2026 Kentucky Wildcats baseball team

The 2026 Kentucky Wildcats baseball team represents the University of Kentucky in the 2026 NCAA Division I baseball season. The Wildcats play their home games at Kentucky Proud Park.

Previous season

The Wildcats finished 31–26, 13–17 in the SEC to finish in 13th in the conference. They lost to South Carolina in the SEC tournament. The Wildcats then competed in the NCAA tournament, and were defeated in the Clemson Regional going 2–2 in the regional.

Personnel

Roster 2026 Kentucky Wildcats roster Pitchers 0 – Jaxon Jelkin – Junior 5 – Jack Bennett – Senior 7 – Toby Peterson – Freshman 8 – Nile Adcock – Senior 12 – Connor Mattison – Junior 16 – Ira Austin IV – Senior 17 – Cameron Owens – Freshman 19 – Jack Sams – Freshman 20 – Tommy Skelding – Sophomore 21 – Chase Alderman – Sophomore 22 – Burkley Bounds – Sophomore 28 – Lucas Hail – Freshman 30 – Bryson Treichel – Sophomore 31 – Oliver Boone – Sophomore 35 – Jackson Soucie – Senior 36 – Nate Harris – Sophomore 38 – Ryan Mullan – Junior 45 – Leighton Harris – Sophomore 47 – Will Coleman – Freshman 48 – Ben Cleaver – Junior 49 – Tristan Hunter – Sophomore 50 – Will Pryor – Junior Catchers 4 – Alex Duffey – Senior 13 – Tagger Tyson – Junior 29 – Owen Jenkins – Freshman Infielders 1 – Caeden Cloud – Freshman 2 – Tyler Cerny – Senior 6 – Tyler Bell – Sophomore 9 – Ethan Hindle – Junior 10 – Luke Lawrence – Senior 23 – Hudson Brown – Sophomore 41 – Maxime Boies – Freshman 44 – Michael Gardner – Freshman Outfielders 3 – Will Marcy – Senior 11 – Scott Campbell Jr. – Senior 24 – Braxton Van Cleave – Freshman 25 – Ryan Schwartz – Sophomore 33 – Ryan Foscolo – Freshman 34 – Carson Hansen – Senior 37 – Jayce Tharnish – Junior 

Coaching staff

2026 Kentucky Wildcats coaching staff Name Position Nick Mingione Head coach Dan RoszelAssistant Coach/Pitching Austin CousinoAssistant Coach/Recruiting Coordinator Chase SloneAssistant Coach/Hitting

Schedule and results 2026 Kentucky Wildcats baseball game log (33–23) Regular season (31–20) February (8–2) Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SEC recordFebruary 13 at * No. 18 UNCG Baseball Stadium W 13–2 Jelkin (1–0) Chapman (0–1) 398 1–0 –February 14 (DH 1) at UNC Greensboro* No. 18 UNCG Baseball Stadium W 11–3 Cleaver (1–0) Weaver (0–1) 655 2–0 –February 14 (DH 2) at UNC Greensboro* No. 18 UNCG Baseball Stadium W 10–6 N. Harris (1–0) Shuey (0–1) 655 3–0 –February 17* No. 18 Kentucky Proud Park L 6–8 Hayes (1–0) Adcock (0–1) Costa (2) SECN+ 1,811 3–1 –February 20 at * No. 18 Charles H. Braun Stadium W 9–2 Jelkin (2–0) Deverman (0–2) ESPN+ 715 4–1 –February 21 (DH 1) at Evansville* No. 18 Charles H. Braun Stadium W 5–3 Mullan (1–0) McCormack (0–1) Bennett (1) 695 5–1 –February 21 (DH 2) at Evansville* No. 18 Charles H. Braun Stadium L 0–1 Reed (1–1) N. Harris (1–1) Graham (1) 695 5–2 –February 25*No. 22 Kentucky Proud Park W 13–9Bounds (1–0)Reinburg (0–1) SECN+ 2,217 6–2 –February 27* No. 22 Kentucky Proud Park W 3–1Jelkin (3–0)O'Leary (0–2)Bennett (2) SECN+ 2,508 7–2 –February 28St. John's* No. 22 Kentucky Proud Park W 3–0Mattison (1–0)Chaffee (0–3) Soucie (1) SECN+ 2,876 8–2 – March (14–4) Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SEC recordMarch 1St. John's* No. 22 Kentucky Proud Park W 3–1N. Harris (2–1)Mowad (1–1)Bounds (1)SECN+ 2,300 9–2 –March 3 at * No. 21 Turkey Hughes Field W 10–07Skelding (1–0)Pumphrey (0–1) ESPN+ 1,011 10–2 –March 4Eastern Kentucky* No. 21 Kentucky Proud Park W 8–4Adcock (1–1)Cartledge (0–1) SECN+ 2,218 11–2 –March 6The Citadel* No. 21 Kentucky Proud Park W 10–5Mattison (2–0)Gibson (1–1)Bennett (3) SECN+ 2,962 12–2 –March 7The Citadel* No. 21 Kentucky Proud Park W 12–7Bounds (2–1)Brown (0–2) SECN+ 2,16613–2 –March 8The Citadel* No. 21 Kentucky Proud Park W 13–5Bennett (1–0)Bottar (0–1) SECN+ 2,392 14–2 –March 10* No. 21 Kentucky Proud Park W 10–3Boone (1–0)Jones (0–2) SECN+ 2,694 15–2 –March 13Alabama No. 21 Kentucky Proud Park W 7–4Jelkin (4–0)Fay (3–2)Bennett (4) SECN+ 2,717 16–2 1–0March 14Alabama No. 21 Kentucky Proud Park W 8–7Skelding (2–0)Adams (3–1)Bennett (5) SECN+ 3,178 17–2 2–0March 15Alabama No. 21 Kentucky Proud Park W 6–4N. Harris (3–1)Upchurch (3–2)Adcock (1) SECN+ 3,046 18–2 3–0March 17* No. 15 Kentucky Proud Park PostponedMarch 19 at Ole Miss No. 15 Swayze Field L 0–5 Elliott (3–0)Cleaver (1–1)Rabe (2) SECN 9,013 18–3 3–1March 20 at Ole Miss No. 15 Swayze Field W 3–1Jelkin (5–0)Calhoun (1–1)Adcock (2) SECN+ 9,710 19–3 4–1March 21 at Ole Miss No. 15 Swayze Field L 9–12 Hooks (1–0)Bounds (2–1) SECN+ 9,873 19–4 4–2March 24* No. 19 Kentucky Proud Park W 14–47Mullan (2–0)Rees (2–2) SECN+ 3,046 20–4 –March 27 at LSU No. 19 Alex Box Stadium W 7–4Jelkin (6–0)Evans (2–1) SECN+ 11,828 21–4 5–2March 28 at LSU No. 19 Alex Box Stadium L 0–7 Schmidt (4–1) N. Harris (3–2) Cowan (1) SECN+ 11,268 21–5 5–3March 29 at LSU No. 19 Alex Box Stadium L 10–17Sheerin (3–0)Bennett (1–1)Fontenot (2) SECN+ 11,010 21–6 5–4March 31 * No. 24 Kentucky Proud Park W 14–11 Adcock (2–1)Preisel (0–1) SECN+ 3,733 22–6 – April (5–9) Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SEC recordApril 3Missouri No. 24 Kentucky Proud Park L 4–5 Lawrence (2–0) Soucie (0–1) SECN+ 2,343 22–7 5–5April 4Missouri No. 24 Kentucky Proud Park W 9–2 N. Harris (4–2) Kehlenbrink (3–4) None SECN+ 3,471 23–7 6–5April 5Missouri No. 24 Kentucky Proud Park L 2–5 Villareal (1–0) Cleaver (1–2) Skidmore (1) SECN 2,611 23–8 6–6April 7Louisville* Kentucky Proud Park W 4–2Boone (2–0)Brown (3–2)Bennett (6) SECN 3,694 24–8 –April 10 at No. 15 Auburn Plainsman Park L 5–12Alvarez (6–1)Jelkin (6–1) SECN+ 6,662 24–9 6–7April 11 at No. 15 Auburn Plainsman Park W 5–4Adcock (3–1)Marciano (3–2)L. Harris (1) SECN 6,519 25–9 7–7April 12 at No. 15 Auburn Plainsman Park L 0–117Petrovic (6–1)Cleaver (1–3) SECN 5,004 25–10 7–8April 17Vanderbilt Kentucky Proud Park W 5–2Adcock (4–1)Baird (0–2) SECN+ 4,416 26–10 8–8April 18Vanderbilt Kentucky Proud Park L 7–8Kranzler (2–3)Bennett (1–2)Seiber (1) SECN+ 3,489 26–11 8–9April 19Vanderbilt Kentucky Proud Park L 6–13Stillman (2–1)Mattison (2–1)Baird (4) SECN+ 3,709 26–12 8–10April 21 at Louisville* Jim Patterson Stadium L 10–14England (2-2)Bennett (1–3)Michael (1) ACCN 4,44426–13 –April 24 at South Carolina Founders Park L 9–10Parks (4–1)Jelkin (6–2)Marlatt (1) SECN+ 6,610 26–14 8–11April 25 at South Carolina Founders Park L 4–9Stone (5–2)Boone (2–1) SECN+ 6,625 26–15 8–12April 26 at South Carolina Founders Park W 9–5Sams (1–0)Philpott (0–4)Bennett (7) SECN 6,54227–15 9–12 May (4–5) Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SEC recordMay 1Tennessee Kentucky Proud Park W 9–2Cleaver (2–3)Kuhns (3–4) SECN+4,66028–1510–12May 2Tennessee Kentucky Proud Park W 12–28Jelkin (7–2)Blanco (5–3) SECN+4,56529–1511–12May 3Tennessee Kentucky Proud Park L 9–10 Mack (4–4) Mattison (2–2) Arvidson (2) SECN+ 3,959 29–16 11–13May 8 at No. 21 Florida Condron Ballpark L 6–7 Whritenour (3–3) Austin IV (0–1) SECN+ 5,937 29–17 11–14May 9 at No. 21 Florida Condron Ballpark W 4–2Jelkin (8–2)Peterson (1–5) SECN+5,489 30–17 12–14May 10 at No. 21 Florida Condron Ballpark L 6–9 McDonald (5–1) Peterson (0–1) SECN 5,113 30–18 12–15May 12* Kentucky Proud Park CanceledMay 14No. 12 Arkansas Kentucky Proud Park W 4–3 Sams (2–0) Dietz (7–3) Jelkin (1) SECN+ 3,272 31–18 13–15May 15No. 12 Arkansas Kentucky Proud Park L 4–5 McElvain (5–0) L. Harris (0–1) SECN+ 4,000 31–19 13–16May 16No. 12 Arkansas Kentucky Proud Park L 12–16 Coil (3–0) Hunter (0–1) DeCremer (1) SECN+ 3,963 31–20 13–17 Postseason (2–3) (0–1) Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record SECT recordMay 19 vs. (12) Vanderbilt (13) Hoover Metropolitan Stadium L 5–8 Kranzler (3–3) Jelkin (8–3) None SECN 6,748 31–21 0–1 (2–2) Date Opponent Rank Site/stadium Score Win Loss Save TV Attendance Overall record NCAAT recordMay 29 vs. (2) Wake Forest (3) Kendrick Family Ballpark W 6–5 Adcock (5–1) Ray (2–1) Soucie (2) ESPN2 3,934 32–21 1–0May 30 at (1) No. 9 West Virginia (3) Kendrick Family Ballpark W 11–9 Bennett (2–3) Bassinger (4–3) None SECN 4,276 33–21 2–0May 31 at (1) No. 9 West Virginia (3) Kendrick Family Ballpark L 9–11 McDougal (1–0) Soucie (0–2) None SECN 4,184 33–22 2–1June 1 at (1) No. 9 West Virginia (3) Kendrick Family Ballpark L 5–610 Montesa (4–4) Bennett (2–4) None ESPN2 33–23 3–1 Legend:      = Win      = Loss      = CanceledBold = Kentucky team memberRankings are based on the team's current ranking in the D1Baseball poll.*Denotes non-conference game Schedule source:

Record vs. conference opponents

Rankings

References