Mitch Daly wanted to celebrate Father’s Day a few hours early by making Derrick Smith and the NC State Wolfpack his sons in Kentucky‘s first-ever College World Series appearance. At the plate with the game tied 4-4 in the bottom of the 10th, Daly ripped a breaking ball deep to left field for the game-winning home run, walking it off for the Wildcats to secure the program’s first win in Omaha.
It’s a moment that cemented legendary status for Daly the second the ball came off his bat, the Texas transfer picking the perfect time for Kentucky’s first walk-off win of the season.
“I was just trying to back the ball up, trying to see the slider up. (Assistant coach Austin Cousino) said he leaves it up sometimes and I saw it up, so I just went for it,” Daly said of the historic home run.
No bigger opportunity than this one, one the Cats took advantage of on the sport’s biggest stage.
The Bat Cats couldn’t have gotten there without Ryan Nicholson hitting a solo shot to tie it up at 4-4 in the bottom of the ninth after trailing for the first time in the entire NCAA Tournament. They held a 3-1 lead until the seventh, the Wolfpack hitting a two-run homer in the top of the inning before a wild pitch scored the go-ahead run in the top of the ninth to take a 4-3 lead. Nolan McCarthy set the tone early with a two-run shot in the fourth while Trey Pooser was brilliant on the mound, allowing only three runs in 6 2/3 innings pitched.
It was an all-around effort that saw different players contribute in different ways, all leading to Daly’s all-time dinger in extras.
“We bunted, we stole bases, we hit homers,” Nick Mingione said after the win. “And you’ve heard me say it over and over, we are a whatever-it-takes type of offense and I thought today showed that. Bunts, homers, two-strike hitting, walks, you name it. And when the park plays like this, you’ve got to be able to do all that. I was proud of them for that effort.”
Nick Mingione, Cats break down walk-off win
What else did the Wildcats have to say about the win? Mingione held court at the podium while being joined by Daly, Nicholson and Pooser in the media room.
“Just when you guys thought it couldn’t get better,” Mingione said. “To God be the glory, what a game. What a game, both teams. Give NC State a lot of credit, that’s an amazing team. Just two teams duking it out and taking advantage of opportunities. Just so thankful for our players, our fans — our fans were amazing. In that ninth inning when Ryan hit that home run, I could barely hear myself think. It was awesome. Proud of my team, their fight, their competitiveness and their desire to win.”
Watch the full 22-minute postgame presser below:
KSR rapidly reacts from Charles Schwab Field
It was a wild scene on television, but what about the folks in attendance? KSR’s Daniel Hager and Steven Peake were there and saw it all unfold with their own four eyes and ears in the sell-out crowd of 24,000 fans.
They’ll be remembering that one for a long, long time.
“That was one of the most goosebump-inducing, spine-chilling moments that I’ve ever felt,” Hager said.
Check out their rapid reaction from inside Charles Schwab Field.
Hager and Peake are there capturing all the action and excitement for Kentucky’s first College World Series appearance. They’ll be sharing all of their adventures on the site, social media, and special editions of “Bat Cat Beat” and Rapid Reactions on the KSR YouTube Channel, so make sure you’re following and subscribed to keep up with the Cats.
KSR’s trip to Omaha for the College World Series is presented by Summit Insurance Group, a veteran-owned, family-operated business. We want to introduce you to Steve Terrell, who is here to help and give you a tip.
Before signing any insurance policy, be sure to read the terms and conditions. Our practice goes much further than just writing your insurance policy. We want to make sure that in the event you are in an accident, and someone is injured, you have adequate coverage to cover any expenses related to the loss. Do you have enough money to pay for your medical bills? Do you have enough money to replace your vehicle? Our job as insurance advisors is to make sure that you do! We want to protect not only your vehicles but your home as well. We also offer business, life, Medicare supplements, and more. Give us a call at (859) 479-1234 for more tips!
Bring on Texas A&M
We’ll be living off that high for a while, but what’s next for the Bat Cats? They’ll be taking on the Aggies in the winner’s bracket, Texas A&M fighting off Florida 3-2 late Saturday night (and early Sunday morning) to advance.
That matchup is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT/7:00 p.m. ET on Monday on ESPN.
The Aggies and Wildcats last faced off in 2023, the former winning the series 2-1 in College Station with A&M also owning the all-time series 13-8. They are led by two-time National Coach of the Year Jim Schlossnagle, the Aggies looking for their first NCAA title despite making the trip to Omaha eight times in program history.
NC State will take on Florida in the losers’ bracket on Tuesday at 6 CT/7 ET while North Carolina and Tennessee play today in the other winners’ bracket, that one starting 6 CT/7 ET on ESPN2. Virginia and Florida State will face off on Tuesday at 1 CT/2 ET on ESPN in that losers’ bracket, as well.
If the Cats win on Monday, they’ll advance to take on the winner of NC State and Florida on Wednesday at 6 CT/7 ET on ESPN. Win that one and they’re officially in the College World Series Finals, scheduled to start on Saturday, June 22. Lose, and they’ll be in a win-or-go-home battle against the Wolfpack or Gators on Thursday.
Take a look at the updated bracket as of Sunday morning:
One win down, four more to go. Time to make history.
Big Blue Nation has work to do at Rocco’s
The Bat Cats took care of business with their first-ever CWS win, but how is Big Blue Nation holding up in Rocco’s Jello Shot Challenge in Omaha? They’ve got some work to do, currently sitting in third place among the eight programs in attendance.
Tennessee holds an overwhelming lead with 5,183 jello shots purchased, followed by Texas A&M with 3,939 and Kentucky with 3,210. Interestingly enough, those three schools are the betting favorites to win the College World Series, in that order.
How are the other schools performing at Rocco’s? Check out the leaderboard, updated at 10 PM last night.
- Tennessee – 5,183
- Texas A&M – 3,939
- Kentucky – 3,210
- North Carolina – 3,116
- Florida State – 2,341
- Florida – 2,310
- NC State – 1,565
- Virginia – 865
The next update comes this afternoon. No reason Big Blue Nation shouldn’t climb up the board after a big night celebrating the walk-off win.
Solid performance thus far, but now is the time to make a statement. It’s what we do, folks.
The post KSR Today: Kentucky walks it off in College World Series debut appeared first on On3.