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Hurts So Good: Kentucky Wins Pair of Games, Staves Off Elimination

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Hurts So Good: Kentucky Wins Pair of Games, Staves Off Elimination


LEXINGTON, Ky. – A bruised but not battered Kentucky will play on Monday night for a regional championship for the second time in the last six NCAA Tournaments.

Kentucky (39-19) survived two elimination games on Sunday to force a fourth matchup this season against Indiana, with a spot in the NCAA Super Regional on the line. The Wildcats shut out West Virginia in the afternoon game, then slugged their way past the Hoosiers, 16-6, in the nightcap.

Sophomore Nolan McCarthy homered in each game and the Cats were hit by 14 pitches on the day, including nine against Indiana, to jumpstart the offense. Devin Burkes homered, Hunter Gilliam homered and drove in six runs and Austin Strickland was masterful on the mound against West Virginia to lead the charge.

NOTES

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  • UK Coach Nick Mingione is in his seventh season at the helm and now owns a 215-148 career record.
    • UK is 7-4 in the month of June under Coach Mingione.
    • Mingione is 7-4 in the NCAA Tournament, 6-2 in the Regional round.
    • Mingione now is 6-2 vs. Indiana.
    • UK is 32-4 in non-conference games this season.
  • UK is hosting its third-ever regional, all three of which Mingione has been on staff (2006, 2017, 2023).
  • UK has thrown two shutouts in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in the modern era.
    • UK’s starting pitchers in four games: 20 IP, 6 runs, 22 strikeouts
  • UK was hit by 14 pitches on Sunday, including nine in the Indiana game.
    • The Cats have been hit by 21 pitches in the regional.
    • UK has been hit by 14 pitches in 17 regional innings vs. Indiana.
      • Including the regular season game, Indiana has hit 20 UK batters in 24 innings this season.
  • Outfielder Nolan McCarthy hit a pair of home runs on the day.
    • In the afternoon game he went 2-for-4 with a run and three RBI with a double and home run.
    • In the night cap he went 1-for-6 but had a crucial three-run shot to open the scoring.
  • Catcher Devin Burkes went 2-for-5 with four runs, five RBI, a double, a home run, two walks and three HBP.
  • Outfielder Jackson Gray was hit by a pitch for the 23rd and 24th times this season, which moves into sole possession of second place on UK’s single-season chart.
  • Infielder Hunter Gilliam drove in six runs on the day.
  • UK players hit by a pitch on Sunday: Jase Felker (4), Devin Burkes (3), Reuben Church (3), Jackson Gray (2) and Grant Smith (2).
  • Pitcher Austin Strickland started the opener.
    • He threw 6.0 scoreless innings with six strikeouts and one walk.

ON DECK

Kentucky will face Indiana at 6 p.m. ET on Monday in the Regional Championship.

Follow along with the Cats on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, and on the web at UKathletics.com.





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Kentucky

Kentucky enters race for new UNC basketball target

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Kentucky enters race for new UNC basketball target


The North Carolina Tar Heels recently offered 2026 prospect Caleb Holt, adding him to their recruiting board last week.

The small forward is among the top prospects overall in the 2026 class and will be a priority for many programs, including UNC. But now, another blueblood program is getting involved as well.

Kentucky became the latest program to offer Holt, joining the recruitment and upping their pursuit of him. Holt took to Twitter to announce that he had received an offer from Kentucky.

They join Duke, North Carolina, Alabama, Kansas, Auburn, and Tennessee among the programs that have officially offered him so far.

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The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Holt is ranked No. 3 nationally, the No. 1 small forward and No. 1 player in the state of Georgia per the 247Sports recruiting rankings.  He holds a total of 16 offers in his recruitment with more likely on the way.

Holt is one of five players to hold an offer from Hubert Davis and the Tar Heels in the 2026 class. UNC has yet to land a recruit in either the 2025 or 2026 class so far.

Follow us @TarHeelsWire on X and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of North Carolina Tar Heels news, notes and opinions.

Story originally appeared on Tarheels Wire





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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear blasts Trump-Vance presidential ticket to Iowa crowd • Kentucky Lantern

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Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear blasts Trump-Vance presidential ticket to Iowa crowd • Kentucky Lantern


Democratic Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear drew standing ovations from the crowd Saturday at the Iowa Democratic Party’s Liberty and Justice Celebration event.

Beshear said the upcoming election would be vital to protecting Americans’ rights and keeping former President Donald Trump out of office.

“Women’s rights are on the line, our economic recovery is on the line, the Senate and the House are on the line and the future of our sacred democracy is on the line,” Beshear said.

Beshear, who is one of several high-profile Democrats being vetted to be Kamala Harris’s running mate, also took shots at GOP vice presidential nominee J.D. Vance for his lack of conviction and his comments about his “origin story.”

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“He ain’t from Kentucky. He ain’t from Appalachia. And he ain’t gonna be your vice president,” Beshear said.

Vance’s book, “Hillbilly Elegy,” recounts his upbringing in Middletown, Ohio, largely by a grandmother who moved away from the Appalachian region of Kentucky.

Outside of the keynote speaker, Iowa Democratic leaders who took the stage bashed Iowa Republican policies. Officials criticized changes to the Iowa Area Education Agencies (AEA) and the anti-abortion law that will take effect Monday.

Iowa Democratic Chair Rita Hart vowed that the November election in Iowa would be different, and that Democrats would flip many seats both at the state Legislature and in Congress.

State House Minority Leader Jennifer Konfrst blasted Iowa Republicans over their leadership of the state and said the crowd would change Republicans’ attitude.

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“Republicans feel like they’re going to be in charge forever. They vote like it and they act like it,” Konfrst said. “It’s our job to tell everyone that that’s not true. We’re going to flip the Iowa House.”

Iowa Auditor Rob Sand criticized efforts by state leaders to reduce the power of state auditors and repeated his colleagues’ assurances that Democrats would win big in the upcoming election.

“We’re going to move on and continue to build the power of the Democratic Party in the state of Iowa so that we can restore checks and balances and make sure that we have transparency and accountability and justice rising in the state of Iowa,” Sand said.

Iowa GOP spokesperson Luke Wolff said in a press release shortly after the event ended that a “radical speaker” like Beshear did not belong in Iowa.

“He is a privileged, out of touch Governor with an awful track record, and his policies have absolutely no place here. It makes sense the Iowa Democrats look to him as an inspiring figure who fits their radical agenda,” Wolff said.

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Other speakers at the event included state Senate Minority Leader Pam Jochum, and congressional challengers Ryan Melton, Lanon Baccam and Sarah Corkery.

Beshear ended his speech with a call for unity and reiterated his endorsement of Harris.

“This November, we’re gonna win and get back to being each other’s neighbors. We’re gonna get back to being Americans before we’re Democrats or Republicans. We’re gonna get back to working together,” Beshear said. “What [Harris] will do as president is not move the country to the right or the left. She will move it forward.”

Beshear is expected to speak again at another rally near Atlanta, Georgia on Sunday.

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Kentucky Oaks winner, Thorpedo Anna, to run against the boys in Travers Stakes

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Kentucky Oaks winner, Thorpedo Anna, to run against the boys in Travers Stakes


SARATOGA SPRINGS, N.Y. (WKYT) – Kentucky Oaks winner Thorpedo Anna will race against the boys in the (G1) Travers Stakes in August. Her trainer, Lexington-based Kenny McPeek, made that announcement on Saturday.

McPeek said his filly will help bring attention to the sport.

“I’m a big believer that the sport needs stars,” McPeek told “FOX Saratoga Saturday.” “It needs to be promoted. It needs to be lifted. She can do that.”

Thorpedo Anna is a perfect 4-for-4 in her starts in 2024 and has won three-straight Grade 1 races.

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The Travers Stakes is Aug. 24 at Saratoga Race Course.



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