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UK BASEBALL SOARS TO SCHOOL-RECORD NO. 1 RANKING
Wildcats Ranked No. 1 for First Time in UK Baseball History
LEXINGTON, Ky. -- For
the first time in school history, the Kentucky baseball team has soared
to a No. 1 national ranking, as Collegiate Baseball tabbed the
blistering-hot Wildcats as the top-ranked team in the NCAA in its
weekly poll, it was announced on Monday afternoon.
UK’s
No. 1 national ranking marks a first in program history, as UK had
ascended as high as No. 2 in the Collegiate Baseball poll for a week in
2008 and for the last two weeks in 2012. The Collegiate Baseball
Newspaper top-30 weekly poll is the oldest in the nation and dates back
to 1957.
“It is a honor to be ranked No. 1 but no one
gives out regional bids for where you are ranked on April 2,” UK head
coach Gary Henderson said. “We are just three weekends into the
toughest 10-week grind in college baseball and our guys have really
enjoyed competing. We have a lot of things to improve on and can’t wait
to get out to Cliff Hagan on Wednesday for a five-game homestand.”
UK’s
ranking last week by Baseball America (No. 10), also marked its highest
ranking in that poll in program annals, with its No. 8 ranking on
Monday the new program record. Last week, UK was also ranked No. 7 by
USA Today/ESPN and No. 10 by the National Collegiate Baseball Writers
Association. UK moved up to No. 4 in the USA Today/ESPN coaches’ poll
on Monday, with the NCBWA poll released late Monday afternoon.
Kentucky
(27-2, 7-2 Southeastern Conference) is off to the best start to a
season in the over 100-year history of the program, leading the NCAA in
wins and sitting alone atop the SEC standings. UK has won all three of
its league slate, including road series wins at No. 18 Georgia and
Tennessee, in addition to a series sweep over No. 2 South Carolina, the
two-time defending NCAA Champions, to open SEC play.
UK
won its series in Athens, Ga., for the first time since the 2000
season, with its start to conference play ranking second-best in the
history of the program. Through their first six tilts with teams ranked
in the top 25, the Wildcats own a 5-1 mark. After Sunday’s games, the
Wildcats now sit alone atop the SEC standings, just three weeks into
the grueling 10-week slate.
UK’s series win at Foley Field
and 26-run output over Georgia came against a strong team that entered
the series leading the SEC in ERA (2.75), with the Bulldogs facing No.
5 UCLA, Tennessee and Vanderbilt over the last three weekends. After
the weekend series, UGA’s team ERA dropped to 3.36 from the
league-leading 2.75, eighth in the league. The Wildcats belted six
homers in the series and now lead the SEC in average (.325), on-base
percentage (.421), runs (228), hits (323), RBI (208), doubles (60) and
hit batters (57).
Earlier on Monday, centerfielder Austin
Cousino was named SEC Freshman of the Week, after hitting .375
(6-for-16) during a four-game week, with three homers and nine RBI.
Cousino has homered in four of his last five games, reaching base
safely in 27 of his 28 career games.
The Wildcats will put
its school-record 19-game home winning streak on the line against
Dayton in a midweek tilt Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. ET. UK will then host
No. 10 Ole Miss in a three-game series, with the Rebels fresh off a
series win over consensus No. 1 Florida.
Collegiate Baseball Newspaper Top-30 poll
1. Kentucky (27-2)
2.
Florida
(24-4)
3. Florida St. (24-4)
4.
UCLA
(20-5)
5. Arizona
(21-7)
6. North Carolina (22-6)
7. Louisiana St. (22-6)
8.
Baylor
(22-7)
9. Texas A&M (22-6)
10.
Rice
(21-9)
11. Arkansas (22-6)
12. Miami, Fla. (21-7)
13. N.C. State (19-7)
14. Oregon (18-8)
15. Ca. St. Fullerton (17-10)
16. Stanford (16-6)
17. Central Florida (23-6)
18. South Carolina (20-8)
19. San Diego (23-7)
20. New Mexico St. (22-8)
21. Mississippi (20-8)
22.
Purdue
(20-5)
23. Oregon St. (17-8)
24. Sam Houston St. (19-9)
25. Texas (15-11)
26. Louisville (20-8)
27. Auburn (17-11)
28. Coastal Carolina (18-8)
29. U.C. Irvine (17-9)
30. Florida Atlantic (19-10)
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