Photo by Vicky Graff
Pitching in the Southeastern Conference is not easy because every team has so many talented hitters. However, winning in the SEC without a strong pitching staff is almost impossible.
Kentucky is considered a top 25 team going into the season as coach Nick Mingione starts his 10th year with preseason All-American shortstop Tyler Bell to anchor the lineup and a pitching staff that seems to have quality depth to get through a long season.
“I sat here last year, and we returned one start on the mound. And just all that comes with. This year’s different. We actually returned 29 starts,” Mingione said about Tuesday’s Media Day. “We have six guys on the mound that return experience. We have 142 SEC starting pitching innings that return, so that experience is going to be good for us.”
Junior southpaw Ben Cleaver could be the team’s star. He had a 3.25 ERA in 2025 when he was 6-3 in his 15 starts with 92 strikeouts in 54 innings. Sophomore Nate Harris went 5-2 in 13 starts last year with a 4.70 ERA and 45 strikeouts in 55 innings.
Mingione likes the experience he has in the bullpen also. Sophomore Tommy Skelding made 16 appearances. Nile Adcock and Tristan Hunter could be the needed bullpen depth. Jaxon Jelkin, Chase Alderman, Oliver Boone, and Cam Owens are all returning from injuries, but Mingione believes they could all find roles to help the pitching staff.
