LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- If the Kentucky baseball team intends to advance in the College World Series, the top of the Wildcats' batting order must deliver more than they have in the first two games in Omaha, Nebraska.
Ryan Waldschmidt, Emilien Pitre, Devin Burkes and Nick Lopez are 3-for-29 with eight strikeouts. They have walked six times, but Pitre, the No. 2 hitter, has the only extra base hit (a double), and Lopez is the only player in the quartet who has driven in a run.
The Wildcats will likely need more than that when they face Southeastern Conference rival Florida in an elimination game Tuesday.
Here are more details on how to watch and what to look for as the Wildcats attempt to extend their season.
Time/Place: Tuesday, 7 p.m., Charles Schwab Stadium, Omaha.
TV: ESPN.
Stakes: The loser is eliminated from Bracket B. The winner must defeat Texas A&M twice to advance to the final series, which starts Saturday night. The first game against the Aggies will be played Wednesday at 7 p.m.
Records: Kentucky is 46-15 and finished 22-8 in the Southeastern Conference. Florida is 35-29 but only 13-17 in SEC play. The Gators were one of the last teams invited to the 64-team NCAA field.
The Ratings: Kentucky stayed at No. 3 in the NCAA's Ratings Percentage Index (RPI) poll after the loss to Texas A&M. Florida gained 18 spots to No. 11 after defeating North Carolina State.
The Last Time: Kentucky won the first and third games of a three-game series in Gainesville on May 10-12. Both were 10-inning games. They won the opener, 12-11, and the finale, 7-5. The Gators won the Saturday game, 10-1.
The Odds: At DraftKings, the moneyline favors the Wildcats. You must wager $130 to win $100 on UK while you can earn $100 by betting $100 on the Gators to win.
Record Last 10 Games: Kentucky is 7-3. Florida is 7-3.
Starting Pitchers: Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan said he planned to start Pierce Coppola, a 6 foot, 8 inch left-hander. It's an interesting choice, considering his earned run average is 9.16 in seven games this season and Coppola has allowed 12 earned runs in his last 10 innings. Coppola did not pitch against UK when the teams met in May.
Mingione did not announce his likely starter after the game but Dominic Niman, a left-hander, has been the Wildcats' third starter for most of the season.
The issue is that Niman has an earned run average of 6.24 and did not pitch well against Florida in Gainesville. He allowed six earned runs in four innings, taking the loss in a game Florida won, 10-1.
With elimination looming, expect both coaches to turn to their bullpens at the first signs of trouble.
Big Stick Kentucky: St. Xavier High School product Ryan Nicholson continued his sizzling postseason Monday night. His ninth inning home run was the only run the Wildcats scored against A&M and it was his 23rd this season, tying the school record. In two games in Omaha, Nicholson is 5-8 with a pair of home runs.
Big Stick Florida: Gators pitcher/first baseman Jac Caglianone is one of the top sluggers in college baseball, a likely top five pick in the MLB Free Agent Draft next month.
Caglianone ranks second in the nation with 34 home runs, trailing only Charlie Condon of Georgia. He's batting .413 with a remarkable on-base percentage of .537, fueled by 55 walks.
Florida coach Kevin O'Sullivan: "We're going to need some guys that haven't pitched go out there get three or six outs for us because we can't keep going to Brandon (Neely, Florida's top reliever) in the seventh inning, obviously."
UK coach Nick Mingione: "(On Monday) I got back to being thankful that I get to continue to be around these guys because they're amazing. Amazing people. Amazing guys that are super competitive.
"They love each other and have fun and they do generally anything they can to help Kentucky win. That's their goal. They're not worried about anything else but helping Kentucky win.
"So I'm thankful that we get another day together and we get another opportunity to play with them, because these guys, they love each other. They respect the game. They respect our opponents, and they really play as hard as they can every day."
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