SEC baseball has officially arrived as Kentucky baseball (13-2) is set to hit the road for a clash with No. 4 Georgia (19-1). 

Due to various cancellations, the Wildcats have played just 15 games this season, which is the least in the SEC. However, the opposite is true for the Bulldogs as they have tallied 20 games, which is the most in the SEC.

What to Watch: 

The biggest story coming into this matchup is that Nolan McCarthy took off the Blue and White for Georgia red. 

McCarthy’s Superman dive into home plate in the Super Regional that sent Kentucky to the Men’s College World Series will live in Big Blue Nation’s memory forever. 

It ended up being one of the last memories as McCarthy went into the transfer portal after it was announced that former Assistant Coach Nick Ammirati, who recruited McCarthy to Kentucky, left the program for Georgia.

“Nothing emotional about it,” Kentucky Head Coach Nick Mingione said about playing McCarthy. “Obviously you wish them well, not while they’re playing us. We’ll say hi and do all that, but these guys are super mature about separating while the game is going on.” 

Both teams will have their first true test of the season this weekend as their non-conference schedules saw both teams face lesser competition. 

Conference play creates the first uptick in pitching, hitting and level of competition for both teams.

Last season, both teams came in white hot, and the Bat Cats swept the Bulldogs in Lexington by scores of 16-10, 9-3 and 12-2 in seven innings. 

Offense:

Starting with both teams as a whole, the home Bulldogs are eighth in the SEC with a .315 batting average and fourth in the SEC in both slugging percentage and on-base percentage with marks of .591 and .465 respectively. 

The Bulldogs are also second in the SEC with 141 strikeouts as a team, but this could be due to having 54 more at-bats than any team in the SEC. 

Moving over to Kentucky, it comes into the game 12th in the SEC in both batting average and slugging percentage with marks of .295 and .471 respectively. When it comes to on-base percentage, the Bat Cats rank eighth in the conference at .437. 

Shifting to individual offensive threats to watch, the duo of Ryland Zaborowski and Robbie Burnett are big time power threats as they are second and third in the SEC in homeruns with Zaborowski at 10 and Burnett just behind with nine. 

When it comes to slugging percentage, Zaborowski is first in the SEC with a staggering 1.096 slugging percentage. The righty batter also comes into the series with a .442 batting average and a .561 on-base percentage. 

As for Burnett, he has accumulated a .362 batting average, .598 on-base percentage and a .914 slugging percentage. 

Rounding out the Bulldogs’ biggest offensive threats is McCarthy as he comes into the series with a .333 batting average, .438 on-base percentage and a .547 slugging. 

For the Wildcats, their offensive identity is still being formed in real time as Cole Hage has emerged as the massive threat, but after him the lineup has been more up and down this season.

This has resulted in constant lineup changes, especially to the middle and bottom of the order and that is not expected to change in conference play until the offense hits a permanent groove.

Hage is third in the SEC with a .558 batting average and second in the SEC with a .606 on-base percentage. The senior is slugging at an .813 clip. 

Next for the Wildcats is Tyler Bell, who has cemented himself in the top of the lineup in a solid true-freshman campaign. Bell has shown to be an RBI threat this year as he is second on the team with 17, just one behind Dylan Koontz. 

On the year, Bell has hit to a .333 batting average, .409 on-base percentage and a .593 slugging percentage. 

A staple in the middle and bottom of the lineup has been Patrick Herrera who has produced a .324 batting average, .491 on-base percentage and a .351 slugging percentage. 

While the Bulldogs might already have the pillars of the offense decided, the Bat Cats will rely on more of a full-lineup approach to offense. 

Pitching:

Moving over to the mound, the Bulldogs are 15th in the SEC with a staff ERA of 4.37 and are 12th in the conference with a .226 batting average against. 

Georgia leads the SEC with 171 innings pitched, which is 17 more than any other team. 

On the other hand, Kentucky has pitched the least amount of innings at 124 but is second in ERA and batting average against with a 1.89 and .175 respectively. 

Unlike the Wildcats, the Bulldogs do not have set starters that are expected to give length, instead they rely much more on a full-staff approach on the mound. 

Nonetheless, Charlie Goldstein is expected to make his fifth start of the season on Friday. The left-hander comes into the game with a 3.86 ERA as he’s given up three earned runs in his seven innings of work. Goldstein has also struck out eight batters and walked three. Opponents are hitting just .045 off Goldstein. 

Nic McCay is expected to be on the hill for the fifth Friday of the year for Kentucky. The righty has thrown 21.1 innings this year and has allowed one earned run, which equates to a 0.42 ERA. McCay has struck out 20 batters and walked 10 on the season. Opposing hitters are hitting .122 off of the Wildcats ace. 

For game two, Matthew Hoskins is expected to make his second start of the year. So far in his 11.1 innings of work, the righty has pitched to a 1.59 ERA as he’s allowed two earned runs. Hoskins has allowed six walks and struck out 15 batters this season. Opponents are hitting .114 off the right-hander. 

For the Wildcats, Ben Cleaver is expected to toe the rubber for his fifth start of the season. Cleaver has accumulated a 2.11 ERA this season as he’s given up five earned runs in 21.1 innings pitched. Cleaver leads the team in strikeouts with 24 and he has surrendered six free passes. Opposing batters are hitting .153 off the left hander. 

In the series finale, it’s expected that the Bulldogs will send Leighton Finley to the mound for his fourth start of the season. On the year, Finley has pitched 15 innings and given up 10 earned runs, which equals out to a 6.00 ERA. the righty has struck out 19 hitters and walked 11. Hitters are hitting .246 off Finley. 

For Kentucky, it’s expected that Ethan Walker will make his fourth start of the season. The lefty has tossed 11.2 innings this season and is sporting a 3.86 ERA. Walker has surrendered five earned runs, four walks and nine struck outs. Opposing hitters are batting .273 off of Walker. 

With the stage now set, the Bulldogs and Bat Cats will begin their three-game set from Athens, Georgia on Friday, March. 14, with first pitch set for 6 p.m. ET.