LEXINGTON — Kentucky baseball’s NCAA Tournament opener went its way Friday, as it topped Western Michigan, 10-8.

A far bigger challenge awaits Saturday: Illinois, which has won 30 of its past 39 games and captured the Big Ten’s regular-season title.

The Wildcats, league champions themselves after earning a share of the SEC’s regular-season title for the first time since 2006, will try to do what they couldn’t do last year: beat a Big Ten squad in the second game of a regional. After shutting out Ball State in its first outing, UK fell to Indiana in Game 2. Kentucky then had to win three consecutive games to clinch only its second Super Regional appearance ever.

And Saturday, the Wildcats and Fighting Illini will have to get their bodies ready earlier than anticipated: The contest was originally slated to start at 6 p.m., but potential inclement weather in the Lexington area moved up first pitch to 55 minutes after the conclusion of the Western Michigan/Indiana State game.

Now, the UK/Illinois matchup is scheduled to begin at approximately 4 p.m.

Get to the game: Want to buy Kentucky baseball tickets for the Lexington Regional? Here are your best options for 2024 NCAA Tournament

More: Watch Kentucky baseball vs. Illinois and the NCAA Lexington Regional on ESPN+

The Courier Journal’s Ryan Black is at Kentucky Proud Park and will have live updates throughout the game — here and on X, formerly known as Twitter — and complete coverage after. You can follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

What channel is Kentucky vs Illinois on today?

Kentucky’s NCAA Tournament regional game against Illinois will stream at approximately 4 p.m. Saturday on ESPN+.

You can watch the game on WatchESPN.com, the WatchESPN app or ESPN+. Authenticated subscribers can access ESPN+ via TV-connected devices. Those without access to ESPN+ can access the game via a subscription to ESPN+. (To sign up for ESPN+, click here.)

Kentucky vs Illinois start time

First pitch for Saturday’s game in Lexington is set for approximately 4 p.m. It will start 55 minutes after the completion of Saturday’s first game between Indiana State and Western Michigan.

Kentucky vs Illinois prediction

Kentucky 5, Illinois 4: On paper, this matchup is like splitting hairs. Illinois averages 8.2 runs per game; Kentucky is at 8.1. The expected starting pitchers, UK’s Trey Pooser and Illinois’ Cooper Omans, have nearly identical rates in hits allowed per nine innings (7.01 for Omans, 7.14 for Pooser) and walks + hits per innings pitched — better known by its acronym WHIP — that has Pooser (1.18) slightly ahead of Omans (1.24). When teams are this evenly matched, give the most infinitesimal of edges to the squad playing in its home venue. In this case, that’s the Wildcats, who escape with a one-run victory to improve to 2-0 at the regional.

Kentucky vs Illinois location

All games in the NCAA Tournament’s Lexington Regional will be held at UK’s home stadium, Kentucky Proud Park.

Kentucky baseball schedule 2024

Kentucky is 41-14 in 2024, including 22-8 in SEC play during the regular season. The Wildcats claimed a share of the league’s regular-season title for only the second time in school history.

Click here to see the Wildcats’ full 2024 schedule.

Illinois baseball schedule 2024

Illnois is 35-19, going 18-6 in the Big Ten during the regular season. The Fighting Illini won the Big Ten’s regular-season championship for the first time since 2015.

Click here to see the Fighting Illini’s full 2024 schedule.

Kentucky baseball roster

Interested in seeing the Wildcats’ entire roster?

Click here to meet the 2024 UK baseball team.

Illinois baseball roster

Want to learn Fighting Illini’s roster?

Click here for player bios and more.

NCAA Lexington regionals schedule

Here’s the slate for Saturday’s two games in the NCAA Lexington Regional:

• Western Michigan vs. Indiana State, noon; Live stream: ESPN+; Stream: ESPN+
• Kentucky vs. Illinois, approx. 4 p.m.; Live stream: ESPN+; Stream: ESPN+

NCAA Lexington regionals bracket

Here’s a look at every game set to take place during the Lexington Regional at Kentucky Proud Park:

Friday, May 31

Saturday, June 1

• Game 3: Western Michigan vs. Indiana State, noon; Live stream: ESPN+; Stream: ESPN+
• Game 4: Kentucky vs. Illinois, approx. 4 p.m.; Live stream: ESPN+; Stream: ESPN+

Sunday, June 2

• Game 5: Winner Game 3 vs. Loser Game 4, noon; TV: TBD 
• Game 6: Winner Game 5 vs. Winner Game 4, 6 p.m.; TV: TBD 

Monday, June 3 (if necessary) 

• Game 7: Same teams as Game 6, Time TBD; TV: TBD 

2024 College World Series bracket

Interested in seeing the 64-team bracket for this year’s NCAA Tournament?

Click here to view it on the NCAA’s official website.

2024 NCAA baseball tournament odds

Odds courtesy of BetMGM.

Kentucky has the fifth-best odds, at +1000, to win the College World Series, per BetMGM.

The four favorites to capture the title are four other SEC squads: Tennessee (+500), Texas A&M (+550), Arkansas (+900) and defending national champion LSU (+900).

Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.

A long-delayed state program to get fresh food from local farms to vulnerable communities in Illinois was finally launched in March. But two months later, participants are still struggling to get money from the state to pay farmers and cover program expenses.

“We started with intentions of having money earlier than this and (the farmers) trusted us,” said Brenda Stewart, who runs Run-A-Way Buckers, a community organization distributing produce in eastern Illinois’ Pembroke Township. “I’m thankful they didn’t hold it against us.”

The $30 million federally funded effort aims to rebuild the state’s local food system by connecting underrepresented farmers with communities in need. Even though farms make up 75% of Illinois’ land area, only 5% of the food grown in Illinois is purchased in-state.

When Gov. J.B. Pritzker first announced the nonprofits selected to distribute food in early March, many — including Run-A-Way Buckers — jumped at the opportunity to get started. The announcement was overdue so Black, first-generation and veteran farmers had already ramped up production in anticipation, food was spoiling and families were waiting.

Diane McDonald organizes a network of fellow small-scale Black farmers that has been giving over 100 pounds of produce to Run-A-Way Buckers per week for the last two months. They haven’t been paid for any of it yet, but she isn’t giving up on the program.

“It’s been a crunch. It’s been a lot of out-of-pocket money,” said McDonald. “But, we’re determined to continue until (the state) get(s) it together. It’s a worthy cause, and I appreciate the fact that small farmers are being acknowledged because we’re very important to the agricultural system.”

While farmers have been on the hook, the Illinois Equitable Access Towards Sustainable Systems (IL-EATS) program has been “the talk of the town” among recipients, Stewart said.

The Swiss chard and goat cheese have been big hits at the local senior center, where Run-A-Way Buckers has been sending two dozen bags of locally-grown food each week. The seniors have enjoyed exchanging recipes for these healthy goods that are now available to them.

“It’s bringing out togetherness and a sense of adventure in them, and I love that,” said Velsie Kim Bridges, who runs the center’s nutrition program.

Good intentions, flawed execution

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is funding similar programs that connect underrepresented farmers and underserved communities in every state except Wyoming.

Most have had their programs up and running for a while. Wisconsin, for example, announced a funding agreement with the federal government in August 2022 and delivered $1.4 million worth of food by the end of last year.

Illinois reached a funding agreement only two months later, but it didn’t finalize contracts with food distributors until this spring.

Illinois farmers anxious after ramping up production for food program that was delayed

Wisconsin and other states chose to work with established food banks. “Illinois opted for a more inclusive model,” according to a statement from the Illinois Department of Human Services, which is managing the program with the state’s Department of Agriculture.

The state put out an open call for farmers and food distributors to apply for a portion of the grant money to ensure smaller organizations with strong ties to local communities could participate.

McDonald appreciated the opportunity to feed her neighbors who have been generally unable to access or afford her fresh produce. Much of what she grows is shipped to farmers markets an hour and a half away in Chicago.

“We did give food to the pantry on a volunteer basis, but this was on a larger scale. We could reach more people in the community,” said McDonald, who also runs a program that teaches local youth how to farm.

The human services department acknowledged that Illinois’ more grassroots approach, which helped farmers like McDonald get involved, made it more difficult to launch its program.

“Taking a different approach than other states … to advance equity and ensure new providers have the same opportunities was the right choice for Illinois,” the human services department said in a statement. “Doing what is right is not always the easiest route in the short term, but we will continue to learn and adjust as we strive to ensure this new program is successful.”

Some funds flowing

In early May, the human services department announced it finally had the federal funds to reimburse food costs.

This came as a relief to Marty Travis, whose nonprofit Down at the Farms, 100 miles south of Chicago in Fairbury, was selected to coordinate food distribution. He took nearly $120,000 out of Down at the Farms — tapping into grant money and forgoing necessary infrastructure upgrades — to pay farmers.

“We’ve exhausted all of that money that we felt like we could set aside without putting ourselves in total jeopardy,” Travis said.

Meanwhile, Stewart’s Run-A-Way Buckers waited for funds to flow before paying farmers. Consequently, McDonald has struggled to pay the farmhands helping her harvest, package and transport the over 100 pounds of produce she’s giving Run-A-Way Buckers each week.

“They’ve been hanging in there with me,” McDonald said. “The out-of-pocket money is all I have to give them to keep them coming and helping.”

The human services department told nonprofits they could expect to receive two months of advance payment and monthly reimbursements, but their contract stipulates they must be able to front at least 60 days worth of program expenses.

Just as the program reached that two-month mark, Travis and Stewart received their first checks for food costs. But, the wait isn’t over. Illinois has yet to secure federal funds for labor and transportation costs, which account for 30% to 45% of participating nonprofits’ program expenses. One employee at Run-A-Way Buckers is still owed about $16,000 for the time he has spent managing distribution.

More representation

In April, the farmers and nonprofits waiting for reimbursement discovered the state quietly slashed the prices the program would pay for food.

Chicken breast that was originally valued at $15.75 per pound was suddenly $8.25 per pound.

The program had originally garnered lots of excitement for essentially paying retail prices for wholesale products.

“I was gonna say it’s irresponsible, but it’s just not fair,” said Travis, a seventh-generation farmer.

The prices are subject to be updated twice per year, and the April changes reflected price fluctuations and the addition of new food items not included on the original list, according to a statement from the human services department.

“That’s like everybody else coming out here, making all these promises about how they’re going to help this community, and then they never follow through. We’ve had a lot of that happen, so it’s not building up good trust among us,” said McDonald, recalling her experience with the government as a rural Black farmer.

With new farm bill in the works, Illinois farmers go to Washington to urge investments in environmental justice

After listening to feedback from farmers and food distributors, the state agreed to revert to the originally advertised prices.

In light of this, farmers are demanding more transparency and representation in the program, which is scheduled to run through September 2025.

“We’re out here daily, dealing with the elements to make the produce the best that we can give, so I think that we should have some kind of say in the policymaking,” McDonald said.

The program has had growing pains but, across the state, there remains a steadfast commitment to strengthening local food systems and hope that this initiative will do just that.

“It will sort itself out. But we’ve lost trust, we’ve lost time and we’ve lost the ability to keep all of our farmers engaged in this. We can’t break the back of all the farmers,” Travis said. “We just need to follow through. We need to close the loop.”

The 2024 NASCAR Cup Series season continues on Sunday with the 2024 Enjoy Illinois 300 at Worldwide Technology Raceway at 3:30 p.m. ET. Kyle Larson is the 11-2 favorite in the 2024 Enjoy Illinois 300 odds, while Denny Hamlin is 6-1 and Ryan Blaney is 8-1. William Byron (9-1), Martin Truex Jr. (9-1) and Christopher Bell (10-1) are also among the 2024 NASCAR at Gateway contenders. 

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The duo began 2024 by calling Hamlin to win the Clash at the Coliseum at +1100 and hit on three of its four top-five wagers. Three weeks later at Atlanta, they predicted Daniel Suarez’s victory at +3500 and were 10-2 on matchup plays. They went 9-3 on head-to-head plays in the Toyota Owners 400 in March, going +13.58 units in that article alone. Their 2024 NASCAR All-Star Race preview nailed Joey Logano at +1100 and went 4-0 in matchup picks. Anyone following Bobbitt and Greco has seen some HUGE returns!

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