Bat Cats Central caught up with Kentucky baseball coach Nick Mingione to recap roster changes over the summer and to preview fall practice. This is the fourth story in the series.
Nick Mingione will enter his 10th season as the head coach at Kentucky this spring. Mingione is the third-longest-tenured coach in program history, trailing only Keith Madison, who coached Kentucky for 25 seasons from 1979 to 2003, and Harry Lancaster.
When asked by Bat Cats Central about what starting his 10th fall means to him, Mingione praised the administration at Kentucky and all of the past coaches and players over the last decade.
"Just thankful to be here," Mingione said. "This is the only place I ever wanted to be the head coach. Thankful for (athletics director) Mitch Barnhart, an amazing leader. Thankful for all the former players and staff. That’s why I still have a job, because of how good they are. Just thankful for the opportunity to lead."
Mingione has compiled a 293-192 record in nine seasons. It's been a transformative era for Kentucky baseball under Mingione. In 2017, the program won its first-ever NCAA Regional by defeating North Carolina State at Cliff Hagan Stadium. They were defeated by Louisville in the Super Regional to end the season, but an excellent first season raised expectations.
But the 2018 team, which spent time ranked in the top 10 early in the year, dealt with injuries throughout the year and ultimately faltered down the stretch and was left out of the NCAA Tournament. The 2019 team moved from Cliff Hagan Stadium to Kentucky Proud Park, but the program entered a downturn, posting its fewest wins in the SEC (7-23) since 2005. The 2020 season was canceled early because of the COVID-19 pandemic, but Kentucky posted 12-18 records in the SEC in 2021 and 2022 before breaking through and returning to the NCAA Tournament in 2023. Kentucky won its first NCAA Regional at Kentucky Proud Park, marking the beginning of the best stretch of postseason play in school history.
Having never gone to back-to-back NCAA tournaments, Kentucky far exceeded all preseason expectations in 2024 by winning a share of the SEC regular season title and earning the No. 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament. It set a school record in overall (46) and SEC victories (22).
The Wildcats cruised through the NCAA Regional at Kentucky Proud Park and hosted West Coast powerhouse Oregon State in the first home Super Regional. Kentucky swept the Beavers, earning its first trip to the College World Series when closer Johnny Hummel struck out Micah McDowell to strand the tying run at third base.
The magical run continued in the first game of the College World Series as third baseman Mitch Daly hit a walk-off home run in the bottom of the 10th against NC State to give Kentucky its first win in Omaha. The Wildcats were defeated by Texas A&M and Florida in the next two games, ending their best season in school history.
"We have amazing fans," Mingione said. "I often watch the video from 2024, the Super Regional, the atmosphere, Omaha, watching all the fans and the Mitch Daly walk-off. Just so many amazing, amazing highlights over 10 years.
“That first team, being the first team to ever make a Super and the first team to make a regional final on Kentucky’s campus at Cliff Hagan Stadium," Mingione continued. "And the hard times too. Just thankful for all of it. It’s really shaped and molded what this program is. I say this all the time, the best thing about the University of Kentucky is the people. Especially the people we have in our baseball program and the leader we have in Mitch."
Kentucky returned to the postseason once again in 2025. The Wildcats have won 12 games in the postseason since 2023, which is the fourth most in the SEC in that span. They'll enter the 2026 season with expectations to make it four straight postseason appearances.
In all, Mingione's tenure has featured the highest highs of anyone in school history, and the recent success has shown a new level of consistency that had not been accomplished prior to his stint.
"Ten years, it’s gone by fast," Mingione said. "The way I see it the most is (his son) Reeves. Just watching him from the time we were in our press conference to watching him now. It’s like ‘man, time is flying.’”
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Derek Terry is the founder of Bat Cats Central, a leading source for University of Kentucky baseball coverage. Before leaving full-time sportswriting, Derek worked for The Cats' Pause (2017-22) and Cats Illustrated (2015-17).
