April 14, 2026 • 19 mins
Darren Headrick talks with Head Coach Nick Mingione
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
Happy Monday, everyone, Welcome into another edition of the Nick
menji Own Show. I'm Darren Headrick as the Wildcats are
just home from the trip to Auburn over the weekend.
The Wildcats drop two out of three, but overall we're
two and two on the week because of that victory
last Tuesday over the Louisville Cardinals, and so the Cats
are twenty five and ten overall entering a brand new
(00:22):
week and they are seven and eight at the halfway
point of SEC play. Coming up over the next half hour,
we'll visit with the head coach of the Wildcats about
what went right, what went wrong this past week against
the Auburn Tigers, and also kind of look ahead to
what the team needs to accomplish over the next five
weeks left in the regular season. We're happy to have
you with us tonight. It's the nickmnje Oon Show stick Around.
(00:44):
This is the UK Sports Network. Welcome back into the
Nick menje Oon Show here on the UK Sports Network
as the Wildcats get set to host Vanderbilt this weekend,
coming off the trip to Auburn. But last Tuesday, the
Wildcats beat the Louisville Cardinals at home four to two,
coach slides in alongside for the weekly show here and
coach your thoughts on a week that started with the
(01:06):
victory over the Cards.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
So it's a good start to a week there time
you could beat those guys.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
But yeah, just obviously a team that was coming in
hitting well over three hundred and to hold them to
two hits or pitching and defense was just magnificent from
the standpoint of limiting them to only two runs. Yes,
we had some walks in there, we had some hvps.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
But to our guys credit, we bent, but we didn't break.
And that was a.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Really good offense and a great start to the week
and so thankful.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
How about the crowd.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
I know the temperatures were a little chilly and had
so many people watching that game say Nick, what is
going on with the sweatshirt said out like, hey, man,
it is chilly out here. But man, did our faithful
fans show up and creating an awesome atmosphere and just
seeing all that blue and all those people was definitely
lifting for.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Our guys overall in the week two and a win
down in Auburn included in that. What were your thoughts
about the team's performance on the planes in three games. Well,
I just we had talked a bunch about we just
did not get off to a good start Friday night,
and we got a great job to our bullpen, who
we have just used, probably a little too much, Darren,
(02:19):
But yeah, we settled the game down and we won
the last six innings. I mean, we had complete control
of the game, but we had put ourselves in such
a big hole that it was hard to overcome, and
we were a couple of hits away from making that
game closer than it appeared. Didn't get them, but we
had pressure. We had double digit hits, we scored five runs,
(02:40):
and we had some opportunities, but we just needed to
get off to a better start.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
And then you know, fast forward to the next day.
I thought Nate Harris was fantastics and gave us exactly
what we needed a start where he commanded a field,
he got our defense involved. We played phenomenal defense, and
we punched early offensively, got up to a five start
and just limited their offense, which is a really good
(03:04):
offense that we knew they have so many returning players,
and was able to have our bullpend come in again
and finish the five innings strong to get a victory
on Saturday, and then obviously the Sunday game just got
away from us again, very similar to Friday. Didn't get
off to a great start, and credit their pitcher. He
did a great job and held our offensive check and
(03:26):
we weren't able to overcome. But yeah, just the ability
to fight back and stay in a game on Friday,
the ability to do it and get a good win
on Saturday, and then obviously wasn't happy with the game yesterday.
But here we are. We look up, We're two and two.
We got to win on the road and we beat
a good Louisville team.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
So you talked about fighting back. This team's competitiveness.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
What have you seen from them, not just when they're
up five to nothing in a game, but when they're
battling through some adversity in these other games.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
How have you seen them just continue to compete.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
This You know, when you look back at the season
so far college baseball with aluminum bats, I mean, Darren,
it's just it's crazy. I mean, they're at one point
this season, we're on the record, we were on a
pace to hit more home runs than like the gorilla
ball of the nineties. Let that sink in when we
had drop five bats like it was balls are leaving
(04:22):
the yard at an alarming rate and you're like, really, like,
how's that possible? Well, college baseball has gotten better, and
there's so much parody. So if you look at our season,
the amount of times where we've had a lead and
then maybe a team kind of inches back, and then
we build upon our lead, or we're down and we boom,
we fight back and we come from behind and we win.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
So this team is just really really.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Fought and in state in games like, we've continued to fight, fight, fight.
Yesterday obviously was the first time I think we've been
had a ten run loss in over a year.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
You know, it doesn't happen a lot to us.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
It happens to other teams probably a little bit more
than it happens to us, But our team just they
stay together. They're like a connected team. They understand we
don't panic. I give this team credit, like, we don't panic,
and that's how we've been able to come from behind.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
That's how we've been able to get a lead.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Adelaide a team makes a comeback and then we finish
them off. It's but the connectiveness and the competitiveness has
been really good.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Staying with that. On the pitching side of things.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
I know this group wants to be the tip of
the spear. That's what they talk about all the time,
even in the team meetings.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
What do they need to do to.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Do that consistently night in a night out, get to
that point where it is the standard they want it
to be. Yeah, I thought the guys did a good
job after the game last night, just mentioning about how
for some guys their mentality coming into the game, they
need a mentality shift.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
It's not so much a stuffed thing. You're going to
execute pitches. Guys are going to get hit sometimes like
that's gonna happen. But we have some guys that maybe
just shift their mentality a little bit about how they
come into the game and to be the tip of
the spear. And you know, it's been neat because when
you look up and down and you go through our team,
(06:11):
you know, I thought Connor Madison, he's got us off
to a great start. On Tuesday, he was a tip
of the spear. We won that game. Nate Harris did
that on Saturday. We won that game, and you know,
you know, I love talking pitching the defense, and that's
usually where it starts and it ends like you can
go there and you can just go, hey, did we
get that start? Was our guy the tip of the spear,
(06:32):
and more times than not, when he is, the Cats
are going to win. So just a mentality shift for
a couple of guys. You know, coming off the road
and you've been with us, it's been along three or
four weeks, three or four weeks, we've been on the road.
We've been in so many different cities and we've been
how many hours on a bus together, and I mean
it is just and we've gotten closer during those times.
(06:54):
But it does feel good for this second half of
SEC play to have three home series because you think
about the three road series. We had an eight and
a half hour bus trip to Ole, Miss, We had
six different cities and airports to get to LSU, and
then another you know, you're you made a trip down
to Auburn. So it's gonna be nice to finally have
(07:14):
three of the five at home. And this in the
second half of the SEC play, no doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
So we're halfway home in the SEC. You don't have
a midweek game this week four days to get ready
for Vanderbilt. How big is it at this point to
give them a couple of extra days.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
The cats are limping, The cats ain't running after their food,
chasing their dinner. So I mean, no, the guys, you
know they're gonna have. They had today and tomorrow off,
and they need it. Darren. We got to get some
guys healthy, and we got to get some guys with
their legs underneath them. I thought so proud of Luke Lawrence.
(07:53):
I thought, you know, him dhing for all those games,
helped him get his legs underneath them to get him
back at second base. Thought the same did for Ethan
for the last you know, a couple of days, just
to let him DH and get his legs.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Back underneath them.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
I thought, both of those guys putting them in the
DH has really helped them, especially the week that Luke
had and then the last couple of games that Ethan
give him so much credit.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
He works so hard.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
So you know, hopefully to get some more good news
from OJ this week, and hopefully get Huddy get some
more good news for Hoddy this week, and we'll see.
So definitely the guys need a little bit of a
breather and get their bodies underneath them, get them caught
up in school, and finish for a good run in school.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
And they're going to.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Enjoy these couple of days to get their bodies right
and we'll be back at it on Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Glad you brought up Luke Lawrence.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Is there anyone that embodies what it means to be
a Wildcat more than that young man?
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Man? He is just a special dude.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
He's so consistent and you know, had a cool moment
in the hotel, you know, when we're on the road
and we had two night games, so we had some
more time on Friday and Saturday, and just seeing him
meet some Chick fil A with his family sitting in
one of the little lobbies, and just love the fact
that our guys get to do that with some of
(09:07):
their families and spend time with them. And I'm just
watching him just compete every single day. And you know,
he's not the loud and boisterous one, but boy does
his play speak for himself. And he will literally do
whatever it takes to help Kentucky win. And to your point,
I mean, he is the epitome of a Kentucky Wildcat
and it's the positional players like to say there he's
(09:30):
a penomy of an alley cat. I mean he is
just an absolute warrior.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Kentucky will host Vanderbilt this Friday through Sunday. It's a
six thirty start on Friday night, April seventeenth against the Commodore's.
Hope to see everybody at Kentucky Proud Park. We're going
to get to our first time out here with Coach Minjeone.
We got another segment coming up on the UK Sports
Network Welcome back into the Nick min Jeone Show as
the Cats get set to host the Vanderbilt Commodorees Friday
(09:57):
night at six thirty for the first of three and
it will mark the beginning of the second half of
SEC play. Coach, what are your thoughts on not just
the way your team has competed, but overall through fifteen games,
the secs as competitive as it's ever been.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
I mean it's I mean a couple of weeks ago,
I mean seven of the eight teams got swept and
our series was the one where there wasn't a sleep.
So I have appreciated the fact that we've beat every
team on our schedule and not everybody in our league
can say that. So and when you look at our schedule, Darren,
We've had a chance to win every single series going
(10:33):
into the Sunday game everyone. So we had won the
series obviously against Alabama, but then you look at Ole
miss We had a chance to win that Sunday game,
had a lead Old Mint, I mean, LSU had a lead,
chance to win it. Missouri had a chance to win that,
and then obviously this past weekend. So I'm disappointed we
haven't won more of the series, but we've been in
(10:56):
a position to win it. And you know, havn't been
in this league twenty years. There's been many times in
my career where we haven't been in a position to
even win it, and it's like, man, we're just fighting, clawing,
you know. And there's been other times where it's like,
now we're winning it, you know, like in twenty four
it's like, now the SERI has already been one, even
on a Saturday, you know, then you win the league.
(11:16):
So I've had an opportunity to do that a bunch
of times. So I've appreciated the fact that the team
has just continued to put ourselves in a position to
win and now seeing on this second half. I want
us to finish some of these series off. Not taking
it for granted that we've been able to beat teams
and be in that because I, like I said, I've
been on the other end of that where you couldn't
(11:37):
do that, but want to see us, especially with three
of these at home, I want to see us finish
off some series and rack up a couple more series wins.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
To that end, with your team being right there, how
do you try to coach it, not just for them
to execute to finish these games, but also just keeping
them encouraged mentally, like, hey, guys, we got this. This
is the breakthrough coming this weekend or whenever.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
You know. With this team, you know, last year, I
felt like we had to do more of that.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
There was so many guys that had not been in
the league and it was just a new experience for them.
So they're just like every week it's like, hey, what's
new this year's team. I feel like we have enough
experience that they've been there, they've done that. I mean,
if you look at even the three guys we've started
on the weekend. Sure Chelkin didn't get starts, but he
was on the team a year ago he saw he
knew Nate Ben. You go around positionally, Huddy's been there,
(12:29):
Luke's been there, TJ's been there.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
You just go around the field. You know, Schwartz has
been there.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Like there's been guys that have been in it, Hindle
of course, like they have been in there.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
So for this team mentally, not as much.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Just obviously want to do a good job as a
coach to put him in the positions to be successful
and have success in close the series out.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
I wanted to ask about a couple of guys. You've
already touched on him a little bit, but Ethan handle
It was so good to see him produce and have
the extra base hits. He did this in what was
the biggest key for him attacking Auburn pitching.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
You know, we got together on I want to say,
was it Thursday or Wednesday? Wednesday morning at our practice
before we left, and just spent some time with them
and just try to free him up. Just you know,
when I say free him up, I just mean like
physically he was putting his body in some positions, awkward
(13:27):
positions to try to hit from so Ethan just the
unbelievable human being like darn, just you know, you get
on the road and you get to spend more time
with the guys and just see him around like just
a quality of people that we have. It's just I
cannot say that enough, like everybody that meets them. But
we just kind of freed him up with his upper
(13:48):
hand upper body, made some adjustments to the positions he
was in, and it just loosened him up, and it
got his bat back to.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Quick and his ability to make good swing decisions.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
I think so many times when we talk about hitting,
it's like, yeah, you got to get a good pitch
to hit, but you have to make good swing decisions,
like you have to swing.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
At strikes and take the balls right.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
And at the same time you have to be able
to understand that like not all strikes are good pitches
to hit. And then you also have to like, hey,
when you do get a pitch of hit and sometimes Auburn,
I mean they can really pitch. You might only get
one good pitch perrap hat to hit if that right,
and you got to get it.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
You gotta get it like you can't miss it.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
And we freed him up with his upper half and
loosened him up, got his body in better positions ahead,
he made better swing decisions, and boy was he all
over the barrel even Yeah, he got the extra base hits,
but Dren even some of his outs were loud. Took
a diving play in the hole to get him out there.
The ball he hit into left center, which I thought
might have been gone, just.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Smoked all the way to the wall. So good quality.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
I bats up and down for him, and we got
to get some other guys going as well.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
We had a great feature for UKs and all acces
about Luke Lawrence and Tyler Ball about their friendship and
all that. But I had a chance to ask Tyler
about adjustments he's made this year, being maybe a focal
point or certainly a guy that teams focus on with
their scouting reports. And he's like, yeah, I'll take my
walk and then I want to create chaos on the
basis after you put me at first. But at the
(15:19):
same time he says, I know when they make a mistake,
I have to hit it. And I think we've seen
him do that. He has taken what the opposing pitchers
are giving him and it's working.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Yeah, And I thought one thing that you know, we
haven't talked about yet was just putting him in the
leadoff spot. Yeah, I thought it was awesome for Saturday
and just set a statement. He hit over four hundred
for the weekend at Auburn, hit a lead off bomb
in that Saturday game, and yeah, he just he had
five hits and was on base and just his presence.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
And you know him.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
I think for every good player, and they fall into
that role and it typically happens in high school and
then it doesn't happen in college. Right Like all of
our recruits right now, it's like, hey, man, the positional
players like their seniors and they're the best player, and
the other team's like, that guy's not beating us, Like
you know, who's the guy going to Kentucky? That guy like, no,
he doesn't swing, like let someone else beat him. So
(16:13):
it's like they get pitched around and walked and it
could be frustrated. And to TJ's credit, he's done a
great job managing to strike someone from that standpoint. And man,
I just love seeing him in the leadoff spot. Just
the presence of him, just just the toughness in the edge,
and to have that in our leadoff spot I thought
was big Chase.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Tarnish quietly just goes about his day, having seven hits
on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Just love the steadiness of his game. You just sort
of expect him to get on base.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
Yeah, I mean the hitover what he hit five hundred
and I think he hit five hundred for the week
and just all over the barrel singles, extra base hit,
I mean, just ability score runs and Darren, how.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
About the job he played in center field?
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Yeah, I mean you, I mean he ran some balls
down where you're like, ah, that's probably hit. Oh my goodness,
there's Jays Tarnish like just just covering massive amounts of ground.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
There's speed, and then there's like Jason Tarnish speed. I mean,
it's like a whole new level.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
And quite frankly, with all due respect, we've played a
lot of really good teams, but I have not seen
a better center fielder on any team we've played, and
so we needed to continue.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
To do that.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
But boys, he put in together a year where you
look up and he might hopefully add one of them
trophies at Austin Kuzino that has two of them in
our trophy case.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
But he's special.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
We just have a couple of minutes left in the show, Coach,
I want to circle back to the pitchers because there's
a couple of guys that I thought you and I
really need to hit on with the weeks they had.
First of all, Ryan Mullen. He's a guy that came
in in situational spots.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
You asked him to get out, and that's exactly what
he did. He did his job.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Yeah, you know, we kind of call him, you know,
he's like our fireman. You know, they're get into a
little bit of trouble or whatever, and he just there,
he is.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
He just gets out of the inning and we move on.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
And so I thought, you know, coming off the Missouri
weekend where he threw in two of the three games,
but I believe he got if I'm remember this right there,
and he got hot Friday night, and then we threw
him Saturday and Sunday and we just felt like and
he might have thrown in all three I can't remember,
but we just told him, hey, this week, Ryan, like
you're not throwing on Tuesday, Like, let's get our body
(18:20):
built back up. You know, him even coming off the
year off the injury, excuse me, to his credit, he
just works all week gets a couple lifts in and
here he goes.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
He did it again this weekend. I mean, what do
you have?
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Two outings and got us out of jams and put
out the fire and just moved the game along like
he does so just a professionalism, the competitive spirit then
bracing up the role.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
He's just he's been outstanding.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
And then Nile Adcock over the week against Louisville and
Auburn four and two third innings, two appearances, no runs,
five strikeouts in a win.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Yeah, I mean again, just Nate did so good on Saturday,
and then to have Mully and come in there and
then just obviously not Nile was just outstanding. I mean
he threw the most bitches he's thrown since he was
in junior college, you know, to get us a win.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
And yeah, he was.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
He was absolutely fantastic and obviously gave us a chance
to win that game. And then Layton Harris coming in
getting the last out, and then through again Layton threw
a good you know through again good yesterday on Sunday.
But Mullen ad Cock LC as like we call him,
Layton Harris, just all those guys man just contributed to
(19:34):
a big win.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Coach, that's our time for the show this week. We
look forward to seeing everybody out this weekend when the
Cats host the Commodores.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
We'll see you Friday night. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Gonna have great weather, come see us like that Louisville crowd.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Need you go Cats.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
This has been the Nick minsi oonn Show here on
the UK Sports Network
Happy Monday, everyone, Welcome into another edition of the Nick
menji Own Show. I'm Darren Headrick as the Wildcats are
just home from the trip to Auburn over the weekend.
The Wildcats drop two out of three, but overall we're
two and two on the week because of that victory
last Tuesday over the Louisville Cardinals, and so the Cats
are twenty five and ten overall entering a brand new
(00:22):
week and they are seven and eight at the halfway
point of SEC play. Coming up over the next half hour,
we'll visit with the head coach of the Wildcats about
what went right, what went wrong this past week against
the Auburn Tigers, and also kind of look ahead to
what the team needs to accomplish over the next five
weeks left in the regular season. We're happy to have
you with us tonight. It's the nickmnje Oon Show stick Around.
(00:44):
This is the UK Sports Network. Welcome back into the
Nick menje Oon Show here on the UK Sports Network
as the Wildcats get set to host Vanderbilt this weekend,
coming off the trip to Auburn. But last Tuesday, the
Wildcats beat the Louisville Cardinals at home four to two,
coach slides in alongside for the weekly show here and
coach your thoughts on a week that started with the
(01:06):
victory over the Cards.
Speaker 2 (01:07):
So it's a good start to a week there time
you could beat those guys.
Speaker 3 (01:11):
But yeah, just obviously a team that was coming in
hitting well over three hundred and to hold them to
two hits or pitching and defense was just magnificent from
the standpoint of limiting them to only two runs. Yes,
we had some walks in there, we had some hvps.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
But to our guys credit, we bent, but we didn't break.
And that was a.
Speaker 3 (01:32):
Really good offense and a great start to the week
and so thankful.
Speaker 2 (01:36):
How about the crowd.
Speaker 3 (01:37):
I know the temperatures were a little chilly and had
so many people watching that game say Nick, what is
going on with the sweatshirt said out like, hey, man,
it is chilly out here. But man, did our faithful
fans show up and creating an awesome atmosphere and just
seeing all that blue and all those people was definitely
lifting for.
Speaker 1 (01:57):
Our guys overall in the week two and a win
down in Auburn included in that. What were your thoughts
about the team's performance on the planes in three games. Well,
I just we had talked a bunch about we just
did not get off to a good start Friday night,
and we got a great job to our bullpen, who
we have just used, probably a little too much, Darren,
(02:19):
But yeah, we settled the game down and we won
the last six innings. I mean, we had complete control
of the game, but we had put ourselves in such
a big hole that it was hard to overcome, and
we were a couple of hits away from making that
game closer than it appeared. Didn't get them, but we
had pressure. We had double digit hits, we scored five runs,
(02:40):
and we had some opportunities, but we just needed to
get off to a better start.
Speaker 3 (02:44):
And then you know, fast forward to the next day.
I thought Nate Harris was fantastics and gave us exactly
what we needed a start where he commanded a field,
he got our defense involved. We played phenomenal defense, and
we punched early offensively, got up to a five start
and just limited their offense, which is a really good
(03:04):
offense that we knew they have so many returning players,
and was able to have our bullpend come in again
and finish the five innings strong to get a victory
on Saturday, and then obviously the Sunday game just got
away from us again, very similar to Friday. Didn't get
off to a great start, and credit their pitcher. He
did a great job and held our offensive check and
(03:26):
we weren't able to overcome. But yeah, just the ability
to fight back and stay in a game on Friday,
the ability to do it and get a good win
on Saturday, and then obviously wasn't happy with the game yesterday.
But here we are. We look up, We're two and two.
We got to win on the road and we beat
a good Louisville team.
Speaker 2 (03:44):
So you talked about fighting back. This team's competitiveness.
Speaker 1 (03:49):
What have you seen from them, not just when they're
up five to nothing in a game, but when they're
battling through some adversity in these other games.
Speaker 2 (03:57):
How have you seen them just continue to compete.
Speaker 3 (03:59):
This You know, when you look back at the season
so far college baseball with aluminum bats, I mean, Darren,
it's just it's crazy. I mean, they're at one point
this season, we're on the record, we were on a
pace to hit more home runs than like the gorilla
ball of the nineties. Let that sink in when we
had drop five bats like it was balls are leaving
(04:22):
the yard at an alarming rate and you're like, really, like,
how's that possible? Well, college baseball has gotten better, and
there's so much parody. So if you look at our season,
the amount of times where we've had a lead and
then maybe a team kind of inches back, and then
we build upon our lead, or we're down and we boom,
we fight back and we come from behind and we win.
Speaker 2 (04:45):
So this team is just really really.
Speaker 3 (04:47):
Fought and in state in games like, we've continued to fight, fight, fight.
Yesterday obviously was the first time I think we've been
had a ten run loss in over a year.
Speaker 2 (04:58):
You know, it doesn't happen a lot to us.
Speaker 3 (05:00):
It happens to other teams probably a little bit more
than it happens to us, But our team just they
stay together. They're like a connected team. They understand we
don't panic. I give this team credit, like, we don't panic,
and that's how we've been able to come from behind.
Speaker 2 (05:14):
That's how we've been able to get a lead.
Speaker 3 (05:16):
Adelaide a team makes a comeback and then we finish
them off. It's but the connectiveness and the competitiveness has
been really good.
Speaker 2 (05:23):
Staying with that. On the pitching side of things.
Speaker 1 (05:26):
I know this group wants to be the tip of
the spear. That's what they talk about all the time,
even in the team meetings.
Speaker 2 (05:31):
What do they need to do to.
Speaker 1 (05:32):
Do that consistently night in a night out, get to
that point where it is the standard they want it
to be. Yeah, I thought the guys did a good
job after the game last night, just mentioning about how
for some guys their mentality coming into the game, they
need a mentality shift.
Speaker 3 (05:50):
It's not so much a stuffed thing. You're going to
execute pitches. Guys are going to get hit sometimes like
that's gonna happen. But we have some guys that maybe
just shift their mentality a little bit about how they
come into the game and to be the tip of
the spear. And you know, it's been neat because when
you look up and down and you go through our team,
(06:11):
you know, I thought Connor Madison, he's got us off
to a great start. On Tuesday, he was a tip
of the spear. We won that game. Nate Harris did
that on Saturday. We won that game, and you know,
you know, I love talking pitching the defense, and that's
usually where it starts and it ends like you can
go there and you can just go, hey, did we
get that start? Was our guy the tip of the spear,
(06:32):
and more times than not, when he is, the Cats
are going to win. So just a mentality shift for
a couple of guys. You know, coming off the road
and you've been with us, it's been along three or
four weeks, three or four weeks, we've been on the road.
We've been in so many different cities and we've been
how many hours on a bus together, and I mean
it is just and we've gotten closer during those times.
(06:54):
But it does feel good for this second half of
SEC play to have three home series because you think
about the three road series. We had an eight and
a half hour bus trip to Ole, Miss, We had
six different cities and airports to get to LSU, and
then another you know, you're you made a trip down
to Auburn. So it's gonna be nice to finally have
(07:14):
three of the five at home. And this in the
second half of the SEC play, no doubt about it.
Speaker 1 (07:21):
So we're halfway home in the SEC. You don't have
a midweek game this week four days to get ready
for Vanderbilt. How big is it at this point to
give them a couple of extra days.
Speaker 3 (07:31):
The cats are limping, The cats ain't running after their food,
chasing their dinner. So I mean, no, the guys, you
know they're gonna have. They had today and tomorrow off,
and they need it. Darren. We got to get some
guys healthy, and we got to get some guys with
their legs underneath them. I thought so proud of Luke Lawrence.
(07:53):
I thought, you know, him dhing for all those games,
helped him get his legs underneath them to get him
back at second base. Thought the same did for Ethan
for the last you know, a couple of days, just
to let him DH and get his legs.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Back underneath them.
Speaker 3 (08:07):
I thought, both of those guys putting them in the
DH has really helped them, especially the week that Luke
had and then the last couple of games that Ethan
give him so much credit.
Speaker 2 (08:16):
He works so hard.
Speaker 3 (08:17):
So you know, hopefully to get some more good news
from OJ this week, and hopefully get Huddy get some
more good news for Hoddy this week, and we'll see.
So definitely the guys need a little bit of a
breather and get their bodies underneath them, get them caught
up in school, and finish for a good run in school.
Speaker 2 (08:34):
And they're going to.
Speaker 3 (08:35):
Enjoy these couple of days to get their bodies right
and we'll be back at it on Wednesday.
Speaker 2 (08:39):
Glad you brought up Luke Lawrence.
Speaker 1 (08:41):
Is there anyone that embodies what it means to be
a Wildcat more than that young man?
Speaker 2 (08:45):
Man? He is just a special dude.
Speaker 3 (08:47):
He's so consistent and you know, had a cool moment
in the hotel, you know, when we're on the road
and we had two night games, so we had some
more time on Friday and Saturday, and just seeing him
meet some Chick fil A with his family sitting in
one of the little lobbies, and just love the fact
that our guys get to do that with some of
(09:07):
their families and spend time with them. And I'm just
watching him just compete every single day. And you know,
he's not the loud and boisterous one, but boy does
his play speak for himself. And he will literally do
whatever it takes to help Kentucky win. And to your point,
I mean, he is the epitome of a Kentucky Wildcat
and it's the positional players like to say there he's
(09:30):
a penomy of an alley cat. I mean he is
just an absolute warrior.
Speaker 1 (09:35):
Kentucky will host Vanderbilt this Friday through Sunday. It's a
six thirty start on Friday night, April seventeenth against the Commodore's.
Hope to see everybody at Kentucky Proud Park. We're going
to get to our first time out here with Coach Minjeone.
We got another segment coming up on the UK Sports
Network Welcome back into the Nick min Jeone Show as
the Cats get set to host the Vanderbilt Commodorees Friday
(09:57):
night at six thirty for the first of three and
it will mark the beginning of the second half of
SEC play. Coach, what are your thoughts on not just
the way your team has competed, but overall through fifteen games,
the secs as competitive as it's ever been.
Speaker 3 (10:11):
I mean it's I mean a couple of weeks ago,
I mean seven of the eight teams got swept and
our series was the one where there wasn't a sleep.
So I have appreciated the fact that we've beat every
team on our schedule and not everybody in our league
can say that. So and when you look at our schedule, Darren,
We've had a chance to win every single series going
(10:33):
into the Sunday game everyone. So we had won the
series obviously against Alabama, but then you look at Ole
miss We had a chance to win that Sunday game,
had a lead Old Mint, I mean, LSU had a lead,
chance to win it. Missouri had a chance to win that,
and then obviously this past weekend. So I'm disappointed we
haven't won more of the series, but we've been in
(10:56):
a position to win it. And you know, havn't been
in this league twenty years. There's been many times in
my career where we haven't been in a position to
even win it, and it's like, man, we're just fighting, clawing,
you know. And there's been other times where it's like,
now we're winning it, you know, like in twenty four
it's like, now the SERI has already been one, even
on a Saturday, you know, then you win the league.
(11:16):
So I've had an opportunity to do that a bunch
of times. So I've appreciated the fact that the team
has just continued to put ourselves in a position to
win and now seeing on this second half. I want
us to finish some of these series off. Not taking
it for granted that we've been able to beat teams
and be in that because I, like I said, I've
been on the other end of that where you couldn't
(11:37):
do that, but want to see us, especially with three
of these at home, I want to see us finish
off some series and rack up a couple more series wins.
Speaker 1 (11:46):
To that end, with your team being right there, how
do you try to coach it, not just for them
to execute to finish these games, but also just keeping
them encouraged mentally, like, hey, guys, we got this. This
is the breakthrough coming this weekend or whenever.
Speaker 2 (12:00):
You know. With this team, you know, last year, I
felt like we had to do more of that.
Speaker 3 (12:04):
There was so many guys that had not been in
the league and it was just a new experience for them.
So they're just like every week it's like, hey, what's
new this year's team. I feel like we have enough
experience that they've been there, they've done that. I mean,
if you look at even the three guys we've started
on the weekend. Sure Chelkin didn't get starts, but he
was on the team a year ago he saw he
knew Nate Ben. You go around positionally, Huddy's been there,
(12:29):
Luke's been there, TJ's been there.
Speaker 2 (12:32):
You just go around the field. You know, Schwartz has
been there.
Speaker 3 (12:35):
Like there's been guys that have been in it, Hindle
of course, like they have been in there.
Speaker 2 (12:40):
So for this team mentally, not as much.
Speaker 3 (12:43):
Just obviously want to do a good job as a
coach to put him in the positions to be successful
and have success in close the series out.
Speaker 1 (12:52):
I wanted to ask about a couple of guys. You've
already touched on him a little bit, but Ethan handle
It was so good to see him produce and have
the extra base hits. He did this in what was
the biggest key for him attacking Auburn pitching.
Speaker 3 (13:04):
You know, we got together on I want to say,
was it Thursday or Wednesday? Wednesday morning at our practice
before we left, and just spent some time with them
and just try to free him up. Just you know,
when I say free him up, I just mean like
physically he was putting his body in some positions, awkward
(13:27):
positions to try to hit from so Ethan just the
unbelievable human being like darn, just you know, you get
on the road and you get to spend more time
with the guys and just see him around like just
a quality of people that we have. It's just I
cannot say that enough, like everybody that meets them. But
we just kind of freed him up with his upper
(13:48):
hand upper body, made some adjustments to the positions he
was in, and it just loosened him up, and it
got his bat back to.
Speaker 2 (13:57):
Quick and his ability to make good swing decisions.
Speaker 3 (14:00):
I think so many times when we talk about hitting,
it's like, yeah, you got to get a good pitch
to hit, but you have to make good swing decisions,
like you have to swing.
Speaker 2 (14:08):
At strikes and take the balls right.
Speaker 3 (14:10):
And at the same time you have to be able
to understand that like not all strikes are good pitches
to hit. And then you also have to like, hey,
when you do get a pitch of hit and sometimes Auburn,
I mean they can really pitch. You might only get
one good pitch perrap hat to hit if that right,
and you got to get it.
Speaker 2 (14:28):
You gotta get it like you can't miss it.
Speaker 3 (14:31):
And we freed him up with his upper half and
loosened him up, got his body in better positions ahead,
he made better swing decisions, and boy was he all
over the barrel even Yeah, he got the extra base hits,
but Dren even some of his outs were loud. Took
a diving play in the hole to get him out there.
The ball he hit into left center, which I thought
might have been gone, just.
Speaker 2 (14:51):
Smoked all the way to the wall. So good quality.
Speaker 3 (14:54):
I bats up and down for him, and we got
to get some other guys going as well.
Speaker 1 (14:57):
We had a great feature for UKs and all acces
about Luke Lawrence and Tyler Ball about their friendship and
all that. But I had a chance to ask Tyler
about adjustments he's made this year, being maybe a focal
point or certainly a guy that teams focus on with
their scouting reports. And he's like, yeah, I'll take my
walk and then I want to create chaos on the
basis after you put me at first. But at the
(15:19):
same time he says, I know when they make a mistake,
I have to hit it. And I think we've seen
him do that. He has taken what the opposing pitchers
are giving him and it's working.
Speaker 3 (15:30):
Yeah, And I thought one thing that you know, we
haven't talked about yet was just putting him in the
leadoff spot. Yeah, I thought it was awesome for Saturday
and just set a statement. He hit over four hundred
for the weekend at Auburn, hit a lead off bomb
in that Saturday game, and yeah, he just he had
five hits and was on base and just his presence.
Speaker 2 (15:52):
And you know him.
Speaker 3 (15:53):
I think for every good player, and they fall into
that role and it typically happens in high school and
then it doesn't happen in college. Right Like all of
our recruits right now, it's like, hey, man, the positional
players like their seniors and they're the best player, and
the other team's like, that guy's not beating us, Like
you know, who's the guy going to Kentucky? That guy like, no,
he doesn't swing, like let someone else beat him. So
(16:13):
it's like they get pitched around and walked and it
could be frustrated. And to TJ's credit, he's done a
great job managing to strike someone from that standpoint. And man,
I just love seeing him in the leadoff spot. Just
the presence of him, just just the toughness in the edge,
and to have that in our leadoff spot I thought
was big Chase.
Speaker 1 (16:34):
Tarnish quietly just goes about his day, having seven hits
on the weekend.
Speaker 2 (16:38):
Just love the steadiness of his game. You just sort
of expect him to get on base.
Speaker 3 (16:42):
Yeah, I mean the hitover what he hit five hundred
and I think he hit five hundred for the week
and just all over the barrel singles, extra base hit,
I mean, just ability score runs and Darren, how.
Speaker 2 (16:53):
About the job he played in center field?
Speaker 3 (16:55):
Yeah, I mean you, I mean he ran some balls
down where you're like, ah, that's probably hit. Oh my goodness,
there's Jays Tarnish like just just covering massive amounts of ground.
Speaker 2 (17:05):
There's speed, and then there's like Jason Tarnish speed. I mean,
it's like a whole new level.
Speaker 3 (17:09):
And quite frankly, with all due respect, we've played a
lot of really good teams, but I have not seen
a better center fielder on any team we've played, and
so we needed to continue.
Speaker 2 (17:19):
To do that.
Speaker 3 (17:20):
But boys, he put in together a year where you
look up and he might hopefully add one of them
trophies at Austin Kuzino that has two of them in
our trophy case.
Speaker 2 (17:29):
But he's special.
Speaker 1 (17:30):
We just have a couple of minutes left in the show, Coach,
I want to circle back to the pitchers because there's
a couple of guys that I thought you and I
really need to hit on with the weeks they had.
First of all, Ryan Mullen. He's a guy that came
in in situational spots.
Speaker 2 (17:44):
You asked him to get out, and that's exactly what
he did. He did his job.
Speaker 3 (17:47):
Yeah, you know, we kind of call him, you know,
he's like our fireman. You know, they're get into a
little bit of trouble or whatever, and he just there,
he is.
Speaker 2 (17:55):
He just gets out of the inning and we move on.
Speaker 3 (17:58):
And so I thought, you know, coming off the Missouri
weekend where he threw in two of the three games,
but I believe he got if I'm remember this right there,
and he got hot Friday night, and then we threw
him Saturday and Sunday and we just felt like and
he might have thrown in all three I can't remember,
but we just told him, hey, this week, Ryan, like
you're not throwing on Tuesday, Like, let's get our body
(18:20):
built back up. You know, him even coming off the
year off the injury, excuse me, to his credit, he
just works all week gets a couple lifts in and
here he goes.
Speaker 2 (18:31):
He did it again this weekend. I mean, what do
you have?
Speaker 3 (18:34):
Two outings and got us out of jams and put
out the fire and just moved the game along like
he does so just a professionalism, the competitive spirit then
bracing up the role.
Speaker 2 (18:44):
He's just he's been outstanding.
Speaker 1 (18:46):
And then Nile Adcock over the week against Louisville and
Auburn four and two third innings, two appearances, no runs,
five strikeouts in a win.
Speaker 3 (18:54):
Yeah, I mean again, just Nate did so good on Saturday,
and then to have Mully and come in there and
then just obviously not Nile was just outstanding. I mean
he threw the most bitches he's thrown since he was
in junior college, you know, to get us a win.
Speaker 2 (19:10):
And yeah, he was.
Speaker 3 (19:12):
He was absolutely fantastic and obviously gave us a chance
to win that game. And then Layton Harris coming in
getting the last out, and then through again Layton threw
a good you know through again good yesterday on Sunday.
But Mullen ad Cock LC as like we call him,
Layton Harris, just all those guys man just contributed to
(19:34):
a big win.
Speaker 1 (19:35):
Coach, that's our time for the show this week. We
look forward to seeing everybody out this weekend when the
Cats host the Commodores.
Speaker 2 (19:40):
We'll see you Friday night. Thank you.
Speaker 3 (19:42):
Gonna have great weather, come see us like that Louisville crowd.
Speaker 2 (19:44):
Need you go Cats.
Speaker 1 (19:46):
This has been the Nick minsi oonn Show here on
the UK Sports Network
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