Kentucky will close out its 2025 regular season this weekend on the road at No. 9 Vanderbilt.
This is the second consecutive season that the ‘Cats and Commodores have met in the final weekend of SEC play. Last season, then ranked No. 2 Kentucky took the series at home to clinch a share of the SEC Co-Regular Season Championship.
Both programs are heading into the weekend with momentum, as Kentucky is coming off a sweep over No. 17 Oklahoma and Vanderbilt took the road series over No. 15 Tennessee last weekend. Buckle up for an exciting weekend in Nashville.
No. 9 Vanderbilt Commodores (36-16, 16-11)
Following its road series victory over No. 15 Tennessee, Vanderbilt is back up to No. 9 in the latest D1Baseball Top 25 Rankings. This ties its highest ranking of the season.
The Commodores have poured in what is likely their best season since 2021. They are the No. 4 overall seed in On3’s latest Field of 64 Projections and look primed to advance past an NCAA Tournament Regional for the first time since 2021 (went to College World Series).
Although they boast an impressive 36-16 record, their offense has been less than stellar this season. As a team, Vanderbilt is hitting for a .267 average (217th in NCAA) but it sports an impressive 3.82 team ERA (13th in NCAA).
The ‘Dores are led by junior first baseman Riley Nelson (.359 AVG, 37 RBI), senior outfielder Jacob Humphrey (.312 AVG, 20 RBI) and sophomore outfielder Braden Holcomb (.276 AVG, 30 RBI). They are maybe most like Kentucky out of any team in the SEC, as their offense has been disappointing this season but their pitching is winning them games.
The starting trio of left-hander JD Thompson and right-handers Cody Bowker and Connor Fennell boast a combined 4.01 ERA in 173 total innings pitched this season. Last weekend, Tennessee scored just seven earned runs in 13 2/3 innings against Vanderbilt’s three starters.
This series won’t affect Vanderbilt hosting a Regional in Nashville, but it may affect the ‘Dores being a top-eight seed if they take a series loss to Kentucky this weekend. In that aspect, it’s a must-win series for Vanderbilt fans thirsting for a return to Omaha.
Kentucky Wildcats (29-20, 13-14)
The one thing Kentucky CAN’T do this weekend is get swept in Nashville. Win one game and they shouldn’t even have to worry about winning a game in the SEC Tournament. If they get swept and get pushed back towards the bubble however, Hoover becomes extremely important.
The ‘Cats have improved greatly on the backend of their SEC schedule, as they’ve won three of their four conference series (No. 4 Tennessee, South Carolina and No. 17 Oklahoma). A series victory for Kentucky could possibly propel the ‘Cats to a No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament.
They’re currently a No. 3 seed in On3’s latest Field of 64 Projections.
Kentucky’s usual suspects in shortstop Tyler Bell, third baseman/DH Patrick Herrera and outfielder Cole Hage continue to produce for the ‘Cats, but other players are starting to emerge when needed as well. Freshman outfielder Ryan Schwartz has notched a hit in six of his last eight games and junior left-hander Ethan Walker has struck out nine batters and allowed just one hit in his last five relief innings (Mississippi State and Oklahoma).
Walker’s recent strand of strong play has been extremely important, as Kentucky now has three solidified relief arms to follow the starts of Nate Harris, Nic McCay or Ben Cleaver. Walker, left-hander Jackson Nove and right-hander Simon Gregersen all look like safe bets out of the Kentucky bullpen.
It’s been a tumultuous season for Kentucky, but one win this weekend would give Kentucky four consecutive 30-win seasons for the first time since 2015-2018.
ALL-TIME SERIES: Vanderbilt leads 158-152-5
Probable Starters
Thursday, May 15, 2025 (Hawkins Field – 7:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: RHP Nate Harris (4-2, 3.65 ERA, 49.1 IP) vs VAN: LHP JD Thompson (4-5, 3.88 ERA, 72.0 IP)
Friday, May 16, 2025 (Hawkins Field – 7:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: RHP Nic McCay (5-0, 4.06 ERA, 64.1 IP) vs VAN: RHP Cody Bowker (2-4, 4.76 ERA, 58.2 IP)
Saturday, May 17, 2025 (Hawkins Field – 3:00 p.m. EST) SEC Network+
UK: LHP Ben Cleaver (6-3, 3.30 ERA, 71.0 IP) vs VAN: RHP Connor Fennell (5-0, 3.19 ERA, 42.1 IP)
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