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McCoy helps Kentucky hold on for 10-8 win over Western Michigan

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McCoy helps Kentucky hold on for 10-8 win over Western Michigan


LEXINGTON, Ky. — James McCoy hit a two-run homer and drove in three runs to break out of a hitting slump and Kentucky held on for a 10-8 victory over Western Michigan on Friday in the opening game of the Wildcats’ home regional.


What You Need To Know

  • Kentucky held on for a 10-8 victory over Western Michigan in the opening game of the Wildcats’ home NCAA regional
  • Western Michigan (32-22), the Mid-American Conference Tournament champions, rallied and put the potential go-ahead run on base in the ninth
  • Kentucky now is 41-14 in 2024
  • Kentucky will face the winner of Indiana State and Illinois on Saturday night at 6 p.m. ET.

The No. 2 overall seed Wildcats (41-14) got off to a hot start after earning the highest seed in program history and winning just their second Southeastern Conference regular-season title. They jumped ahead 8-0 through the first four innings before Western Michigan (32-22), the Mid-American Conference Tournament champions, rallied and put the potential go-ahead run on base in the ninth.

Western Michigan loaded the bases with two outs off Robert Hogan on Josh Swinehart’s single, a hit batter and a walk.

Hogan got a flyout to left field from Grady Mee to end the threat and earn his first save. He allowed two hits and struck out four in 3 1/3 scoreless innings to earn his first save. Cameron O’Brien (2-0) got the win with one scoreless inning.

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Western Michigan starter Brady Miller (6-6) allowed six runs, four earned, in two innings.

Kentucky will face the Indiana State-Illinois winner on Saturday.

McCoy had a double and scored twice for the Wildcats in addition to hitting his sixth home run of the season — in the second inning. He snapped out of a 0-for-21 batting slump.

Mitchell Daly added a pair of doubles and two RBIs.

Western Michigan chased Kentucky starter Dominic Niman with a five-run fifth inning. CJ Richmond’s two-run double in the sixth pulled the Broncos within two and capped the scoring.

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Kentucky will face the winner of Indiana State and Illinois on Saturday night at 6 p.m. ET.



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Kentucky colleges are about to go on winter break. Here’s the schedule

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Kentucky colleges are about to go on winter break. Here’s the schedule


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As college students head into the final stretch of the academic semester, the approaching holiday season gives many a chance to rest and reset. Winter break is on the horizon for Kentucky’s colleges and universities.

Here’s a schedule of winter break dates to know.

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Asbury University winter break

Winter break is from Friday, Dec. 12 through Sunday, Jan. 11, according to the university’s calendar.

Bellarmine University winter break

Bellarmine University is on winter break from Friday, Dec. 12 through Sunday, Jan. 4, according to the academic calendar.

Berea College winter break 2025

According to the college’s academic calendar, winter break is from Saturday, Dec. 13 through Sunday, Jan. 11.

Centre College winter break

Centre College is on winter break from Saturday, Dec. 13 through Sunday, Jan. 4, according to the 2025-26 academic calendar.

Eastern Kentucky University winter break

Winter break is from Monday, Dec. 8 through Saturday, Dec. 13, according to the university’s academic calendar. A winter semester begins on Monday, Dec. 15, but those taking spring semester classes only will return on Tuesday, Jan. 20.

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Jefferson Community & Technical College winter break

Jefferson Community & Technical College is on winter break from Monday, Dec. 15 through Sunday, Jan. 11, according to the academic calendar.

Kentucky State University winter break 2025

Winter break is from Friday, Dec. 19 to Friday, Jan. 2, according to the 2025-26 academic calendar.

Morehead State University winter break

Morehead State University is on winter break from Friday, Dec. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 11, according to the university calendar.

Northern Kentucky University winter break

According to the 2025-26 academic calendar, winter break is from Saturday, Dec. 13 through Sunday, Jan. 11.

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Spalding University winter break

Winter break is from Wednesday, Dec. 24 through Sunday, Jan. 4, according to the university calendar.

University of Kentucky winter break 2025

The University of Kentucky is on winter break from Friday, Dec. 19 through Sunday, Jan. 11, according to the 2025-26 calendar.

University of Louisville winter break

According to the academic calendar, the University of Louisville is on winter break from Wednesday, Dec. 10 through Tuesday, Jan. 6.

Western Kentucky University winter break

Winter break is from Wednesday, Dec. 17 to Friday, Jan. 2, according to the Western Kentucky University academic calendar.

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Reach Marina Johnson at Marina.Johnson@courier-journal.com.



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Kentucky has made the Will Stein head coaching hire official

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Kentucky has made the Will Stein head coaching hire official


Kentucky fans have had had an eventful last few days, with a firing of head coach Mark Stoops after a long meeting on Sunday night, followed by a very quick coaching search. Now, the search is officially wrapped up and Kentucky has found their guy. After multiple reports that Oregon Offensive Coordinator Will Stein was set to become the new head coach, that has now been made official by UK.

Stein is seen as one of the brightest offensive coaching minds in college football, and was a hot name among many coaching searches across the country. Mitch Barnhart said in the press release that he “brings an outstanding track record of developing elite quarterbacks and leading some of the most dynamic and successful offenses in college football.” Fans will be really excited about what he brings on the field, but his personal longstanding connection with the UK program is what makes it an overall perfect fit. Stein, who grew up a Kentucky fan residing as Louisville native, has some really strong ties to the program, including growing up a huge fan, with his dad, Matt, being a former player and his mother, Debbie, is also a big fan. He may have played at Louisville, but his love for Kentucky has never left.

Here is what Stein had to say in a press release statement: “I’m honored and excited to become the next head coach at Kentucky,” Stein said. “Growing up in Kentucky and sitting in the stands at UK games as a kid, I could only dream of one day leading the Wildcats. This is truly a dream come true. My goal is to lead with purpose and help young men grow on and off the field. I’m deeply thankful to President Capilouto, Mitch Barnhart, and Big Blue Nation for the trust they’ve placed in me. I also want to thank Coach Dan Lanning and the entire Oregon staff for their support and mentorship, they’ve been incredible. Now, I can’t wait to get started and make Kentucky proud.”

Stein really has quite the quarterback resume, including coaching Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel, who were two of the top quarterbacks in the country during their time at Oregon, incuding Dante Moore this year. What do the three have in common? They were all Heisman candidates. That’s something BBN should be excited about, because getting their quarterback room right would be huge for the program’s success. It’s still up in the air depending on what Cutter Boley’s decision will be, but he certainly would be excited to watch in Stein’s exciting offense.

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Kentucky has a fresh new face at the helm of the football program, and with how much national praise he has gotten lately, that should make fans really happy. Mitch Barnhart hired a special gem in Stein.





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Chip Kelly to Kentucky? A Rumor That Could Be The Result of a Bad Game of Telephone

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Chip Kelly to Kentucky? A Rumor That Could Be The Result of a Bad Game of Telephone


After a long day of waiting, we learned around 9:30 PM ET that Kentucky was moving on from Mark Stoops. KSR was prepared with a Hot Board of potential candidates for the job. A new name was thrown into the foray around midnight.

Mike Florio shared on Pro Football Talk that former Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly could be the next head football coach of the Kentucky Wildcats.

“Word is circulating among Kentucky players that Kelly could be the team’s next head coach,” Florio writes. “That doesn’t mean he will be. It doesn’t even mean he’s an official candidate. It means only that Kentucky players have somehow developed the impression that Kelly could be the new coach.”

Really!?!?!? Chip Kelly?

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Florio is well-versed in the NFL rumor mill. His website burns and turns through them, and many of those rumors amount to nothing. There are many reasons why this rumor makes no sense, but there is an explanation for it.

Long after he was an offensive innovator at Oregon, or a head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles, Chip Kelly spent five years as UCLA’s head coach. They had moderate success during his tenure, with three straight 8+ win seasons, but he abruptly left in February of 2024 to become the Ohio State offensive coordinator. Why? The demands of the NIL era ahead of UCLA’s move to the Big Ten were too much. He’d rather call plays than organize NIL efforts as a head coach.

If Kelly didn’t want to be a head coach in Westwood, why would he want to be one in Lexington? There’s an explanation that connects all of the dots.

The Kelly That Should Be At Kentucky

A big reason Mark Stoops is no longer the Kentucky head coach is because of the program’s structure in the NIL and revenue-sharing era. His best years were before the changes in the sport. Kentucky fell behind, and now they’re playing catch-up.

Most schools around the SEC are hiring general managers to create an NFL front office structure in the college football ranks. On Sunday, Florida hired David Caldwell to be the Gators’ GM. The former Jacksonville Jaguars’ general manager has connections to the Florida program.

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Kentucky can make a similar move, not with Chip Kelly, but with Champ Kelly. The latter played wide receiver and defensive back at Kentucky from 1998-01. He’s had a successful professional career in NFL front offices, rising through the ranks with the Broncos and Bears.

Kelly appears to have hit a hard ceiling in the NFL. Even though he served as an interim general manager for the Raiders for two years, and is currently the interim GM in Miami, for whatever reason, he’s not getting the full-time gigs.

In short, Champ Kelly is the perfect person to become the Kentucky football general manager. It’s easy to understand how Chip and Champ could be confused. Hopefully, this Florio rumor forecasts good news for the future of the Kentucky football front office.

We discussed Champ Kelly’s expertise and the potential addition of a general manager during Sunday night’s Rapid Reaction.

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