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Nick Mingione (Photo by Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Nick Mingione was certain about two things heading into the 2023 season, his seventh at the helm of Kentucky’s baseball program.
The first was born from confidence.
“I knew that we could win consistently,” Mingione told Baseball America. “I’ve always felt that we could build this program into something great.”
The second was a matter of strategy in order to make the first a reality. And it required a sweeping recalibration of the roster-building methods previously employed in Lexington that produced only modest returns—five NCAA Tournament regional appearances, one super regional and zero trips to the College World Series over a two-decade stretch.
In an era defined by NIL-fueled recruiting battles for blue chip prospects, Mingione confidently set his sights on building an older, more experienced roster—one forged with grit, physical maturity and the savvy to outlast flashier, but less-seasoned, opponents.
It was a calculated move, designed to level the playing field and capitalize on veteran leadership and toughness that could withstand the pressures of a sport increasingly influenced by off-field dynamics.
“I always joke with my staff that we’re not the New York Yankees,” Mingione said. “But that doesn’t mean we can’t recruit to an identity and bring in guys who want to win at the University of Kentucky. You could say we have to play a little bit more like the Tampa Bay Rays.”
And that’s effectively what Mingione did.
He brought in 10 Division I transfers following the 2022 season, eight of whom were upperclassmen. Doing so raised his average roster age from 21.7 years old to 22.1, making the Wildcats one of the oldest teams among what are now the “Power 4” schools.
Looking back, Mingione believes that change was almost entirely responsible for Kentucky’s staggering growth from a 33-26 overall and 12-18 conference record in 2022—which resulted in an NCAA Tournament miss—to 40-21 overall and 16-14 in the SEC last season, which allowed it to host for just the second time in program history.
Kentucky might not have been the most talented team in the country that year in terms of the quality of its professional prospects, a reality Mingione doesn’t hide from. But it was easily one of the nation’s more disciplined and steady groups, especially on the mound, where its…