Though basketball is what earns the University of Kentucky most of its recognition in athletics, the school’s baseball team is doing what it can to break away and earn notoriety of its own.
The Wildcats (13-2) are ranked No. 9 in the country and will be the second ranked opponent Ohio (3-10) will face this season. The Bobcats fell 8-2 to then-ranked No. 25 Virginia Tech on March 1.
Offense has also been easy to come by for the Wildcats, as they are averaging 8.3 runs per game and have topped 20 runs twice this season, including a 21-2 victory against Akron on March 1.
But despite the highly ranked opponent, the Bobcats look forward to seeing where they stack up against the nation’s best.
“I think there’s a lot of excitement going around,” sophomore first baseman Jake Madsen said. “Whenever you play a team like Kentucky, you know there are going to be a lot of good players, probably draft picks in the higher rounds. Just to see how you compare to these teams is really fun.”
Though there is enthusiasm from the Bobcats’ side for the matchup, the team’s offense will have to improve to keep up with the Wildcats.
Ohio’s bats have struggled this season, scoring more than five runs in only five of the team’s 13 games this season. And consistency has been lacking as well, with the offense scoring an average of 2.4 runs the game after those offensive outbursts.
“Guys have to be able to get the understanding of in-game adjustments,” coach Rob Smith said. “I think we’ve ran into some issues where teams have been able to spin breaking balls against us and we’ve struggled to adjust with that process. As we continue to develop as an offense, we will do a better job of making those in-game adjustments, but we just have to try to shore that up and generate some more consistency.”
One player who hasn’t struggled with any sort of offensive consistency is Madsen. He has held his own at the plate this season, batting .327 with a slugging percentage of .449 and an on-base percentage north of .400.
“It’s just about working,” Madsen said. “Coaches give us all these drills to do in the cages and it’s really (about) buying into the process. It’s all you can really do, getting the repetition that we need. That’s really what’s been working for me.”
Madsen, who leads the team with 16 hits this season, is what Smith describes as a “legitimate Division I hitter.”
“He really exemplifies what we’re hoping to do with all our hitters, which is having the ability to be more versatile,” Smith said. “He understands how to hit and how to have an approach in at-bats and has been very productive thus far for us.”
ch203310@ohiou.edu
