in the strike zone. ... He was throwing the ball so well, and we needed it.
"We had other guys behind him that would have had his back, but he was special tonight."
Exactly how Wildcats expect Kentucky Proud Park to be later this week, when they'll make their debut as a super regional host.
"I'm seeing 5,800 right there as the attendance (tonight). It felt like 10,000," Pitre said."I can't imagine what it's going to feel like next weekend."
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
