Preview: Eastern Kentucky Colonels at Kentucky Wildcats

LEXINGTON, Ky. (Interstat) — The surging Kentucky Wildcats host the struggling Eastern Kentucky Colonels in a Wednesday afternoon intrastate matchup at Kentucky Proud Park. First pitch is scheduled for 4 p.m. EDT, with rain in the forecast and a temperature near 53 degrees.

The No. 8-ranked Wildcats (9-2) enter on a five-game winning streak, having just swept a three-game series from Saint John’s. Kentucky’s strength has been its pitching, which posted a 1.00 ERA during the sweep.

Wildcats right-hander Nate Harris is a player to watch. He delivered a dominant performance in his last start, striking out nine over six innings while allowing one run in a 3-1 win over Saint John’s on Sunday. In his previous start, he threw five no-hit innings at Evansville but took a hard-luck 1-0 loss.

The Colonels (3-8) have lost eight of their last nine games, including an 11-3 defeat at Tulane on Sunday. Eastern Kentucky will look to right-hander Hayden Collins to help steady the ship. Collins was a bright spot in the Tulane loss, throwing five innings of relief without allowing a hit and giving up one earned run.

Kentucky won the most recent meeting between the programs, 4-0, just Tuesday in Richmond. The Wildcats have traditionally dominated the series.

Interstat’s game simulator projects a Kentucky victory with a final score of 7-3.

Following this game, Kentucky begins a three-game home series against The Citadel on Friday. Eastern Kentucky opens a three-game set against Illinois State at home on Friday.