OMAHA, Neb. – After a dramatic debut at the Men’s College World Series, [2] Kentucky will continue its run in Omaha on Monday, June 17, squaring off against [3] Texas A&M in a matchup of Opening Round victors. The game from Charles Schwab Field Omaha is set to begin at 7 p.m. ET and will be televised on ESPN. The UK Sports Network will also have a radio broadcast on 630 WLAP in Lexington, as well as on ukathletics.com
Kentucky (46-14, 22-8 SEC) opened the program’s first MCWS appearance with a victory on Saturday afternoon, defeating [10] NC State, 5-4, in ten innings. After giving up the lead in the top of the ninth, the Cats, down to their last at bat, were sparked by a Ryan Nicholson home run to tie the game and send the game to extra innings. Nicholson’s blast was his 22nd of the season, moving him one away from the Kentucky single season record. After a three up, three down inning from Johnny Hummel, aided by a diving catch from defensive replacement Ty Crittenberger, Mitchell Daly etched his name into Kentucky history, as he drilled a walk-off home run into the Kentucky bullpen in left field to hand his team the victory.
The win also broke the Kentucky single season record for wins, giving the 2024 team 46 on the year and moving them past the 2012 NCAA Tournament team. The new record is just one of many for the Cats this season, who have already set program marks for SEC wins, road wins, and SEC road wins, along with winning the program’s second SEC Championship and clinching Kentucky’s first-ever MCWS berth.
Texas A&M (50-13, 19-11 SEC) advanced to Monday’s winners’ bracket matchup against Kentucky with a 3-2 win over Florida in the final Opening Round contest of the 2024 MCWS. The Aggies swept the Bryan-College Station Regional and Super Regional on their way to Omaha, defeating Grambling, Texas, Lousiana, and Oregon (x2) on the way to their eighth MCWS appearance. Texas A&M opened the season on a 17-game win streak and is a perfect 31-0 against teams outside the SEC.
The Aggies are led on the mound by All-American Ryan Prager, who owns a 8-1 record with a 3.10 ERA and 117 strikeouts. First-Team All-American, and NCBWA Stopper of the Year, Evan Aschenbeck has been electric out of the bullpen, holding a 6-1 record with a 1.59 ERA across 29 appearances. The Aggies offense has been spearheaded by a pair of All-Americans in the outfield in Braden Montgomery and Jace LaViolette. LaViolette leads the team with 28 home runs on a .311 batting average and 77 RBI, while Montgomery leads the team with 85 RBI on a .322 average and 27 home runs. However, Montgomery is out for the remainder of the season due to an ankle injury sustained in the Super Regional. Texas A&M leads the all-time series, 13-8. The Aggies won the most recent series between the two teams, taking two of three in Lexington in 2023.
Kentucky is guaranteed another game in Omaha after Monday, no matter the result. Should the Wildcats win, they would move to Wednesday’s semifinal to be played at 7 p.m. ET. on June 19. If the Cats were to lose, they would play in an elimination game on Tuesday, June 18 at 7 p.m. ET.
GAME DETAILS
Saturday, June 17
[2] No. 2 Kentucky vs. [3] No. 4 Texas A&M
7 p.m. ET; Omaha, Neb. (Charles Schwab Field Omaha)
Radio: UK Sports Network | Television: ESPN
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