With Kentucky baseball drawing closer to first pitch in 2024, one of the more newsworthy pieces of the offseason was the contract extension of head coach Nick Mingione which will, simply put, either be a gift or a curse.
The extension came after Mingione led the Wildcats to a 40-win season and the team’s second appearance in the Super Regionals.
Starting with the positives, long term security can be critical in the recruiting and transfer processes.
“High school recruiting will always be the foundation of what we are trying to do, there is no substitute for having a guy in your program for two, three, four, five years,” Mingione said.
A key part of recruiting is coaching turnover and if there is a constant revolving door of leadership then some recruits who desire that stability could be led away from the program.
Being able to tell a recruit that the head coach is not going anywhere until 2028 at the earliest could be a huge advantage, especially if he maintains success.
This same sentiment applies to the transfer portal, especially for players who are looking to stick around in a program longer than just one season or are leaving a previous situation because of a coaching change.
In the ever competitive competition that is recruiting in SEC baseball, stability of leadership could serve huge dividends to the Wildcats.
Another positive of the extension is the upside potential from a monetary standpoint.
In the final year of the extension, in 2028, Mingione will bring home the most money in the contract at $1,105,000. Looking around the SEC, this number puts the Wildcats’ skipper around the middle of the pack.
The amended contract did eliminate a buyout clause, though, meaning if the university chose to fire Mingione, he would be owed the remaining money on the contract.
Despite that, if the program continues to climb the ranks in the SEC and rack up wins, the figure could be a huge bargain for Kentucky as winning SEC coaches are few and far between and often come at a higher price point.
With all of this in mind, it sounds like a slam-dunk decision, however moves like this can also have negative implications as well.
First and foremost, the extension was simply not needed.
After the Wildcats burst on the scene last season and made the NCAA Tournament, a clause went into effect that locked coach Mingione in until 2026.
While sometimes good to get ahead of the curve, this also gave the university time to ride it out and see what the follow-up season would bring because, for all intents and purposes, last season could have been lighting in a bottle that may not carry over.
This is especially noteworthy in the fact that seasons following an NCAA appearance have not been pretty during Mingione’s tenure.
Mingione wasted no time making a name for himself in Lexington as he led the Wildcats to the Super Regionals in his 2017 debut season.
However, following the 43-23 2017 season, the Wildcats missed the NCAA Tournament with a 34-22 record and a loss in the SEC Tournament. The regression continued in 2019 with a 28-29 season, which resulted in missing the SEC Tournament all together.
After an incomplete 2020 season due to Covid-19, a 29-23 2021 season would end in the SEC Tournament as well, resulting in the “Bat Cats” being left out of the NCAA Tournament once again.
The program saw some improvement in 2022 as the Wildcats finished 32-26, but would fall short in the SEC Tournament and miss the NCAA Tournament again.
The previous tournament drought shows a lack of consistent success under Mingione after an NCAA Tournament caliber team.
This trend began conversations ahead of the 2023 season of whether or not Kentucky should consider moving on from Mingione if this lack of success continued.
Luckily for the head man the 2023 season was very successful.
Regardless, going from conversations about a future post-Mingione to an extension after one good season could be seen as too quick of a commitment especially given the fact he was still under contract until 2026.
Also, if Kentucky falls into this cycle of unsuccessful seasons again, then the quick move to extend could set the program back for years to come after showing massive potential in 2023.
It’s hard not to compare the situation to that of Kyra Elzy of the women’s basketball team, who received an extension after winning Kentucky’s first SEC title in 40 years and has gone a combined 21-36 since with no NCAA Tournament appearances.
Much like just about anything in sports, this extension and whether it was the right move or not will be completely based on the results on the field and if the Wildcats can build upon their 2023 season and make it back to the postseason once again.
It’s entirely possible the 2024 season could be another success and the move will look brilliant, but it’s also entirely possible the move blows up in Kentucky’s face.
All fans can do until they know which one it’ll be is wait.
Kentucky baseball is set to begin its 2024 season on Friday, Feb. 16, at SC Upstate. Game one will start at 3 p.m. and air on ESPN+.
