Kentucky baseball (25-20, 10-14 SEC) will welcome No. 17 Oklahoma (32-14, 13-11 SEC) into Lexington for the first time as SEC opponents for final home SEC series of 2025.
What to Watch
Kentucky entered Starkville, Mississippi for a three-game set with Mississippi State looking easily in the NCAA Tournament, however the Wildcats were swept and now do not have a clear path to the tournament.
Typically, it takes around 13 SEC wins to get a secured spot in the tournament, which means the Bat Cats need to go at least 3-3 in their final six SEC games of the season.
To get to this point, Kentucky has won series against Texas A&M, Tennessee and South Carolina. Along with Mississippi State, the Bat Cats have lost series to Georgia, Auburn, Ole Miss and Texas.
Oklahoma entered the SEC this season and has made its mark by wining series against South Carolina, Mississippi State, Vanderbilt, Missouri and Ole Miss. The newcomers have fell to LSU and Georgia in SEC play.
Due to being in separate conferences, this will the first meeting between the Wildcats and the Sooners on the diamond.
Offense
The home Wildcats come into the series 14th in the SEC with a .269 team batting average and a .424 slugging percentage. Kentucky moves up to 12th in the conference with a .395 on-base percentage.
Oklahoma has a .286 batting average, which is 10th in the conference. The Sooners move up one spot to ninth in the SEC with a .402 on-base percentage. When it comes to slugging percentage, Oklahoma is 11th in the conference with a .471 mark.
Patrick Herrera has not started in seven games due to a hamstring injury sustained at home against Louisville, but he has pinch hit in three games but has yet to return to the field. The senior leads the team in on-base percentage and batting average with marks of .465 and .319 respectively. Herrera is slugging at a .437 clip.
Tyler Bell has started every single game this season and is just behind Herrera with a .315 batting average. The freshman sensation is hitting to a .402 on-base percentage and a .536 slugging percentage.
In the power department, Cole Hage leads the home Wildcats with a .579 slugging percentage. The senior is also hitting to a .314 batting average and a .437 on-base percentage.
Switching to the visiting Sooners, Easton Carmichael enters Lexington with a complete slash line as he leads Oklahoma with a .316 batting average and a .583 slugging percentage. Carmichael is getting on-base at a .381 clip.
Trey Gambill is one point behind Carmichael with a .315 batting average, but he is the team on-base percentage leader at .489. The junior is also hitting to a .477 slugging percentage.
Rounding out the visiting threats is Jaxon Willits, who comes into Lexington with a .306 batting average, .411 on-base percentage and a .538 slugging percentage.
Overall Pitching
The home pitching staff enters the series ninth in the SEC with a team ERA of 4.48. When it comes to batting average against, the Wildcats are eighth in the conference at .240.
Oklahoma is two spots ahead of Kentucky at seventh in the SEC in both team ERA and batting average against with marks of 4.31 and .244 respectively.
Pitching Matchups
Nate Harris is expected to get the ball for his sixth straight SEC start and his 11th start on the year in game one. The right-hander has pitched to a 3.63 ERA as he’s allowed 18 earned runs in 44 2/3 innings pitched. Harris has given up 18 walks and struck out 33. Opposing hitters are batting .217 off of Harris.
Kyson Witherspoon is expected to get the ball for the Sooners in game one and he enters the series giving up 17 earned runs in 72 innings, which equates to a 2.13 ERA. The righty leads the team with 100 strikeouts on the season. Witherspoon has walked 17 batters, and he has given up a .181 batting average against.
For game two, Nic McCay is slated to get the home start, and he’s pitched to a 3.68 ERA as he’s given up 24 earned runs in 58 2/3 innings of work. The righty has walked 33 and struck out 58. Opposing hitters are batting .183 off the right-hander.
Cade Crossland is expected to take the hill for the Sooners in game two, and he’s allowed 34 runs in 50 innings, which equates to a 6.12 ERA. The lefty has struck out 59 and walked 24 on the season. Crossland has allowed a .256 batting average against.
Ben Cleaver is expected to round out the rotation for the home Wildcats and he leads the team with 71 strikeouts. Kentucky’s ace has tossed to a 3.32 ERA in 65 innings of work as he’s given up 24 earned runs. The lefty has walked 25 batters and opposing hitters are batting .176 off of Cleaver.
Malachi Witherspoon is set to oppose Cleaver on the mound in game three with his 5.28 ERA in his 58 innings of work. The righty has given up 34 earned runs along with 24 walks and 70 strikeouts. Batters are hitting .266 off of Witherspoon.
With the stage now set, Kentucky and Oklahoma will meet for the first time on a baseball field on Friday, May 9, with first pitch set for 6:30 p.m. ET.
