Preview: Kentucky Wildcats at Mississippi Rebels

OXFORD, Miss. (Interstat) — A pivotal Southeastern Conference series concludes Saturday at Swayze Field as the eighth-ranked Kentucky Wildcats face the 14th-ranked Mississippi Rebels in a rubber match.

First pitch is set for Saturday afternoon under clear skies with a temperature near 70 degrees.

The Wildcats (19-3, 1-1 SEC) evened the series with a 3-1 victory Friday afternoon after the Rebels (18-6, 1-1) took the opener 5-0 on Thursday. Saturday’s winner will claim the early conference set.

Kentucky, boasting one of the nation’s top records, will look to its bullpen stalwart Ben Cleaver in a key role. The right-hander has been dominant in relief this season, allowing just one earned run over his last 10 2/3 innings spanning four appearances, striking out 13. He pitched 3 2/3 scoreless innings against Mississippi on Thursday.

Mississippi will counter with left-hander Hunter Elliott, who dominated the Wildcats in the series opener. Elliott (1-0, 2.45 ERA) tossed 6 1/3 shutout innings, allowing four hits and striking out six to earn the win. In his last start against Texas, he struck out eight over five innings.

According to Interstat projections, a high-scoring affair is expected. Their game simulator predicts an 8-7 Kentucky victory, while their ELO rating system gives the Wildcats a 52.9% probability to win.

The matchup features two of the SEC’s top teams early in the conference slate. Kentucky’s .864 winning percentage ranks among the national leaders, while Mississippi has won six of its last eight games.

Following Saturday’s contest, Kentucky will host Murray State on Tuesday before traveling to LSU next weekend. Mississippi will visit Memphis on Tuesday before hosting rival Mississippi State in a weekend series.