An offensive showdown awaits UK baseball as high-scoring Tennessee Tech comes to Lexington at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at Cliff Hagan Stadium.

No. 19 UK (26-14, 9-9 SEC), which won two of three games over Texas A&M last weekend, faces a Tennessee Tech team that has won five consecutive games and eight out of its last 10. The Golden Eagles are averaging over eight runs per game.

Tennessee Tech has hit 48 home runs this season with 355 runs batted in and 471 hits.

The Golden Eagles (32-10) are third in the country in runs per game, one place ahead of UK, and they are second in the nation with a +4.0 scoring margin. UK’s +3.7 margin is good for fourth in the country. The Golden Eagles also are ranked eleventh in the nation with a 75.6 percent winning percentage.

Midseason National Player of the Year and junior first baseman A.J. Reed leads the nation in home runs and heads a lineup that has outscored opponents 333 to 185. The Cats will rely on a batting order that includes senior Micheal Thomas, junior third baseman Max Kuhn, centerfielder Austin Cousino and first baseman Thomas Bernal, all whom are hitting over .300.

Without the consistency of weekend starters in Reed (7-1) or sophomore Dylan Dwyer (5-1) on the mound, UK will have to rely on the bullpen, specifically freshman relievers Logan Salow and Zack Brown, to stifle the Golden Eagles offense.

The game will be the third for Tennessee Tech against an SEC opponent this season. The Golden Eagles are 0-2 in those games with losses to Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

STAFF REPORT