Kentucky baseball opens with a sweep of UNC Greensboro

No. 18 Kentucky baseball kicked off its 2026 season with a road sweep over UNC Greensboro.

The Wildcats opened the season with a 13-2 win before taking both ends of a Saturday doubleheader by scores of 11-3 and 10-6.

There were several things to take away from this series, but below are some of the biggest stories from the series.

Tyler Bell Injured

All of college baseball is aware of how good Kentucky’s superstar shortstop Bell is, as he continues to be projected as an early first-rounder in 2026 MLB Draft projections. The sophomore is on all the preseason first team or player of the year watchlists available in college baseball and the SEC.

He was penciled in at short and batting third on Opening Day for Nick Mingione, and he started the day 1-4 at the plate with an RBI and a walk.

In the seventh inning, UNC Greensboro designated hitter Parker Wight hit a ball right behind second, and Bell, along with second baseman Luke Lawrence, converged on the ball. Bell dove full extension and landed on his shoulder/arm awkwardly.

Bell was on the ground for four or five minutes, where he was examined by the training staff before he popped up and came out of the game. On Saturday, ESPN's Kiley McDaniel reported that Bell would be out indefinitely.

Kentucky SS Tyler Bell injured his left shoulder last night diving for a ball on defense. He’s out indefinitely, per source.

Bell is a projected 2026 first round pick. He went unsigned out of high school as the 66th overall pick in the 2024 draft by the Rays.
— Kiley McDaniel (@kileymcd) February 14, 2026

Lawrence played shortstop during Saturday's doubleheader and Ethan Hindle moved to second base.

Offensive Outburst

Despite the loss of Bell, the sticks made the trip to North Carolina and dominated the series.

The Wildcats scored 34 total runs in the series, which was the most in the first three games of a season since at least 2014. The team also hit 37-107 (.345) on the weekend.

Bell brought home the first run of the year in the first inning of the season and that was followed by two more in the second.

The bats ignited in the third inning of game one with an eight-run effort boosted by a Lawrence grand slam for the first Big Blue Bomb of the year. The second baseman also delivered a two-out, two-RBI single to break a 1-1 tie in game three. Lawrence led the team with seven RBIs in the series.

A six-run second inning of game two was the big crooked number of the game.

Looking at individual performances, Ryan Schwartz had a phenomenal game two, finishing 4-4 with a double and an RBI. He finished 1-2 with a walk in game one and 1-3 in game three with a double, two walks and an RBI.

Hindle also looked great at the plate. He finished 1-3 in game one with a walk, triple and two RBIs. He finished 2-4 with a double and two RBIs in game two. He capped off the weekend with a 2-2 game three with two doubles, two walks and an RBI. He also stole four bases in game three and a bag in game two.

Elon transfer Alex Duffey got the start at designated hitter in game two and went 3-4 with a triple and three RBIs, along with a walk. He hit another triple in a 1-3 game three with an RBI.

Jaxon Jelkin and Ben Cleaver shine in 2026 debuts

Opening Day served as the long-awaited regular season debut of Jelkin after missing last season recovering from Tommy John surgery.

He was dubbed a power righty and he delivered in his first start by sitting in the mid-to-high 90s with his fastball, along with wipeout off-speed stuff.

The junior struck out seven of the first eight batters he faced to start his outing. He finished with 10 strikeouts in four innings of work due to a pitch count. He gave up no runs on two hits and did not walk a batter.

If that stuff sticks throughout the year, Jelkin could be one of the better arms in the country.

Game two was the 2026 debut of “The Slim Reaper” Cleaver, who nearly matched Jelkin’s final line as he also worked four scoreless innings, gave up two hits and did not walk a batter. The lefty finished with seven strikeouts in his outing.

Bullpen duo dazzles in debut

Grand Canyon transfer righty Connor Mattison was the first bullpen arm used this season and he delivered 3.2 innings, where he struck out seven with no walks. The junior surrendered one run on three hits.

EKU transfer Burkley Bounds made his debut and closed out the final two innings of game two's 11-3 win. He finished with no hits, no runs, one walk and five strikeouts.

Owen Jenkins gets the nod at catcher

Catcher was one of the few position battles going on heading into the season, and the true freshman Owen Jenkins got the start on opening day. He finished 3-5 at the plate with a pair of RBIs.

The Lexington native started in game one of the doubleheader and finished 0-4 with a walk and three strikeouts.

Tagger Tyson, a transfer from Louisville, got the start on the back end of the doubleheader with Duffey at DH in the final two games of the series. Jenkins pinch hit in game three and hit into a double play.