College Preview Capsules: No. 25 Kentucky
No. 25 Kentucky |
| 2015 Record (Ranking): 30-25 (NR). RPI: 60. |
| Coach (Record at school): Gary Henderson (226-171, 7 years). |
| Postseason History: 8 regionals (last in 2014), 0 CWS trips, 0 national titles |
Aiming to earn a regional bid for the second straight year, Kentucky was firmly on the NCAA tournament bubble in 2015. With another series win or a strong showing in the SEC tournament, the Wildcats could have conceivably forced their way into the postseason.
They fell just short, but there’s a sense of excitement among this year’s group of players—largely the same group as last season—that they could be ready to take the next step. Senior righthander Kyle Cody, who opted to come back to school after the Twins drafted him 73rd overall, said he’s heard teammates say the word “Omaha” 10 times more than in years past.
| 2016 Lineup | ||||||||
| Pos. | Name, Year | AVG | OBP | SLG | HR | RBI | SB | |
| C | Zach Arnold, Sr. | .283 | .330 | .340 | 0 | 10 | 0 | |
| 1B | Evan White, So. | .318 | .369 | .410 | 2 | 28 | 3 | |
| 2B | Connor Heady, Jr. | .211 | .355 | .263 | 2 | 11 | 2 | |
| 3B | JaVon Shelby, Jr. | .312 | .442 | .525 | 9 | 44 | 4 | |
| SS | Riley Mahan, So. | .232 | .295 | .337 | 1 | 8 | 1 | |
| LF | Storm Wilson, Jr. | .242 | .379 | .341 | 1 | 16 | 8 | |
| CF | Marcus Carson, Jr. | .226 | .293 | .274 | 0 | 5 | 5 | |
| RF | Dorian Hairston, Sr. | .281 | .345 | .422 | 4 | 21 | 5 | |
| DH | Gunnar McNeill, Jr. | Tr.—Chipola (Fla.) JC | ||||||
| Pos. | Name, Year | W | L | ERA | IP | SO | SV | |
| RHP | Zack Brown, Jr. | 6 | 6 | 3.48 | 93 | 71 | 0 | |
| RHP | Dustin Beggs, Sr. | 7 | 4 | 3.65 | 94 | 75 | 0 | |
| RHP | Kyle Cody, Sr. | 4 | 4 | 4.91 | 66 | 63 | 0 | |
| RP | Zach Pop, So. | 0 | 0 | 4.50 | 16 | 7 | 0 | |
Despite those College World Series dreams, coach Gary Henderson said he doesn’t think his players are getting ahead of themselves. They’ve taken a veteran approach to practice.
“I feel like this group has done an outstanding job of attacking every day to this point,” Henderson said. “We’ve done a really good job of showing up and getting better. We have the type of personality on our club. We have some dominant personalities that have made it really easy for this club to buy into what are we doing today to get better.”
Cody is one of those personalities, along with rotation mates Zack Brown and Dustin Beggs. All three righthanders provide a wealth of SEC experience to the mound, with both Brown and Cody possessing the kind of power stuff that should draw significant draft interest come June. Still, all three have room to improve on last season.
“As you look at the numbers, there’s nothing overwhelming there,” Henderson said. “But they’re all really competitive kids that work hard with good arms and good secondary stuff. And that should be a really competitive starting weekend.”
While the Wildcats return three starting pitchers, they lose a bit of firepower at the plate, namely outfielders Ka’ai Tom (.375/.443/.528) and Kyle Barrett (.354/.394/.443), as well as third baseman Thomas Bernal (.266/.366/.332).
However, Kentucky should be able to lean on the production and leadership of junior JaVon Shelby, a first-team all-SEC second baseman who will slide over to third base. Shelby’s father, John, played in the majors, and his brother, John T., starred for the Wildcats before playing in the White Sox and Rays organizations.
“He’s a kid with a lot of confidence,” Henderson said of Shelby. “People are drawn to him. He’s got an infectious personality.”
At the other infield corner, smooth fielding sophomore Evan White will look to build on his .318/.369/.410 freshman season. Meanwhile, returners Connor Heady and Riley Mahan will compete with juco transfer Luke Becker for the other two infield positions.
The middle infield, as well as the back end of the bullpen, are two questions the Wildcats will need to answer. Junior Connor Heady, expected to slide from shortstop to second base, and sophomore Riley Mahan will become the new double-play combo, with Mahan coming off a strong summer in the Perfect Game Collegiate League.
Despite the changes, the Wildcats have more answers than questions. Henderson said he’s been encouraged by his team’s drive thus far.
“When you have that type of a culture, it’s exciting,” Henderson said. “It’s fun because I don’t have to rein them in. It’s a very motivated group.”
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