Kentucky Opens Eight-Game Road Trip at Louisville

The in-state rivals renew acquaintance Tuesday night, first pitch set for 6 p.m. ET

LEXINGTON, Ky. – Kentucky opens an eight-game road trip by heading west across Interstate 64 to take on No. 10 Louisville on Tuesday night at Jim Patterson Stadium. First pitch is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET and the game will be broadcast live on Watch ESPN.

The Wildcats and Cardinals have split the home-and-home regular season series each of the past two seasons with the home team winning all four games. The two rivals also will face each other in Lexington on April 16, the first game back at Kentucky Proud Park after UK’s current road swing. Sophomore left-hander Mason Hazelwood will draw the starting assignment for the Cats.

The Cats (16-12) are coming off a hard-fought weekend series against No. 4 Georgia, getting a complete game shutout from Zack Thompson in the middle game of the series and erasing a 5-0 first-inning deficit in the finale to force extra innings before falling in the first extra frame.

The game against Louisville will represent the 13th*contest for UK against RPI Top 25 teams this season, the most in the country to this point. The Cats already have faced then-No. 3 Texas Tech, No. 4 Georgia, No. 11 LSU and No. 13 Texas A&M.


Thompson Named SEC Pitcher of the Week

Kentucky junior left-hander Zack Thompson is the SEC Pitcher of the Week, the league announced on Monday. Thompson turned in a brilliant performance in tossing a complete game shutout against No. 4 Georgia, striking out a career-high 13 batters and allowing only two infield hits.

A native of Selma, Ind., Thompson dominated the Bulldogs from beginning to end, striking out four in the first two innings and then recording the final six outs of the game via strikeout. The only blemishes were an infield single and a bunt single as he set a new career-high with 124 pitches and got stronger as the game went along.


GAME DETAILS

Tuesday, April 2 at #10 Louisville

*When: 6 p.m. ET

*Where: Jim Patterson Stadium; Louisville, Ky.

*Radio: UK Sports Network; 630 AM Lexington (Darren Headrick); UKathletics.com

* TV/Online: Watch ESPN