As mid February approaches rapidly, that means baseball is back in the Bluegrass.
The Kentucky Wildcats are looking to build on an impressive and unexpected 2023 campaign that saw a record of 40-21 as well as a 16-14 record in the SEC.
Kentucky also made it to the second Super Regional in team history before being eliminated by the LSU Tigers, who went on to win the men’s College World Series.
Kentucky will begin the season with a weekend road trip on Feb. 16-18 to take on South Carolina-Upstate.
Just a few days later on Feb. 20, the Wildcats will make their Kentucky Proud Park debut as they take on Morehead State.
The Cats will then head to Texas to be a part of the Karbach Round Rock Classic. This is a weekend round-robin-style event and Kentucky will face Washington State on Feb. 23, Texas State on Feb. 24 and will finish with Kansas on Feb. 25.
The Wildcats will then get comfortable in the state of Kentucky as they will play 14 straight in-state games, with 13 of them being at Kentucky Proud Park.
This will begin when Kentucky welcomes Western Kentucky into KPP on Feb. 27.
Lipscomb will then come into Lexington for a weekend series from March 1-3, which will mark the first time in 2024 that the Wildcats will play an opponent that made the NCAA Tournament in 2023, so it could be an early measuring stick in non-conference play.
A new addition to the schedule will feature a mid-week two game set with the Eastern Kentucky Colonels. The Wildcats will head to Richmond, Kentucky, on March 5 and then will host the Colonels the next day on March 6.
Kennesaw State will continue the home stand as it will come to town for a weekend series on March 8-10.
Murray State will be next to make the trip to Lexington as it will battle the Cats on March 12. This will serve as Kentucky’s final game before beginning SEC play.
The Georgia Bulldogs will come to Lexington for a weekend series on March 15-17. The Bulldogs were second to last in the SEC East in the 2023 season with a 11-19 record, so this could be a chance to stack some early wins in the SEC.
Evansville will end the home stand as it will face the Wildcats on March 19.
Back on the road again, Kentucky will face the Missouri Tigers in a weekend series on March 22-24. The Tigers finished last in the SEC East with a 10-20 record, so they could also serve as an opportunity to get some important early conference wins.
The Wildcats will then head to Oxford, Ohio, to face off against Miami (OH) on March 26.
Rounding out the road trip, Kentucky will travel to Oxford, Mississippi, to take on the Ole Miss Rebels. The three-game set will take place March 29-31 and continues the opportunity for Kentucky to stack early SEC wins as the Rebels finished last in the SEC West and last overall in the SEC with a 6-24 record.
Returning home, Kentucky will face off against the rival Louisville Cardinals on April 2.
The Alabama Crimson Tide will make its way into KPP for a weekend series on April 5-7. The Tide and the Cats finished with the same record in the SEC last season and both teams made the NCAA Tournament.
The series begins a loaded back half of the schedule as nine of the Wildcats’ last 11 opponents were all in the NCAA Tournament.
One of the remaining non-tournament teams will be next for the Wildcats as they hit the road to take on Samford on April 9.
Kentucky will stay on the road to take on the Auburn Tigers in a three-game set on April 11-13. The Tigers finished one game better than the Wildcats in SEC play in 2023 and the games could serve as critical winning opportunities with UK’s remaining SEC schedule.
The Wildcats will return to Kentucky, but not to Lexington as they will head up to Louisville to finish out the home-and-home series against the Cardinals on April 16. This will serve as the final game of the year for the Wildcats against a non tournament team.
Kentucky does return to KPP on April 19-21 as it welcomes in the Tennessee Volunteers. The Volunteers finished with the same SEC record as the Wildcats, but the Volunteers made it to Omaha in the postseason before also being eliminated by the eventual champion LSU Tigers.
The Cats will have a bit of layoff before returning to action on the road in a three-game set against South Carolina on April 26-28. South Carolina finished a game better than the Wildcats in SEC play last season as it earned a record of 16-13.
After another open midweek, Kentucky heads to Arkansas for a weekend series on May 3-5. The Razorbacks were first in the SEC West and matched Florida for the best overall record in the SEC at 20-10, so they could be a formidable opponent.
Returning to midweek action, the Wildcats will head to Cincinnati to take on Xavier on May 7.
The Cats bags will remain packed as they head to Gainesville, Florida, for a weekend series against the Gators on May 10-12. The Gators were one game away from becoming the College World Series Champions as they challenged LSU last season.
The Wildcats will return home for the final four games of the season.
The first matchup is against Wright State on May 14.
From Nashville to Lexington, the Vanderbilt Commodores will come to compete against the Wildcats on May 16-18. Vanderbilt finished with a 19-11 record in the SEC and normally is a challenge for any team to handle.
If Kentucky finds itself in the top 12 of the SEC, then it will head to Hoover, Alabama, to the SEC Tournament in the last season there will be teams left at home during the tournament.
Beginning in 2025 with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma into the conference, the SEC Tournament will now feature all 16 teams in the conference regardless of ranking.
With a full season ahead and first pitch looming, the anticipation for Feb. 16 will only grow by the day.
