Kentucky
Auburn baseball drops game two against Kentucky 9-1
The Auburn Tigers dropped game two of their series against the No. 8 Kentucky Wildcats, falling 9-1.
After being competitive until the end in the series opener, Auburn was never able to get anything going in game two.
What are the biggest takeaways from the game?
Starting pitching woes continue
Chase Allsup got the start for Auburn tonight and took his third loss of the season after a three-inning effort in which he allowed four runs off of seven hits.
Conner McBride had the Tigers’ best mound performance in this game, holding the Wildcats to two runs off of four hits in 4.2 innings of work. McBride also recorded seven strikeouts.
Auburn’s bullpen has been one of the team’s brightest spots this season and tonight was no different.
Auburns bats were SILENT
Auburn only managed six hits in this game. Two Tigers had two hits each and two others had one each.
The Tigers’ only run of the evening came on a sacrifice fly from Christian Hall in the bottom of the sixth inning that allowed Mason Maners to score.
Auburn head coach Butch Thompson and company will be hoping for a more explosive performance at the plate as the Tigers attempt to avoid the sweep.
Kentucky’s lineup went off
Kentucky had just one player finish the game without a single hit.
Two Wildcats had three hits each and two others had two each, they finished with 14 total hits.
The Wildcats scored early and often, something that Auburn will try to get under control in the series finale.
Auburn is now 18-16 on the season and 2-12 in SEC play.
What’s Next?
The series finale is set for 2 p.m. CT on Saturday. The television broadcast can be found on SEC Network+ and the Auburn Sports Network broadcast can be heard locally on Wings 94.3 FM or streamed anywhere on the Auburn Athletics app.
Kentucky
Kentucky is poised to land either Donnie Freeman or Sebastian Rancik this weekend, per report
Jones posted on Twitter that “Kentucky will have (absent a major change) either Freeman or Rancik by tomorrow,” while also noting the Wildcats still need to add another shooter and another big to round out the roster.
One of the top targets is Donnie Freeman, a 6-foot-9, 205-pound sophomore forward transferring from Syracuse. Freeman arrived in Lexington on Tuesday night and began his visit on Wednesday before leaving without a commitment. While there was concern he could land at UConn, that visit has since been canceled, leaving Kentucky and St. John’s as the top teams.
Freeman averaged 16.5 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 1.3 assists per game last season, while adding nearly a block and a steal per contest. He shot 47.4% from the field but 30.2% from 3-point range across 23 games.
The other option is Sebastian Rancik, a 6-foot-11, 220-pound sophomore forward transferring from Colorado. Rancik visited Kentucky starting Wednesday through Thursday and brings a versatile skill set, averaging 12.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, and 2 assists per game while shooting 33.1% from 3.
Either Freeman or Rancik would provide a significant boost at the power forward position for head coach Mark Pope. Kentucky has already added guards Zoom Diallo and Alex Wilkins in the portal.
Kentucky football coach Will Stein reflects on new position
Will Stein was officially introduced to fans and media as the head coach for the Kentucky Wildcats, replacing Mark Stoops.
LEXINGTON — Kentucky football had its first spring game under new coach Will Stein at Kroger Field on Saturday.
The offense, in blue jerseys, had its moments. So too the defense, donning white uniforms.
Ultimately, the blue squad earned a 23-18 victory in a game called just after noon because of inclement weather.
Stein admitted he “got emotional” as he charged onto the field prior to kickoff.
“I know it wasn’t a real game, but when I ran on the field, I definitely — man, I felt it,” he said. “It was like a wave running over me. And very, very, just cool.”
While it doesn’t count in the standings, Stein walked away pleased.
“I think we got a lot of really good work,” he said. “That’s the goal of spring is to improve with fundamentals and technique, learn how to practice, learn what winning edges that we need throughout spring to go into summer and fall and prepare the team for play. And we came out of the scrimmage clean. There (were) no injuries, which to me, that’s the biggest win of the day. I could (not) care less about the score.
“If we come out clean, that’s good. The Wildcats won.”
New starting QB Kenny Minchey looked about as expected, with sharp passes evened out by moments of inconsistency. Martels Carter Jr., a defensive back who is lining up at running back this spring, scored a touchdown and had several nice runs.
And the defense forced multiple three-and-outs and also picked off one Minchey pass on a two-point conversion.
This story will be updated.
Reach Kentucky men’s basketball and football reporter Ryan Black at rblack@gannett.com and follow him on X at @RyanABlack.
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