Kentucky Baseball Returns to Bubble Status Following SEC Series Sweep

A few weeks back, Kentucky's baseball team hovered on the fringes of the NCAA Tournament selections as a potential contender.

Next, a series victory against Tennessee, redemption over Louisville, and securing wins where victories were anticipated pushed Kentucky to secure a No. 2 seeding. This led to discussions about whether they might host a regional for the third consecutive year.

Now, after losing to WKU in the midweek and being swept by Mississippi State, one of the lower teams in the SEC that doesn’t actively have a head coach, the Wildcats are back on the bubble.

A true rollercoaster experience.

D1Baseball released On Tuesday, the May 6 NCAA Tournament projections listed UK as one of the "last four in," along with Kansas State, Iowa, and Xavier—a team that defeated UK earlier this season.

This puts Kentucky right on the cusp of missing out on the field, meaning every result from here on out is of the utmost importance, a tall ask considering the Wildcats still have Oklahoma at home and Vanderbilt away on their schedule.

Examining the squads vying for a spot in the tournament, the "first four out" category comprises UTRGV, Western Kentucky, Michigan, and Notre Dame. Meanwhile, the "four to watch" list features Virginia, Virginia Tech, Kennesaw State, and Washington.

When examining the current lineup of 64 teams, the SEC boasts 14 representatives expected to be part of this group, where seven will have the privilege of hosting their Regional rounds. The only two exceptions from this powerhouse conference not making the cut are predicted to be South Carolina and Missouri.

In terms of familiar opponents, Kentucky lost 2-1 against Texas, the projected No. 1 overall seed, defeated projected No. 3 seed Texas A&M, has projected No. 2 Oklahoma at home this weekend, was just swept by No. 3 Mississippi State, lost to Regional hosts Georgia and Auburn, fell to No. 2 Ole Miss, defeated Regional host Tennessee, has Regional host Vanderbilt on the schedule still and, outside of the conference, lost to Xavier and split two games with Louisville.

In total, the Bat Cats have experienced more defeats than victories when facing teams that have participated in the NCAA Tournament.

According to D1Baseball, Kentucky is set to head to Morgantown for West Virginia’s Regional, which will feature Duke and George Mason as well. West Virginia holds the No. 12 overall seed at present.

Considering this, since the UK still has seven games remaining in their season, all of these circumstances could shift.

To notably enhance its standing, Kentucky might boost its position substantially if they manage to clinch their concluding home series against Oklahoma, secure victory during their match at Vanderbilt, and possibly make a strong showing with some wins at the SEC Tournament held in Hoover.

It could also significantly hurt its stock if it loses to Northern Kentucky or is crushed by the Commodores or Sooners.

The unfortunate reality, regardless of the outcome for Head Coach Nick Mingione, is that, after building a bit of a cushion two weeks ago, Kentucky is back against the ropes and every game matters. For as inconsistent as the Wildcats have been, that could truly be a detriment.